Jan. 14, 2009

NU Game Notes vs. Purdue

EVANSTON, Ill. - Winners of seven of its first eight home games this season, Northwestern shoots for its first Big Ten win of 2008-09 as it hosts No. 19 Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena Thursday night. ESPN2 is televising the game live with Dave O'Brien and Steve Lavin on the call.

The contest can also be heard on 720 AM-WGN and online at wgnradio.com with Dave Eanet and Shon Morris.

Halftime entertainment is being provided by the Bucket Boys. It is also Northwestern Faculty and Staff Night with all University faculty and staff receiving $15 admission when purchasing their tickets in advance.

The Wildcats are playing their first game in eight days after suffering a 74-45 loss at defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin last Wednesday. NU trailed by nine at the half before the Badgers used a 16-6 run early in the second half to pull away. Northwestern was held to a season-low 31.4 percent shooting from the floor in the contest. Craig Moore and Kevin Coble each had a team-high 9 points.

Both teams are adept and protecting the basketball and taking it away as Purdue (+5.25) and Northwestern (+3.54) rank first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in turnover margin.

Series History: Purdue leads, 115-41.
Last Meeting: No. 16 Purdue led by just one at the half, but used an 18-4 run early in the second half en route to a 68-43 win in West Lafayette March 1, 2008. Ivan Peljusic led NU with 13 points, all in the first half.

Scouting Purdue
• The Boilermakers (12-4, 1-2 Big Ten) handed Wisconsin its first Big Ten loss of the season Sunday in West Lafayette, defeating the Badgers 65-52. JaJuan Johnson had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Purdue.

• Sophomore guard E'Twaun Moore leads the Boilers with an average of 14.3 points per game, while classmate Robbie Hummel is close behind at 14.0 per contest and a team-high 7.9 rebounds. Purdue was picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten after finishing second a year ago.

• Matt Painter is in his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater and has a 68-44 record over that time. He is 93-49 in five seasons overall as a head coach, including one season at Southern Illinois.

Wisconsin Game Notes
Craig Moore scored 9 points in the contest to raise his career total to 1,024, moving him past Ray Ragelis (1949-51) and into 25th place on NU's career scoring list ... The Wildcats entered the game with a .390 team 3-point percentage, but connected on just 3 of 17 attempts in the contest ... Moore handed out 3 assists in the game and now has 291 in his career, moving him into a tie for 10th on Northwestern's all-time list with T.J. Parker (2003-05).

Protecting the Rock
Northwestern has handed out 202 assists while committing just 153 turnovers so far this year for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.32. The mark ranks 14th-best in the country and third in the Big Ten. Individually, sophomore point guard Michael Thompson ranks fifth in the conference and 35th nationally with a 2.38 ratio. The Wildcats ranked third in the country last season with a 1.43 team assist-to-turnover ratio.

Up Next...
The Wildcats remain home at Welsh-Ryan Arena this Sunday as they take on 18th-ranked Minnesota. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. with Big Ten Network providing live television coverage.