Gram Fam will be on fire this Friday night as No. 1 Purdue takes on No. 16 Grambling State in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Tip off is scheduled for 7:25 PM EST. Purdue ended the regular season with a 76-75 loss to Wisconsin, while No. 16 Grambling State is riding high after its 88-81 First Four victory over Montana St.
Purdue | OVR 29-4 | Big Ten 18-4 (1st) | NEUTRAL 6-1
Zach Edey recorded a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds in Purdue’s last game against Wisconsin. Edey has now recorded 24 double-doubles on the year (first in Big Ten).
Opponents have encountered limited defensive pressure from Purdue in recent games. The Boilermakers have averaged just 4.8 steals over their last five outings.
Grambling State | OVR 21-14 | SWAC 17-4 (1st) | NEUTRAL 5-2
Recently, Grambling State has notably boosted its scoring. While the team has averaged 68.2 over the season, its output has climbed to 73.6 points per game in its last five outings.
Tra’Michael Moton has been a leader for the Tigers thus far this year on the defensive side of the ball. Moton comes in averaging 1.7 steals per game, and currently ranks fourth in the SWAC for total steals.
Key Metrics
- Purdue is a great second half team. The Boilermakers average 40.8 second half points per game, which is third best in the Big Ten (conference average is 38.5).
- Grambling State runs a deliberate, slow-paced offense. The team averages just 67.0 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks as the second slowest in the SWAC. The Tigers score approximately 1.0 points per possession in their methodical offensive approach.
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