Northwestern Men's Basketball vs Purdue: Preview, Predictions, TV

The Northwestern Wildcats have woken up a little late, but they finally seem to have found an identity around youth and length — plus two-time All-Big Ten senior forward Nick Martinelli's astronomic offense, of course.

On Wednesday, Northwestern upset the higher-seeded Indiana Hoosiers en route to the third round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament, 74-61. Martinelli chipped in 28 points on good efficiency, while true freshman guard Jake West scored 18 of his own.

As a team, the Wildcats shot 26-of-54 (48 percent) from the floor, including 6-of-14 shooting (43 percent) from distance, plus 16-of-21 shooting from the foul line. The Wildcats held a big advantage in ball control, turning over the rock just six times to Indiana's 11 such gaffes.

So can Northwestern surprise everyone at the United Center on Thursday, against a much more formidable Purdue Boilermakers club? Maybe.

Game Preview

During their last encounter, a narrow 70-66 home loss on March 4, Martinelli (28 points) and undersized transfer guard Jayden Reid (16) were the only Wildcats who could muster much offense. On the other end, C.J. Cox couldn't be stopped, notching 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field (including a scary 5-of-8 from 3-point land) and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe.

Being the No. 7 seed in the Tournament, however, is small potatoes for the Boilermakers (23-8 overall, 13-7 Big Ten). Purdue is currently ranked nationally as the No. 18 seed heading into the Big Dance. There's a decent chance the Boilermakers overlook the Wildcats, dreaming of their next opponent.

Ultimately, Northwestern needs someone not named Nick Martinelli to get hot.

Northwestern's X-Factor

Jake West feels like as good a contender for glory right now as any. The 6-foot-3 guard has scored in double digits across three of his last five contests.

Since Chris Collins made him a permanent starter on Jan. 14 against Illinois (not factoring in Wednesday's numbers), West has been shooting on an efficient .424/.388/.778 slash line, and passing out for 4.1 dimes (against just 1.6 turnovers).

Prediction

The Wildcats' charmed run ends here. The victor of this encounter will go on to face a buzzsaw in No. 2-seeded Nebraska.

Final Score Prediction: Purdue 70, Northwestern 58.

How to Watch, Listen 

• Matchup: Northwestern (15-18, 5-15 B1G) vs Purdue (23-8, 13-7 B1G)
• When: Thursday, March 11
• Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Time: 5:30 p.m. CST 
• Watch: Big Ten Network (TV)
• Listen: WGN Radio 720 AM, SiriusXM Channel 388, The Varsity Network

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