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GoldandBlack.com Purdue Basketball Game Preview: Minnesota

On3 imageby: Brian Neubert4 hours agobrianneubert

After an uncharacteristic defeat to Iowa State over the weekend, sixth-ranked Purdue finishes out its two-game December Big Ten schedule Wednesday night, meeting Minnesota for the first time under new coach Niko Medved.

DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 | 7 p.m. ET | TV: BTN (Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (8-1, 1-0 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
MINNESOTA (5-4, 1-0 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

TeamAPCoachesNETKenPomKenPom Win%
Purdue669695%
Minnesota——1321125%

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• Purdue is looking to open 2-0 in the Big Ten for only the seventh time under Matt Painter and for the first time since 2022-23.

• The Boilermakers have won the past five meetings with Minnesota.

ABOUT MINNESOTA

• Niko Medved’s in his first season at Minnesota after he won 143 games over seven seasons at Colorado State. He’s taken over a roster with only two returnees and gotten off to an uneven 5-3 start, but scored a big win in his Big Ten debut, beating then-ranked Indiana at the Barn.

• North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson leads the Gophers, averaging a Big Ten-best 21.8 points, making 37 percent of his threes. He’s a legitimate 6-foot-7 inside-out forward/wing who can shoot spot-up threes and threes on the move alike and is highly weaponized as a cutter in Minnesota’s Princeton-derived motion offense.

Minnesota is shooting sub-32-percent from three, but relies heavily on the threat of the triple to set up its intricate cutting.

• The Gophers are No. 1 nationally in free throw rate, averaging 28 attempts per game, but they’re shooting just 67 percent. Tyson has already attempted 86 foul shots through nine games; he’s shooting well north of 80 percent.

• Forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson averages 12 points and nine rebounds after coming with Medved from Fort Collins.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

DEFENSIVE DETAILREBOUNDINGBALL SECURITY
Purdue slipped in this area vs. Iowa State, and will need to find itself vs a Minnesota team that’ll test its discipline and cohesiveness.Purdue will be the bigger, more physical front line again and can ride those advantages a long way, perhaps.Turnovers are the poison pill for Purdue again this season. They’re the fastest path to the Boilermakers struggling against overmatched opponents.

THREE THOUGHTS

• Purdue’s fine. The Iowa State outcome was stunning, but over-reaction to such things rarely ages well. Don’t be surprised if the Boilermakers get hot again here.
• Good game to really get Trey Kaufman-Renn going. He’s due for a big one.
• How much do Oscar Cluff‘s and Daniel Jacobsen‘s size affect an offense dependent on back cuts?

GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 80, MINNESOTA 65

Minnesota is not catching Purdue at a great time. Expect to see a Boilermaker team primed to turn Saturday’s foreign experience into something productive.

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