There are six games tonight with Purdue facing Memphis in the Bahamas the highlight. Let’s take a look at the upcoming action.
Memphis vs #1 Purdue Boilermakers
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Time/TV: 6:00 PM ET CBSSN
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Baha Mar Championship (Bahamas)
Purdue reclaimed the top spot in the rankings this week after knocking off eighth ranked Alabama on the road. The team has looked much better the past two games after Trey Kaufman-Renn returned from a preseason injury. Tonight they will face Memphis in the first of two games they’re set to play in the Bahamas. Memphis has lost their past two games, falling to Ole Miss and UNLV. Memphis is struggling shooting the ball with a .427/.684/.323 slash line and committing 13 turnovers per game while no player on the roster is averaging more than 11.3 points per game.
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The Tigers are relatively undersized and don’t have much of an answer inside against the trio of Kaufman-Renn, Oscar Cluff, and Daniel Jacobsen. An inefficient offense set to go against a Purdue team with plenty of experience to limit mistakes and is finally getting their offense up and running is probably the worst time for Memphis to draw this game. The Boilermakers do occasionally play down to their opponents in non-marquee games but as long as they remain focused they are the more talented team here.
Purdue enters having won ten straight Feast Week games and four straight tournament titles. As long as they don’t overlook the Tigers they should make it 11 tonight.
Pick: Purdue
Lindenwood at Indiana Hoosiers
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Indiana hosts Lindenwood before Feast Week next week. Last time out the Hoosiers looked a bit unfocused, beating Incarnate Word by only eight points. Look for the Hoosiers to try to get back on track following three blowouts to start the season, including a 23 point win over Marquette. Lindenwood enters at 2-3 coming in off of a nine point loss to Alabama A&M. Indiana struggled from three against Incarnate Word so look for them to try to regain their touch from range. Indiana has shot 41.3% from three but was held to 21% shooting in their last game.
Pick: Indiana
New Mexico Lobos vs Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Time/TV: 7:00 PM ET Peacock
Nebraska faces New Mexico in Kansas City tonight as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Cornhuskers enter at 4-0 with a 105-99 win versus Oklahoma over the weekend. Pryce Sandfort is leading the team with 17.5 points per game on 41.9% shooting from three, while the Cornhuskers are shooting just under 50% from the field. Nebraska has also limited turnovers at just nine per game. If Nebraska can keep shooting the ball at this level while limiting mistakes they could prove to be a solid challenge for most opponents. Forward Rienk Mast is also off to a strong start, putting up 15 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
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New Mexico suffered their first loss of the season this weekend losing by eight to rival New Mexico State. The Lobos are shooting 44.5% from the field and 29.3% from three. The offense has yet to get rolling and facing a Nebraska team with more talent on the roster that will likely prove problematic.
Pick: Nebraska
Chicago State at Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes will look to improve to 5-0 tonight if they can get past Chicago State. Iowa beat Southeast Missouri State earlier this week by 29 and will now face a Chicago State squad that is 0-5, losing to Minnesota 54-66 last time out. Iowa’s offense has been rolling with the Hawkeyes averaging 89.5 points per game on 57.9% shooting. Tonight’s matchup is against one of the worst teams in the country so look for Iowa to continue their early season offensive surge to start the season.
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Pick: Iowa
Western Michigan at Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State escaped with a one point win at home over the weekend against Notre Dame. Now they’ll get a pair of tune-ups the next week, starting tonight against Western Michigan. The Broncos are 2-3, losing three of their last four games. Western Michigan has been sloppy with the ball, committing over 16 turnovers per game. Ohio State’s offense has sputtered a bit the past couple games so look for the Buckeyes to try to get the offensive unit back up to speed.
Pick: Ohio State
Troy at USC Trojans
USC closes out the night hosting a decent mid-major in Troy. The Trojans enter with a 3-0 record even though their non-conference schedule has been laughable so far. Guards Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara have led the team with 18.7 points per game, while Jacob Cofie is averaging 13.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Troy ended a two game skid with a one point double overtime upset over San Diego State and will look to land another upset out west. USC hasn’t faced much of a test this season and while tonight could provide a bit more of a challenge they should be more than capable of staying undefeated.
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Pick: USC
