Big Ten tournament championship game next after No. 1 seed Purdue puts away Ohio State
CHICAGO – Once Purdue weathered Ohio State’s hot shooting start, the Boilermakers were able to take control and move into Sunday’s Big Ten tournament championship game.
Top-seeded Purdue trailed by eight midway through the first half but overtook the 13th-seeded Buckeyes and posted an 80-66 victory at the United Center.
The fifth-ranked Boilermakers will face No. 10 seed Penn State (3:30 p.m., CBS) and former Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry. The Nittany Lions knocked out Indiana in the other semifinal. Purdue lost to Iowa in last year’s title game.
Down 29-21 as Ohio State was blistering the nets from 3-point range, led by Roddy Gayle Jr., Purdue gained momentum by shoving the ball inside to Zach Edey, who had a significant size advantage against the smaller Buckeyes.
Part of the 21-5 to close the first half was a six-point possession for the Boilermakers. Braden Smith hit a jumper, but Eugene Brown III was called for a hook and hold on Edey, who made the two free throws.
Edey added a basket to complete the possession, which gave Purdue a 33-31 advantage with 3:17 left.
David Jenkins Jr. put the finishing touches on the late run with a long 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key.
“David Jenkins gave us a great lift at the end of the first half to be able to finish them off and hit the big three,” coach Matt Painter said.
Purdue built a 55-40 with 12:54 remaining before Ohio State cut into the deficit.
Edey finished with 32 points, and 14 rebounds and Brandon Newman chipped in 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Smith added 14 points, including a key layup to extend the lead to 65-55 after the Buckeyes made one last push. Caleb Furst came off the bench and totaled six points and four rebounds.
“I thought Brandon Newman really stepped up and played well. He did a good job guarding Bruce Thornton. He didn’t turn the basketball over and just made some key plays for us,” Painter said.
“The storyline of the game is they only have one center. We had that matchup the whole night. I felt bad for Trey Kaufman-Renn because he normally gives us about 8-12 minutes right there and does a really good job, but since we just had that matchup all night, Zach was going to have an advantage and we were going to be able to get to the free-throw line.”
Gayle made his first five 3-pointers and led the Buckeyes with 20 points.
Ohio State freshman Brice Sensabaugh didn’t play after it was announced he was done for the season with a knee injury.
“PDF: Purdue-Ohio State stats
MOTIVATION FROM LAST YEAR’S LOSS
The Boilermakers still remembering losing to Iowa in last year’s title game in Indianapolis.
That loss, combined with the last-second defeat at Wisconsin that cost Purdue a chance at the regular season championship, prevented the program from claiming a conference title.
“I don’t think any of the returners forgot that feeling we felt at Wisconsin during the regular season and against Iowa coming up so short,” Newman said. “We haven’t forgot about what last year taught us as returners. We’re able to keep it at the forefront throughout this whole season and this weekend.”
The Boilermakers are making their fourth appearance in the title game in the last seven tournaments. Purdue last won the tournament in 2009 but has finished runner-up three times since then.
Purdue beat Penn State twice this season, including at The Palestra in Philadelphia in early January. Edey totaled 30 points and 13 rebounds and Fletcher Loyer and Smith combined for 32 points.
In the second meeting, Mason Gillis hit nine 3-pointers and poured in 29 points at Mackey Arena in the 20-point win.
“We root for Micah,” Painter said before PSU beat the Hoosiers. “Obviously we don’t root for him when they play Purdue, but he’s meant a lot to our program in two different stints as an assistant. He’s grown our program. He’s been a part of it, making us better, and we learned a lot from him.”
NO. 1 SEED?
By advancing to the championship game and riding a four-game winning streak, have the Boilermakers done enough to earn one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament?
Purdue also won the regular-season championship and if it wins Sunday’s game, it would give Painter’s team a double-double in terms of Big Ten titles.
The Boilermakers are in contention with Alabama, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
“I think it could go either way,” Painter said. “Obviously, the people that are involved have all had great seasons and done the same things that we have. If you look at it, we have different conference schedules and different nonconference schedules. So, then you’ve got to really chew on that and break that down, which I have not.”
Purdue’s season won’t be judged whether it earns a No. 1 seed but how the Boilermakers handle the upcoming NCAA tournament. The program hasn’t earned a No. 1 seed since 1996.
“We’re in great company, and we’ve earned the right to be in the discussion,” Painter said. “Now the only thing that we’re worried about is trying to win this next game.
“If you keep just doing your job, everything else takes care of itself. If we win and we don’t get it, so be it. Who cares? That’s not the goal. That’s not what you put on your resume. You put on your resume whether you go to a Sweet 16 or go to a Final Four. The play is what’s important for us.”
KEY MOMENTS FROM OSU WIN
–Painter usually doesn’t show a lot of emotion on the sidelines but when Newman forced a five-second call in the first half, the veteran coach was visibility excited for the play.
“I just came over and gave him a high five,” Newman said. “We were able to enjoy that moment together.”
Said Edey: “He’s pretty mild mannered, but he can definitely get on you. At the end of the game, he was super tense. You can feel that. And he’s going to say something. There’s definitely a few words I can’t repeat to the media that he said.”
–Edey had only one rebound at halftime against the Buckeyes but pulled down 13 in the second half to record his 25th double double. Edey tied Caleb Swanigan for the most double doubles in a season in program history.
“I think I attacked the glass the same way both halves,” Edey said. “It doesn’t matter if the ball is coming to you or not coming to you. Rebounds, at the end of the day, they’re kind of like a thing of chance. You can get to the perfect rebound spot, you can get to the opposite side, you can get to the weak side, but sometimes the ball will just not bounce your way. I think I just kind of stuck with it.”
–With limited depth inside, how did the Buckeye plan to deal with Edey?
“We were trying to trap him,” OSU coach Chris Holtmann said. “We just couldn’t get there. He got it too deep a couple times, more than a couple times. They do a great job obviously getting him the ball, but also he just plants in the paint and you can’t move him. He just plants there, and he’s immovable. Sometimes they’ll do some ball screen actions, but it’s too hard to get him out of the paint.”
