GoldandBlack.com Purdue Basketball Game Preview: #9 Iowa State

After winning its Big Ten opener at Rutgers, top-ranked Purdue returns home for arguably the signature game of its non-conference schedule: A visit from 10th-ranked Iowa State.

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 | 12 p.m. ET | TV: CBS (Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (8-0, 1-0 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
IOWA STATE (8-0): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

Team	AP	Coaches	NET	KenPom	KenPom Win%
Purdue	1	1	3	2	68%
Iowa State	10	9	7	4	32%

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• The Boilermakers lead college basketball with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.17 heading into this matchup with one of the sport’s most havoc-wreaking defensive programs.

• Purdue is fifth nationally in three-point percentage at 41.8 percent.

• Ratcheting up the impact of he Boilermakers have been dominant on the offensive glass, retrieving approximately 42 percent of its misses. Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn are third and fifth, respectively, in offensive rebounding percentage.

• Cluff, who was also recruited by Iowa State last spring, is the most efficient offensive player in America, according to KenPom’s offensive rating formula. The Boilermakers’ starting center is averaging 9.3 rebounds, shooting 70 percent from the floor and 83 percent at the line and has turned the ball over only three times. His 17 assists have been one of the real surprises offensively this season, most of those assists leading to three-pointers.

ABOUT IOWA STATE

• Iowa State star guard Tamin Lipsey has been sidelined the past three games due to a groin injury sustained in Las Vegas, but has practiced recently and could be poised to return to the floor Saturday.

• Six-foot-9, 240-pound forward Joshua Jefferson has been one of the best players in college basketball, averaging 18.4 points on 57-percent shooting. Purdue may want to draw from its JT Toppin game plan some.

• The Cyclones are No. 1 nationally in defensive turnover margin, benefiting from an average of 19.5 turnovers per game. Behind a defense known to heavily pressure ball screens, Iowa State averages 12 steals per game.

• Iowa State is third nationally in three-point percentage at 43.3 percent. Forward Milan Momcilovic is shooting a ridiculous 55-percent on 60-plus attempts.

Its top-10 offense and sparking shooting percentages is connected strongly to a defense built to trigger fast breaks.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

TAKE CARE OF THE BALL	JOSHUA JEFFERSON	THREES
Obviously. Iowa State’s thing is forcing mistakes and feasting in transition. Easier said than done, but Purdue’s guards are going to have to show their experience. They haven’t seen anything like ISU yet, but ISU hasn’t seen anything like Braden Smith yet, either.	Purdue has to use its frontcourt muscle against Joshua Jefferson, make him work on defense against Trey Kaufman-Renn, wear him down if possible and do a great job in help to keep him from being cozy in the paint.	These are two elite shooting teams, but with slightly different set-ups for generating those shots. If Purdue gets offensive rebounds for threes and makes them, it could be rough for Iowa State. But if Iowa State gets live-ball turnovers …

THREE THOUGHTS

• The speed at which Purdue can its ball-screen offense might be a huge headache for Iowa State. What the Boilermakers have done sprinting Braden Smith into handoffs, then compound screens, has been deadly.

The best comparison for what Iowa State will try to do to Braden Smith is Houston. Smith tore them up.
• Purdue’s ability to put multiple ball-handlers on the floor at pretty much all times is a huge advantage. Fletcher Loyer, Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox might not be ideal No. 1 guys handling the ball against pressure but they’re all just fine as 2s and 3s, and keep an eye on this: What happens when Omer Mayer is out there with Smith and the Cyclones try to trap the ball out of Smith’s hands? Now, you might have Mayer running things in 4-on-3 sorts of situations. Purdue is ideally built to beat swarming.
• The battle-of-attrition factor: Can Purdue’s physicality up front tax Iowa State? Can the Cyclones’ pressure wear down Purdue or does chasing Smith around for 40 minutes catch up with Iowa State, especially if Lipsey plays after being idled? (We’re assuming he plays.)

GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 80, IOWA STATE 72

Great matchup. Two great teams. Mackey Arena is a big deal, the same way Hilton Coliseum will be next season when these teams meet in Ames.

The biggest difference-maker: Purdue has the singular most Iowa State-proof player in college basketball in Braden Smith. No one puppet-masters ball-screen pressure better.