Purdue basketball defeats Northwestern, strengthens NCAA Tournament résumé
No. 24 Purdue picked up a nice 75-70 victory over Northwestern on Saturday evening.
The Boilermakers needed to hold serve in this game as they continue to improve their projected seed for the NCAA Tournament.
Starting guard Jaden Ivey was the big contributor for Purdue. He scored a team-high 20 points on 14 shots. He also added seven rebounds and three assists.
Center Zach Edey recorded the only double-double of the game for either team, producing 12 points and 11 rebounds.
This game was won at the free throw line. The Boilermakers made a staggering 23-of-24 free throw attempts, while Northwestern made just 8-of-11. Other statistics such as rebounds, turnovers, assists, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage were relatively equal.
Edey and Ivey combined to go 14-of-14 at the free throw line.
Purdue is now 13-7 on the season and 8-5 in conference play. As of now, the Boilermakers just have one remaining game vs. a ranked opponent (Wisconsin on March 2) so their NCAA Tournament résumé will likely continue to get stronger.
As for Northwestern, its chances of making the field of 68 are dwindling. The Wildcats were ranked at one point earlier in the season, but they’re now 12th in the Big Ten with a 3-9 record.
Purdue’s next game is on Feb. 11 vs. Minnesota.