No. 7 Huskers prepare for top 15 showdown with No. 13 Purdue

Purdue will visit Lincoln for a top 15 men’s basketball showdown Tuesday night.

The now-No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 21-2, will look to continue a historic season that saw the team start 20-0, doubling the school record set previously. On Monday, the Big Red moved up two spots in the Associated Press top 25 poll.

The No. 13 Boilermakers and Huskers are jockeying for position atop the Big Ten standings and for NCAA Tournament seeding. Husker head coach Fred Hoiberg said it will be important for his team to get off to a good start against an all-around solid Purdue team, which ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll and currently sits at 19-4 on the season.

“They're so disciplined in their approach on both ends of the floor. They run a lot of different coverages defensively,” Hoiberg said. “So, early on, we'll see how they're playing us and adjust accordingly. But offensively, they're so hard to shut down. They’re third in the nation in offensive efficiency and one of the best defensive teams in the country as well.”

Hoiberg said he’ll put an emphasis on getting deflections and staying active on defense against a great passing team.

The Big Red previously struggled against big post players in its only two losses of the season. Purdue will present another challenge in that department. The visitors will rotate three players of at least 6’ 9” and 240 pounds, including 7’4” sophomore Daniel Jacobsen. Competing for rebounds will be key, Hoiberg said.

“Our main things: take care of the ball, finish off possessions with a rebound. Those are the two things we always go out and talk about at the end of it,” Hoiberg said. “It's going to be important. They've got length. They crashed the boards. We have to finish off possessions.”

The Huskers rebounded better in a 12-point win against Rutgers on Saturday, Hoiberg said. In addition to Purdue’s strong post play, guard Braden Smith is second in the nation at 8.7 assists per game. Nebraska point guard Sam Hoiberg will be charged with defending Smith, a first-team All-American last season.

“He's one of the best players in the country for a reason, and you're not going to be able to shut him out but make it as tough as you can,” Sam Hoiberg said.

The senior started as a walk-on at Nebraska before working his way into the rotation the last two seasons. He’s excited for the “pretty cool” opportunity to guard Smith.

“I try to enjoy every game I play with it being down the stretch here, not having that many games left, especially in this arena,” Hoiberg said, “so it is really fun when you play one of the best players in the country. You have to kind of think back to times when you weren't getting this opportunity and just be grateful for it.”

Purdue will be the fifth game against a top-15 opponent for Nebraska this season. The Huskers are 2-2 in those matchups, with wins against then-No. 13 Illinois on the road in December and at home against then-No. 9 Michigan State on Jan. 2. Nebraska lost two top-10 games in late January and early February to then-No. 3 Michigan and No. 9 Illinois.

Purdue is fifth in the Big Ten standings with a 9-3 conference record, while the Huskers hold the No. 3 spot at 10-2. With a win, Nebraska would keep pace with Illinois in second place at 11-2. Michigan currently stands alone in first at 12-1, following Michigan State’s thrilling overtime win over Illinois on Saturday.

Fox Sports One will carry the Purdue-Nebraska broadcast from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT.