Purdue basketball vs Utah State, March Madness: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS − Don't be surprised if what Utah State does offensively looks eerily familiar, Purdue basketball fans.
Aggies coach Danny Sprinkle admitted Saturday afternoon where he's found some of the team's offense.
"A lot of our offensive sets, like, we steal a lot of sets from (Matt) Painter and his staff," Sprinkle said.
So a March Madness second-round showdown will see two teams that should know what they're up against in that regard.
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Purdue will attempt to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years and seventh time since 2009 while facing a Utah State team averaging 80 points per game that has scored at least 87 four times in its last five games.
Defending Zach Edey
The one thing the Aggies can't replicate is facing a 7-foot-4, 300-pound force.
Zach Edey is coming off Friday's 30-point, 21-rebound performance against Grambling State.
The strategy?
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Try to make Edey as uncomfortable as possible.
"There's no perfect way to handle him," Utah State guard Ian Martinez said. "We've just got to go out there and challenge him and not give him anything easy. He's going to have to work for everything that he wants to get."
Familiar faces
Former teammates P.J. Thompson and Johnny Hill are now opposing each other.
Thompson and Hill were teammates at Purdue during the 2015-16 season. Thompson now coaches Purdue's offense. Hill is on the Utah State coaching staff.
For Hill, it's no surprise Thompson has earned the trust of Matt Painter to run the team's offensive playcalls.
"When you transition from playing to doing whatever it is you're doing, it is kind of like a new identity," Hill said. "It's great to see. He's going to be phenomenal. Everybody over there on that stuff understands it and they see it."
Names to know
For Purdue:Zach Edey (24.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks); Braden Smith (12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.6 steals); Lance Jones (12.1 points); Fletcher Loyer (10.4 points).
For Utah State: Great Osobor (17.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks); Ian Martinez (13.4 points); Darius Brown II (12.4 points, 6.6 assists).
Purdue vs Utah State in March Madness
Both teams have proven they can score consistently at a high clip.
The matchup to mark is Edey and Osobor on the boards. The winner on those missed shots likely makes the difference here.
Prediction: Purdue 83, Utah State 75
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue vs Utah State: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament 2nd round
