Nebraska takes on its second ranked opponent in four days on Friday, as the Huskers travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the No. 7/5 (AP/Coaches) Purdue Boilermakers. Tipoff from Mackey Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Friday’s matchup in West Lafayette marks the Huskers’ first trip to Purdue since the 2018-19 season, as no current Husker has played in Mackey Arena.
he Huskers (6-11, 0-6 Big Ten) are looking for their first Big Ten win after battling with No. 25 Illinois but falling short in an 81-71 setback Tuesday evening. Nebraska had tied the game with 3:57 left after a pair of Bryce McGowens free throws, but Illinois responded with a decisive 12-2 spurt to pull away. It marked the second straight home game where NU had a chance to knock off a ranked opponent, but fell short in the final minutes. McGowens continued his solid run, leading the Huskers with 19 points and adding six rebounds in a losing effort. McGowens, who is third nationally among all true freshmen in scoring at 15.9 points per game, has reached double figures in seven straight games dating back to Dec. 11. The 6-foot-7 guard from Pendleton, S.C. is also second on the team in both rebounding (5.5 rpg) and assists per game (1.7 apg).
Purdue comes into the week as the highest of the five ranked Big Ten teams, as the Boilermakers are 12-2 and ranked seventh in the country. Matt Painter is in his 17th season at Purdue and has guided the Boilermakers to NCAA appearances in six of the last seven seasons.
