Purdue enters this contest with wins in five of its first six games. Unfortunately, the lone loss came in the last game, with Matt Painter’s Boilermakers falling to Richmond in the Chicago Invitational Challenge over the weekend, 65-54.
Seth Greenberg’s Hokies have spent a great deal of time away from Blacksburg this season. Virginia Tech returns home after a trek out west to play in the 76 Classic in Anaheim. The team won its first two games in the event with wins over CS-Northridge (72-56) and Oklahoma State (56-51), but could not complete the three-game sweep, falling to UNLV on Sunday, 71-59.
This is just the third meeting between these two teams on the hardwood. Virginia Tech has won both prior meetings, although these programs haven’t met since 1966.
The Boilermakers have the ability to win games at either end of the floor and the stats certainly point this out. The team is averaging an impressive 80.1 ppg thus far, while holding opponents to a mere 57.5. Purdue also holds a 4.8 rebounding advantage and is forcing 19.2 turnovers per game. Its tough to argue that there is a better player in the Big Ten right now than senior guard E’Twaun Moore. The 6-4 veteran is shooting the lights out from all over the floor, averaging 20.8 ppg, while also grabbing close to seven rebounds per outing and leading the team in steals (nine). Big man JaJuan Johnson provides the perfect complement with his play in the paint, netting 16.5 ppg, while leading the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and blocked shots (15). Despite 16 points and nine rebounds from Moore last time out, the Boilermakers dropped their first game of the season to Richmond. Johnson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but Purdue was beat up on the boards (44-35), a key to the loss.
While Purdue has Moore, Virginia Tech counters with Malcolm Delaney. The top returning scorer in the ACC, the 6-3 senior is off to another fast start, averaging 21.3 ppg. Delaney can simply take over a game at the offensive end, shooting .486 overall, .457 from behind the arc and .875 from the free-throw line. He gets perimeter help from Dorenzo Hudson (11.2 ppg), while Jeff Allen (11.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg) is the team’s resident muscle down low. The Hokies aren’t going to blow many teams away at the offensive end (67.7 ppg), but opponents aren’t going to do the same either (63.5 ppg against). The Hokies could not overcome UNLV’s sharp shooting (.534) and fell to the Rebels in the title game of the 76 Classic over the weekend. Delaney was his usual productive self, hitting seven three-pointers en route to a game-high 30 points. Terrell Bell chipped in with 12 points, but Hudson was shutout of the scoring column, missing all seven of his field-goal opportunities.
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