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Preview: Oregon State vs. Purdue
Oregon State and Purdue will need to shake off narrow semifinal losses at the 2K Sports Classic and find a way to get motivated for Friday’s third-place game at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Beavers lost by three points to Alabama after Rodney Cooper made a 3-point basket with 14 seconds remaining and Roberto Nelson missed his 3-point try at the buzzer. Purdue crawled back from a 10-point second-half deficit against Villanova only to squander an eight-point lead with 1:15 remaining and eventually lose in overtime.
ABOUT OREGON STATE (2-1): The Beavers are tough to match up with in the paint. Angus Brandt and Eric Moreland are 6-10 and Joe Burton is 6-7, 295 pounds. They helped Oregon State to a 32-21 rebounding advantage against Alabama but their efforts were squandered by committing eight of their team’s 20 turnovers. Moreland is also a proven shot-blocker, leading the Pac-12 last season in swats. Burton is also very nimble for his size. He was the only Pac-12 player to finish in the top 15 in rebounding, steals and assists last season.
ABOUT PURDUE (1-2): The Boilermakers should have the heavier legs after playing an extra five minutes of overtime against Villanova. D.J. Byrd led Purdue in scoring before fouling out on an offensive foul with 43.8 seconds left in regulation, a play that was later ruled a flagrant 1 violation. The Wildcats scored four points on the possession to tie the score and eventually force overtime. Purdue doesn’t have the size to match up with Oregon State, but the Boilermakers should be able score in transition.
TIP-INS
1. Oregon State junior G Ahmad Starks had career-high 33 points in a 71-62 victory against New Mexico State on Sunday, but struggled against a bigger Alabama backcourt and scored three points on 1-for-6 shooting. He also turned the ball over on the final possession.
2. Purdue did a solid job protecting the basketball for the first 30 minutes against Villanova. The Boilermakers committed their sixth giveaway with 11:13 remaining in the game, but had nine more the rest of the way.
3. Bench play could be a big factor in this game. Purdue’s reserves combined for 45 points against the Wildcats. Oregon State’s bench scored 27 against Alabama.
PREDICTION: Oregon State 69, Purdue 67
