No. 20 Purdue holds off Ohio State rally to win 76-75

If Edwards can keep it up over the next two months the Boilermakers will be in the hunt for a conference title this winter.

Swanigan’s 16 defensive rebounds against Minnesota on January 1 broke his own team record (since the mid-1980s, when the statistic was first tracked). But the freshman hung on, as he was rolled on and over during the humorous mismatch at practice.

They said it all offseason.

The Buckeyes rallied back to pull within 2 points against Purdue with 29 seconds left, and then a Trevor Thompson finish after Marc Loving lost the ball created an and-one to give Ohio State a shot at a lead with 15 seconds left. Thompson collected 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. However, with more efficient shooting, the inside has opened up and sophomore Caleb Swanigan has absolutely thrived, averaging 18.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game so far this season.

I think we’ve finally reached the point where we can stop simply calling this a nice start to the season for a Minnesota team that was terrible a year ago. “Guys are going to be emotional because it’s just the love of the game”.

Nine other players? Including your four teammates? They enter this one at 13-2 with losses against the best two teams they have played: Creighton and North Carolina.

“There’s no teammates when you rebound”, Swanigan said.

Ohio State’s play was a mixed bag, with periods of both good and bad play presenting the ideal microcosm of the entire team. “It was just a battle on both ends of the floor, really”.

Last year, Swanigan was able to take advantage of that.

The junior forward is third on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game and tied for No. 2 in rebounds (5.5).

He’ll also be challenge on the defensive end.

Edwards was fortunate to get credit for that rebound. It’d be the last FG made on the night by Purdue. Happ is still very good with a soft touch around the basket. Plus he’s a great passer and gets assists.

EVANSTON, Ill. – A strong second-half defensive effort and Bryant McIntosh’s game-high 21 points almost gave Northwestern the win in its Big Ten home opener, but the ‘Cats fell to visiting Minnesota in a closely contested 70-66 contest on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

The Boilermakers remain one of the teams at the forefront of the Big Ten, and the favorite for the rest of the season will likely be decided this weekend.

With Tuesday’s victory, the Badgers have vaulted to the top of the Big Ten standings.

Despite having similar personnel, these teams play two totally different styles of basketball. The bigger issue is that the players Purdue has utilized in the backcourt have commonly been limited and more one-dimensional in their game.

Richard Pitino’s Golden Gophers are the darling of the Big Ten this season. “You want to win”. Yeah, the Big Ten only has three ranked teams, but the league looks to be as deep as it’s ever been.

Offensively, senior forward Nigel Hayes (13.7 points per game) can beat opponents outside or off the dribble.

There have been six 20-point, 20-rebound games recorded by Big Ten players since the 1996-97 season. And by now you know what Happ can do. With A.J. Hammons finishing his career and heading to the National Basketball Association, however, there was no assurance Purdue would remain one of the league’s best rebounding teams. You won’t intimidate them.