Overview
- The Boilermakers enter at 17-4 (7-3 Big Ten) and ranked No. 12 after three straight losses to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana.
- During the skid, opponents are 39-for-91 (42.9%) from three, with Matt Painter calling the defensive issues effort-based rather than schematic.
- Braden Smith remains the engine, averaging 20.0 points and 7.8 assists on 57% shooting and 47% from three over his last seven games.
- Secondary scoring has cooled, with Trey Kaufman-Renn down to 13.1 points per game this season and Fletcher Loyer in a slump, as Painter also pushes for stronger work on the glass.
- Maryland is 8-12 (1-8 Big Ten) without top scorer Pharrel Payne; the game starts at 1 p.m. ET on CBS at Xfinity Center, and projections favor Purdue decisively (CBS pick: Purdue -13.5).