3 takeaways as Purdue withstands Michigan State in classic B1G tussle
Purdue’s drive for another title and the potential to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament continues.
In Friday’s B1G Basketball Tournament quarterfinals, the Boilermakers squared off with a still hungry Michigan State squad. Tom Izzo’s Spartans fell behind by 7 points at halftime but did not wilt, fighting back to tie things at 56-all with less than 2 minutes to play.
Fletcher Loyer would quickly give Purdue the lead again with a 3-pointer, and the Boilermakers finished things off in a 67-62 win. Zach Edey led all scorers with 29 points and a double-double with 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks while Lance Jones added 10 points.
For the Spartans, Tyson Walker led the way with 15 points and the team received strong bench play from Tre Holloman with 10 points. Unfortunately, a 4-for-18 performance from 3-point range and 29 total team fouls doomed Michigan State.
Fans can continue to track all the postseason odds with Tradition’s Ohio betting apps. Here are the key takeaways as we get set for more action:
Purdue continues drive to No. 1 overall seed
Ahead of Friday’s action, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still had Purdue as the No. 1 seed for the entire NCAA Tournament. However, the Boilermakers had not finalized their spot just yet.
Lunardi says the Boilermakers must keep advancing in the B1G to maintain their hold on the top seed. For now, Matt Painter’s squad is trying to hold off UConn and Houston.
A win strengthens Purdue’s hold heading into Saturday’s semifinals and a matchup against the winner of the Wisconsin vs. Northwestern showdown. Both of those teams are projected to be in the tournament, so the Boilermakers getting another strong chance to add to the portfolio on Saturday.
Is Michigan State’s status safe?
Michigan State entered Friday’s game with what appears to be a secure position in the NCAA Tournament. A lot of that has to do with the Spartans avoiding a Thursday disaster by beating Minnesota to advance.
Prior to the loss to Purdue, Michigan State was projected in the “last four byes” section by Lunardi. Going toe-to-toe with the Boilermakers should not hurt that projection barring unforeseen circumstances.
Still, Michigan State once again leaves itself sweating things out on Selection Sunday with their fate in the hands of the committee. That is not what the Spartans have grown accustomed to in their history, but it’s a situation that has become far too common.
In 4 seasons since the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, Michigan State has earned a top-15 ranking each season. However, their eventual seeding for the Big Dance has been 11, 7, 7 and to be determined (current projections are a 10-seed per Lunardi). Izzo’s group has not earned anything higher than a 7-seed since 2019 when the Spartans were a 2-seed and lost in the Elite 8.
Yes, the hope is the Spartans will continue their NCAA Tournament streak under Izzo, but the seeding must get better if they want to produce a deep run once again.
Concern for Braden Smith?
Concern for Purdue’s point guard Braden Smith built after he went down in the second half after an awkward fall. It originally looked like a knee injury for Smith as he stayed down in pain and was attended to before leaving for the locker room.
Purdue guard Braden Smith goes down after this play with a right leg injury pic.twitter.com/f2u1kAcI6n
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2024
Smith would eventually return to the court and re-enter the game after missing 4 minutes of game time. Painter updated Smith’s situation as a calf injury which sounds promising, but it is something to monitor moving forward.
“He said it was his calf muscle, so that was kind of a relief – even though those can hurt – that it wasn’t an ankle, it wasn’t a knee,” explained Painter.
“He said it was his calf muscle, so that was kind of a relief – even though those can hurt – that it wasn’t an ankle, it wasn’t a knee.”
Matt Painter shares that @BoilerBall‘s Braden Smith going down was scary, but it wasn’t anything serious. pic.twitter.com/UhTkFHrsj2
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2024
Smith finished with just 5 points against the Spartans but led the Boilermakers with 8 assists. He’s still the second-leading scorer for Purdue at 13 points per game and leads the team with 7.2 assists while shooting 45% from 3-point range.
With Smith on the court, he’s a potential difference-maker when working in tandem with Zach Edey. Without Smith, the Boilermakers would be stretched at the position at the worst possible time.