Purdue-Michigan Preview

3/8/2008 5:30 PM

By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Senior Writer

Purdue fell short in its attempt to win a Big Ten title, but it still has something to play for in its regular-season finale.

The 15th-ranked Boilermakers have a chance to better their seed for next week's conference tournament when they visit Michigan on Sunday afternoon.

Purdue's chances of claiming its first Big Ten regular-season title since 1995-96 ended when No. 10 Wisconsin won 65-52 at Northwestern on Saturday to claim the outright conference crown. The Boilermakers (23-7, 14-3), though, hurt themselves in the league title race after losing 80-77 in overtime at Ohio State on Tuesday.

"It's frustrating, but it's one game," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "We still have to come out hard and try and pick up a win."

With Wisconsin securing the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, Purdue will have a first-round bye as either the second or third seed. Purdue is tied for second place in the league with No. 18 Indiana, which visits Penn State on Sunday.

A second straight win over Michigan (9-20, 5-12) coupled with a Hoosiers loss to the Nittany Lions would give the Boilermakers the No. 2 seed. An Indiana victory would give it the No. 2 seed regardless of what Purdue does Sunday because the Hoosiers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Boilermakers.

On Sunday, however, Purdue simply looks to bounce back from its second loss in four games after winning 11 in a row.

The Boilermakers allowed the Buckeyes to shoot 48.1 percent in giving up their second-most points of the season and most in conference play.

Freshman E'Twaun Moore had 16 points, while fellow first-year star Robbie Hummel had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers, who dropped their second straight road game after winning five in a row away from home.

As Purdue looks to gain some momentum heading into the conference tournament, it will try to snap a three-game road losing streak against the Wolverines. Sophomore Keaton Grant had 17 points and Hummel added 13 in the Boilermakers' 65-58 home win over Michigan on Jan. 5.

While Purdue was able to make giant strides this season with just one senior on its roster, Michigan's inexperience has plagued it during John Beilein's first season as coach.

"There are an awful lot of young kids that are growing up in a hurry," said Beilein, who starts three freshmen and two sophomores. "We would like to have more wins, but obviously I've looked at the Big Ten of winning five games and possibly being able to win six, possibly be able to win in the tournament.

"Whatever happens, I just hope right until the last whistle whenever someone says you can't play anymore, that we are still playing as hard and the best we can."

In their most recent contest, freshman Manny Harris went 5-for-11 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 29 points in the Wolverines' 69-61 loss at Penn State on March 1. Michigan has lost three of four since winning a season-high three in a row.

Harris, one of the conference's many talented freshmen, is averaging 16.7 points on the season but 19.1 in his last seven contests.

Harris had 25 points against Purdue in January as the Wolverines shot 36.8 percent. Michigan is at the bottom of the conference in shooting, making 40.3 percent from the field.