On Friday night, the #13 Purdue Boilermakers (3-0) will face off against the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) at Mackey Arena. This will be the highest-ranked non-conference opponent that Purdue has played at Mackey Arena since 1967.

After reaching its first Final Four in program history, Alabama is running it back with a very talented roster. The Crimson Tide are 3-0 on the season with wins over UNC Asheville, Arkansas State, and McNeese. Nate Oats has changed how Alabama basketball will be looked at forever, he has built them into a consistent tournament team and a shoo-in to finish top 3 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide currently have a four-year streak of making the NCAA Tournament, their longest in almost 20 years. Oats is one of the premier coaches in college basketball and could validate himself as one of the legends with a National Championship.

Alabama’s Leading Scorer: G Mark Sears- 18.0 PPG, 3.7 REB, 2.7 AST

Alabama’s “Role Players”: G Latrell Wrightsell Jr.- 12.3 PPG, 3.3 REB, 1.7 AST / F Grant Nelson- 12.0 PPG, 5.7 REB, 2.0 AST / C Clifford Omoruyi- 10.7 PPG, 8.0 REB, 2.0 BLK

G Labraon Philon- 10.0 PPG, 4.3 AST, 1.7 STL / F Derrion Reid- 7.7 PPG, 4.0 REB, 0.7 BLK / G Aden Holloway- 5.7 PPG, 2.0 REB, 1.0 AST / F Jarin Stevenson- 5.3 PPG, 4.7 REB, 2.0 AST

Now let’s move on to Purdue. The Boilermakers are currently ranked as the #13 team in the country, and will most likely be underdogs in this game. The Boilermakers have looked great on offense with juniors Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn leading the way. But there have been some issues on the defensive side. Without a certified big man, the Boilermakers have struggled to grab rebounds and have given up way too many second-chance points. The injury to Purdue’s center Daniel Jacobsen will show this game, let’s hope that Matt Painter was working on rebounding the entire week.

Purdue’s Leading Scorer: G Fletcher Loyer: 17.0 PPG, 3.0 AST, 0.7 REB

Purdue’s “Role Players”: F Trey Kaufman-Renn- 15.3 PPG, 5.7 REB, 2.7 AST / G Braden Smith- 15.0 PPG, 9.3 AST, 6.3 REB, 3.0 STL / G Myles Colvin- 9.3 PPG, 3.7 REB, 1.0 STL

C Will Berg- 5.3 PPG, 3.0 REB, 0.7 AST / G Gicarri Harris- 5.0 PPG, 1.7 AST, 1.7 REB / G C.J. Cox- 5.0 PPG, 2.0 REB, 1.3 STL / F Camden Heide- 3.7 PPG, 3.7 REB, 0.3 BLK

Mackey Arena will be electric on Friday night. The Crimson Tide will be looking for revenge after the Boilermakers defeated them last season in the HOF Series. You can expect this game to be high-scoring and fast-paced. Alabama is used to playing fast-paced, but for Purdue, this is new. After losing Zach Edey to the NBA, the Boilermakers are now being forced to play through their guards. Speaking of guards, this game will include two of the best guards in the country. Alabama’s Mark Sears was named the preseason SEC Player of the Year and will be looking to take his team to the promised land. On the other side, Purdue’s Braden Smith was also named the preseason Player of the Year for his conference. This will be a star-studded matchup between great teams and great coaches.

Score Prediction: Purdue Wins 87-83

Game Start: 7:00 PM EST @ Mackey Arena

Where To Watch: Peacock (Unfortunately)

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