Purdue basketball is No. 1 seed in Big Ten tournament behind Zach Edey
Purdue basketball is the Big Ten champion, notching a 15-5 record in conference play and earning the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, March 8-12 in Chicago.
Purdue (26-5 overall), which was 22-1 overall on Feb. 1, split its last 8 regular-season games, winning its last 2 (at Wisconsin, vs. Illinois).
The Boilermakers will play No. 9 seed Rutgers, which held No. 8 Michigan without a field goal for a 14-minute period of the second half Thursday on the way to a 62-50 win.
Here's what you should know about the Boilermakers.
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Purdue vs. Rutgers basketball results
The Scarlet Knights handed Purdue its first loss of the season on Jan. 2, as Cam Spencer hit a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to give them a 65-64 victory. Paul Mulcahy had 16 points, Spencer 14 and Clifford Omoruyi 12 for Rutgers. Purdue's Zach Edey had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Brandon Newman 11 points and Fletcher Loyer 10. Purdue managed just 39.6% shooting from the field, 30.4% on 3-pointers and 67.9% on free throws.
That was the only meeting between the teams in the regular season. Rutgers has won 5 of the past 6 meetings between the teams.
Zach Edey is Big Ten Player of the Year
Zach Edey, a 7-4 junior, is averaging 21.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 assists for the fifth-ranked Boilermakers. Edey also leads the country with 23 double-doubles and joins former Michigan star Chris Webber as the only Big Ten player to compile at least 600 points, 350 rebounds and 50 blocks in a season.
Who are Purdue's best players?
Full season averages; all of those players average at least 12 minutes per game
No. 15 Zach Edey, 21.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocked shots
No. 2 Fletcher Loyer, freshman, 11.6 points, team-leading 54 3-pointers on 32.9% accuracy
No. 3 Braden Smith, freshman, 10.0 points, 4.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 41.2% 3-pointers
No. 0 Mason Gillis, 6.3 points, 36.8% 3-pointers, 3.5 rebounds
No. 5 Brandon Newman, 6.1 points
No. 1, Caleb Furst, 5.9 points, 5.0 rebounds
No. 25 Ethan Morton, 4.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists
No. 4 Trey Kaufman-Renn, 4.9 points
No. 14 David Jenkins Jr., 3.4 points
What channel is Purdue basketball on?
Friday, March 10: Purdue vs. Rutgers is at noon ET on BTN
Saturday, March 11: Semifinal game is at 1 p.m. ET on CBS
Sunday, March 12: Championship game is at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Purdue basketball on the radio: 96.5 FM in Lafayette, 1260 AM in Indianapolis, SiriusXM Channel 84 (Friday).
Will Purdue be a No. 1 seed in March Madness?
Purdue enters Big Ten tournament play ranked No. 5 in the nation and on track for a No. 2 NCAA tournament seed, according to several bracketologists. How various conference tournaments play out will affect's Purdue's March Madness position.
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Purdue in the Big Ten
Averages are in conference games
Scoring margin: 1st (+6.8)
Field goal shooting: 3rd (46.2%)
3-point shooting: 8th (34.1%)
Free throws by opponent: 213 (fewest allowed)
Rebounding margin: 1st (+10.1 per game; +7 more than next best margin)
Turnover margin: T-12th (-2.15 per game)
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball, Zach Edey vs. Rutgers in Big Ten tournament
