The Terps haven’t won in West Lafayette, Indiana, since 2015.
Maryland men’s basketball’s start to Big Ten play was as ideal as it could have asked for, crushing Ohio State, 83-59, at Xfinity Center. But its second conference test is a much bigger hurdle.
The Terps will play a true road game for the first time this season Sunday, when they travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, and take on No. 8 Purdue at Mackey Arena. It’s their second game against a ranked opponent.
The Boilermakers don’t have two-time Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Zach Edey anymore, and aren’t the March frontrunner they’ve been in years past. But an experienced trio of juniors and an unwelcoming home atmosphere will give Maryland problems it hasn’t dealt with this year.
Sunday’s contest will tip off at noon and air on Big Ten Network.
Purdue Boilermakers (7-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
2023-24 record: 34-5, 17-3 Big Ten
Purdue is coming off a stunning loss to unranked Penn State, 81-70, on the road. Five Nittany Lions scored in double figures as the Boilermakers failed to stop much of anything. Part of it can be attributed to playing on the road, but it’s a shocking loss nonetheless.
Their other loss this season came to No. 5 Marquette by 18 points — the Terps only lost to Marquette by four points. Outside of those two games, Purdue has looked like one of the country’s top teams, stacking wins over No. 10 Alabama, No. 23 Ole Miss and NC State in nonconference play.
20th-year head coach Matt Painter will have his squad in line down the stretch. He has led the Boilermakers to 15 NCAA Tournament apperances, but is still searching for a national championship.
Maryland has not beaten Purdue in West Lafayette since January 2015.
Players to know
Trey Kaufman-Renn, junior forward, 6-foot-9, No. 4 — Kaufman-Renn has blossomed without Edey in the lineup, becoming Purdue’s top scoring option his junior year. A physical presence down low, Kaufman-Renn makes his money in the key and low post. He’s averaging 18.7 points per game to go with 6.6 rebounds per game, 2.2 of which come on the offensive end.
Braden Smith, junior guard, 6-foot-0, No. 3 — Smith has started this season off right where he left the last, when he was named to the All-Big Ten first team and an All-American honorable mention. He’s Purdue’s engine, leading it with 34.1 minutes per game, and is one of the best feeders in the country. Smith’s 8.7 assists per game lead the Big Ten and are the NCAA’s third-highest mark. But he can also get it done as a shooter, adding 12 points per game.
Fletcher Loyer, junior guard, 6-foot-5, No. 2 — Loyer is the Boilermakers’ best option from deep. He’s shooting an absurd 54.5% from 3-point range on 3.6 shots per game, and boasted a season-long 44.4% 3-point percentage a year ago. At 6-foot-5, he’s got the ability to slide into the three but also be a mismatch as a true guard.
Strength
Shooting. Purdue is as efficient as teams come in the Big Ten. It leads the conference with a 48.8% field goal percentage and 40.4% 3-point percentage and has three players — Kaufman-Renn, Smith and Loyer — who all have the potential to explode offensively on any given day.
Weakness
Defense. The Boilermakers have not created much for themselves on the defensive end of the ball. They’re bottom five in the Big Ten in steals per game and have thus far been outblocked on the season. While they’ve faced a tough nonconference schedule, that doesn’t excuse giving up 84 points to Yale and 73 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Three things to watch
1. Can Maryland catapult itself to a national contender? It’s been a spectacular start to the year for the Terps. A win over the Boilermakers would almost certainly shoot them into the Associated Press poll, if not the top 15. If Maryland plays as well as it did against Ohio State, that’s not out of the realm of possibility. But one of the country’s top opponents stands in its way.
2. First road test. The Terps have played all nine contests this season at home or a neutral site. Sunday will be the first time they’ll have to deal with a road environment, and it’s one of the country’s toughest to play in. Maryland has struggled on the road under head coach Kevin Willard, going just 6-17 away from Xfinity Center over the past two seasons.
3. Will Maryland prevent someone from taking over the game? A singular opposing player has taken over the game in two of Maryland’s three matchups with high-major opponents. Kam Jones dropped 28 points for Marquette and Eric Dixon dazzled his way to 38 for Villanova. Purdue has three players who can put up big offensive numbers — the question is who can and will step up.