#23 Purdue Drops The Hammer on #9 Michigan State 60-54

The Purdue Boilermakers (ranked #23 in ESPN/USA Today coaches poll) continue their chug to respectability and a Big Ten title, knocking off the Michigan State Spartans (ranked #9) 60-54 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. Freshman small forward Robbie Hummel, named the Big Ten Player of the Week last Monday, dropped 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting, and grabbed 11 boards to pace the Boilers. Purdue once again used tough perimeter defense and good transition stopping skills to control the Spartans' pushing and probing offensive attack, while controlling the tempo throughout most of the game and avenging their only loss in Big Ten conference play this season.

Michigan State's first two possessions of the game were wasted when they turned the ball over on back to back shot clock violations, and their first 7 possessions netted 4 turnovers, 3 missed jumpers, and 0 points. Tom Izzo's Spartans were never allowed to get into an offensive rhythm, as the Boilers constant physical pressure extended well beyond the three point arc, and challenged nearly every rebound, layup, and jump shot. Purdue got off to a fast start, and at one point pushed the lead to 16 points on a 3-pointer by Hummel with 1:07 to go in the 1st half. The referees kept their whistles in their pockets the bulk of the night and let the players bang, and the game was notable for the very physical play and nearly every shot and rebound being furiously contested.

In the 2nd half Michigan State slowly made their charge back into the game, getting the lead back down to 1 point as Purdue went cold from the field. The Boilers later responded with quality offensive possessions down the stretch, and extended the lead back to 8 towards the end of the game, before a pair of Drew Neitzel free throws narrowed the final margin of defeat to 6 points. The loss drops MSU to 20-4 (8-3 in Big Ten play), while Purdue moves to 20-5 (11-1 in conference), and provides more ammunition for Purdue to stake their claim as the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. As a Purdue student's sign read, "IZZOWNED!"