Michigan State basketball: Getting to know No. 2 Purdue

No. 2 Purdue presents the toughest test of the season for Michigan State basketball. What do we know about Purdue?

Here we go everyone, the biggest game of the season is finally here. Michigan State basketball travels to Purdue on Saturday night in what is undoubtedly the most difficult game of the season. The Boilermakers are No. 2 in the country and with a win will clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

Before the game gets here, however, let’s take a look at Purdue and see how it’s been doing this season.

Purdue season in review

To put it frankly, Purdue has one of the best resumes I have ever seen, and that’s not just looking at this season. They come into this matchup 25-3 overall and 14-3 in Big Ten play. Let’s begin with those three losses first. All three came on the road in Big Ten play to Northwestern, Nebraska, and Ohio State. The loss to Ohio State isn’t the best, but road losses to Nebraska and Northwestern aren’t bad by any means.

Now let’s look at the teams the Boilermakers beat. We are used to seeing Michigan State play a tough non-conference schedule, but Purdue took it to another level this year. They won all of their non-conference games, which included victories over Xavier, Alabama, and Arizona. They also won the Maui Invitational by beating Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette. That might just be the most impressive three-game run I have ever seen in the regular season.

Key players to watch

The name you all know is Zach Edey. He was the National Player of the Year last season and likely will win it again this season. Edey is averaging 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game this year. Can MSU stop him? No chance. But hopefully they can slow him down a little.

What Purdue lacked last season was an elite supporting cast for Edey, but that isn’t the case this year. Sophomore guard Braden Smith is having a breakout season as he averages 12.7 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game. Purdue also has the younger brother of a former Spartan in Fletcher Loyer who is having a good season, too. He is a sharpshooter, averaging 10.1 points per game, and is above 40 percent from 3-point range this season.

Michigan State basketball is going to have its hands full on Saturday night. But I have faith that the Spartans can keep it close even with their recent struggles. All they need to do is keep it close and then see what happens at the end of the game. A win would be incredible and would see MSU lock itself into the NCAA tournament.

This has the chance to be an all-time classic in the Izzo era, so let’s hope the Spartans can get it done.