Chicago - It'll be the third time this season that MSU butts heads with Purdue - but never before today has the outcome held such importance.
The "one and done" philosophy of NCAA postseason basketball will finally set in on the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament. The winner moves on, and today's loser will go home early, sweating out the weekend at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee.
"We know what we have to do going into it, it's just a matter of doing it," head coach Tom Izzo said following an intense Tuesday practice. "Our transition defense will be a big key in this game, our rebounding will be a big key in this game."
Boilermaker defense should prove to be another key to today's matchup at 2:30 p.m. at the United Center. The scrappy man-to-man defensive schemes utilized by Purdue coach Gene Keady gave the Spartans headaches when the teams met in West Lafayette, Ind., in January.
"Their defensive tenacity is what is so dangerous," Izzo said. "They're gonna come after you. They play as hard as anybody in the league and they play a style that gets in your face."
Purdue guard Kenneth Lowe, who has been held out of action since dislocating his left shoulder on Feb. 22, is expected to play. Despite missing the last three games of Purdue's conference schedule, Lowe was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
"He comes down on the ball like nobody else I've seen," sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson said. "He makes everything tough on you. Your shot, your passing, your dribbling - you've got to protect the ball."
But while MSU will have to protect the ball from Lowe on offense, the Spartans' defense likely will be tailored to stopping Purdue guard Willie Deane.
Deane, the second-highest scorer in conference games (19.8 points per game), was a three-time Big Ten Player of the Week and single-handedly dismantled MSU when the teams met in Purdue's Mackey Arena.
Deane scored 19 when the Spartans beat Purdue 69-61 at Breslin Center on March 1, but his 18 points and 12 rebounds at Purdue in January solidified him as a bona fide Spartan slayer.
"It's going to be difficult," sophomore guard Chris Hill said. "He can shoot outside and does a great job moving to the basket."
Izzo agreed with Hill, singling out the 6-foot-1 senior as a sparkplug on the boards and a one-man fast break when in transition.
"When he's so electrifying is when he can get a rebound and go with it," Izzo said. "When he gets 12 rebounds, he's gone. We can't let him do that."
If MSU is able to contain Deane's offense and Lowe's defense, it'll have road issues to worry about. MSU is 1-3 on neutral floor sites this season, and just 2-6 on the road against conference opponents.
The Spartans, however, are 6-2 when playing in the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center.
Patrick Walters can be reached at walter88@msu.edu.
