Game of the Week Preview - Iowa State vs. Purdue

In what could not just be the game of the week but the game of the month, Purdue hosts Iowa State in a non-conference matchup between two of the top 10 offenses in the country. Purdue is alone at the top, sitting as the highest ranked KenPom offense while Iowa State is top 10 offensively and defensively. Both teams have numerous starters returning from past March Madness runs including Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman Renn who were one game away from the Boilermakers winning it all just two seasons ago. Iowa State’s top three leading scorers Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic all come off a year where they helped Iowa State to the Round of 32 and now lead the team to the 9th ranked offense and 6th ranked defense. All three of Iowa State's leading scorers are averaging above 18 ppg with Milan Momcilovic shooting above 54% from range. 

Iowa State’s fourth leading scorer freshman Killyan Toure from France is putting up 11.9 ppg while shooting an excellent 58.1% from the field. This production has provided Iowa State with a huge boost to move them from a great offense which was 19th ranked on KenPom to a now top 10 offense sitting at 9th. This is the highest ranked Iowa State offense since 2019, a year where they were only 47th defensively and finished as a tournament 6 seed. With such continuity this arguably could be the best Iowa State men's hoops teams ever going against the best offense this year. 

Purdue was the preseason number 1 by most polls and they certainly have proven it through their 8-0 start. Their most notable win so far was against 15th ranked Texas Tech in which they won by 30 on a neutral court. They also have an impressive win on the road against the 3rd ranked offense in Alabama. In that game, they out rebounded Alabama 52 to 28. There's not many holes on this team considering they’re doing it away from home and consistently hold the nation's top offense. They arguably have the best back court in the country and also two guys who can get a double double any night in the front court. 

Our Pick - Purdue It's just too difficult to convince me to pick against Purdue on any court especially if it's at home. Even though Iowa State is elite on both ends of the court its hard to pick against Purdue considering what they’ve done at Alabama and on a neutral court against Texas Tech, two teams who were in the Elite 8 last season.