2/1: L – 66- 84 vs Iowa @ Home

1/28: L – 57 – 73 vs UCLA @ Home

1/25: L – 57 – 72 vs Washington @ away

(According to KenPom.com – National rankings in parentheses)

Adjusted efficiency: 113.1 (110)

Adjusted tempo: 65.4 (282)

Average holding period: 18.2 (262)

Effective field target %: 49.5 (259)

Offensive rebound%: 35(59)

Adjusted efficiency: 106.6 (124)

Adjusted tempo: 65.4 (282)

Average holding period: 17.6 (219)

Effective field target %: 51.3 (186)

Offensive rebound%: 31.9 (236)

Throw your analysis out the window. Oregon State has lost eight straight games and has lost its last three games by an average margin of 17 points. They haven’t been a good basketball team when they’ve been healthy, and they’re not healthy either. No further analysis is required.

Star center Nate Biddle, who has been plagued by injury reports, appears to be available for the first time since Jan. 13, when he suffered an ankle injury in a 90-55 loss. His weight is on the low side at 7’0″ and 250, but I’m guessing 3 weeks off won’t improve his stamina. Even with Bittle, they weren’t good, but maybe they won’t be that bad?

Purdue is a good team. Oregon is a bad team.

Good teams need to beat bad teams.

This is college basketball. Upsets happen, and Oregon beating Purdue wouldn’t be the most outrageous result of the season, but it would be close. I have a pretty active imagination, and while it’s possible that Oregon State wins this game, I don’t see how it will go other than a complete collapse of Purdue with multiple Boilermakers involved, both with food poisoning and the flu.

Looking into the crystal ballI

Purdue has struggled this season against some of the top teams. Whatever tier Oregon is in, it’s not the upper tier. The last time Purdue took the court at Mackey Arena, they lost to the University of Illinois. In this game, an angry Purdue team put on a show for the home fans and ended it early.

The walk-on team needs to stretch and be ready for this game.