Gophers men's basketball vs. Purdue preview: December defeat looms large

Thursday, 6 p.m. vs. Purdue • ESPN2, 103.5-FM

Gophers update: The Gophers (7-9, 1-5 Big Ten) couldn't follow up their first Big Ten win with another momentum builder after Monday's 78-60 loss against Illinois at home. Ben Johnson picked up his second career conference road victory last week at Ohio State, but his team dropped its fifth straight Big Ten home game the next time out. Dawson Garcia's team-high 17 points against Illinois was his eighth straight double-figure scoring game this season. But Garcia's last game scoring in single digits was six points in an 89-70 loss Dec. 4 at Purdue. Jamison Battle had 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting from three-point range in the last meeting vs. the Boilermakers, but he left Monday's game late with a back injury.

Purdue update: The No. 3 Boilermakers (17-1, 6-1) have won four straight games behind junior center Zach Edey, who leads the Big Ten in points (21.9) and rebounds (13.4). Edey's coming off a 32-point, 17-rebound performance in Monday's 64-63 win against Michigan State. That was his fourth 30-point performance this season, which includes his 31 points and 22 rebounds vs. the Gophers in early December. Boilermakers freshman guard Fletcher Loyer (13.4 points per game) had 20 points and eight assists against Minnesota. They haven't lost to the Gophers since Feb. 11, 2021 at Williams Arena.