In front of Mackey Arena’s 70th consecutive sell-out crowd, the Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 84–76 in the second half after finding their footing in a game that was undoubtedly much closer than many had predicted. Purdue’s struggled in the first half of the game against a Minnesota team that was still hoping to make it to the NCAA Tournament, as a win over the probable top seed would have put them firmly in the bubble conversation. It appeared as though the Gophers were ready to accomplish it.
Thanks to the play of Smith and Edey, who were recently named Naismith National Player of the Year nominees, Purdue took an early eleven-point lead over the Indiana Hoosiers and didn’t let up. After Edey was pulled to the bench after two extremely dubious foul calls, Minnesota rallied and went on a rapid 6-0 run to draw within five points. Purdue had pushed their lead early to 16-5 at the 15:56 mark.
Caleb Furst scored on a “and 1” and another layup to help Purdue get back on the board. Furst performed at his best this season when the Boilers most needed him, despite getting lost in the mix with Edey, Gillis, and TKR. Despite playing only 11 minutes and finishing with 6 points and 3 rebounds, he had excellent defence the entire time he was on the court. Furst’s defence of Dawson Garcia, who led the Gophers with 24 points, was outstanding during one possession in the second half, which resulted in a significant turnover and a basket for the Boilers.
Turnovers were essentially the main cause of the Boilers’ first-half struggles, something they had not seen many issues with all season. Have there been any changes in leadership? Yes, but the Gophers scored points as a result of these turnovers. The Boilermakers’ careless play resulted in seven turnovers, which the Gophers capitalised on to score 12 significant points. Indeed, during the last 6:06 of the first half, that careless play resulted in a 21-5 run, which might have been the most run an opponent has ever scored against Purdue (apart from maybe Nebraska).
The Boilers were fortunate to be ahead by just one point, trailing 43–35. In the second half, they would quickly build on that lead.
