Like a sleeping giant, the Purdue Boilermakers awoke with a roar from a 1-4 straight up (SU) somnolent stretch with Saturday's convincing win over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Purdue might have continued its slumber if it weren't for Ije Nwankwo, the big freshman who announced his arrival in the NCAA with a thunderous 17-point performance. He single-handedly supplied the Boilermakers with the inside game it had been lacking until this point.
"He's very physical and he wants the ball down low," team captain Kenneth Lowe told the Indianapolis Star. "Whenever you've got a guy that wants the ball every time down low, it makes you happy because it's going to free you up eventually."
Nwankwo also grabbed seven rebounds and drew seven fouls as the Hoosiers struggled to contain the 260-pound forward. Thirteen of his points came from the free-throw line.
His presence in the paint freed up Purdue's shooters, who had been harassed by defenders in previous games. As a team, Purdue shot 46 percent, including 6-for-11 shooting from guard David Teague. He was rebounding from an 0-7 performance in a loss to Northwestern.
"It gives us more of a chance to establish an inside game when other guys aren't shooting well," Purdue coach Gene Keady said of Nwankwo. "This is a big plus for us."
Nwankwo is expected to start on Tuesday night when Purdue travels to Michigan State to face the 8-3 Spartans. The Boilermakers have lost their last five road games at Michigan State and haven't won in East Lansing since March 1, 1998.
Oddsmakers have Purdue as a 5-point underdog, which bodes well for Boiler backers - they are 5-1 against the spread as dogs this season. The total is set at 130 1/2.
Hear a hot rumor? Got a juicy news tip? Send it to us at tips@covers.com. If we use it in a story, we'll send you a gift, compliments of Covers.com.