Gameday preview: Gophers vs. Purdue
March 15, 2019 at 6:21AM
Regular-season co-champions are next
Preview: The seventh-seeded Gophers (20-12) are NCAA tournament-bound after the 77-72 overtime victory Thursday against Penn State to open the Big Ten tournament. Still, Richard Pitino and company are now playing for a higher seed in the Big Dance, facing second-seeded Purdue for the third time this season.
The No. 13-ranked Boilermakers (23-8) won a share of the regular-season Big Ten title and finished 16-4 in conference play, which included a 73-63 victory Feb. 3 against Minnesota in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue coach Matt Painter is vying for his second Big Ten tournament title, having also won in 2009.
Players to watch: Gophers junior guard Amir Coffey, who had 22 points against Penn State on Thursday, averaged 28 points in his last three regular-season games. … Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards was named All-Big Ten first team Monday after averaging a league-best 23.4 points per game.
Numbers: Coffey, who is averaging 25 points in his past four games, is the first Gophers player since Rodney Williams in 2012 with four consecutive 20-point games.
Marcus Fuller
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Gophers’ final home game of season comes against Nittany Lions team in contention for College Football Playoff.
