The No.5-seeded Purdue Boilermakers (26-8) and No.12-seeded Little Rock Trojans (29-4) meet in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Pepsi Center. Action begins at 4:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and can be seen on TBS.
The Boilermakers are hoping for a better outcome after their 66-62 loss to Michigan State in the 5 of the Big Ten tournament. A.J. Hammons had a solid performance, putting up 11 points, nine rebounds, and two assists for Purdue. The Trojans, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-50 win against Louisiana-Monroe in the 4 of the Sun Belt tournament. Roger Woods was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Purdue currently ranks 19th in the nation in offensive efficiency and Little Rock is sixth in defensive efficiency. Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Trojans. They are 312th in the nation in FTA rate (31.3), while the Boilermakers are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 27.7, ranking 14th in the country).
Notes
The Purdue Boilermakers rank 19th for their offensive rating of 115.2. The Little Rock Trojans have a defensive rating of 93.1 (ranked sixth).
On average, Purdue has 67.5 possessions per game and scores 1.152 points on each possession. Little Rock has both fewer possessions (64.4) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.102).
Purdue has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.7%. Little Rock is an even 2-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Purdue Boilermakers rank seventh in assists per game with an average of 17.6. The Little Rock Trojans are among the worst in the country with 13.1 assists per game (ranked 196th).
Purdue, the 46th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.6 per game. Little Rock does worse, ranked 200th with 3.2.
Little Rock ranks 291st in offensive rebounds, while Purdue ranks at fourth in defensive rebounds.
Little Rock averages a forced turnover rate of 21.8% this season, ranked eighth in the nation. Purdue has a 4-3 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
