Meet the Purdue Boilermakers

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

7-25 in 87-78 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor on Feb 26. 
7-20 in 64-61 loss to Northwestern on March 4 at Mackey Arena.
4-23 in 62-51 loss to Michigan State on March 8 (back-to-back losses).

Keys to the Game: UConn’s ability to control the tempo of the game.  In the first two rounds UConn has shown their ability to play well in the open court.  Purdue is going to try to make this a half court game. 

Also, look for Purdue to try to get UConn big man Hasheem Thabeet in foul trouble.  UConn is the least fouled team in the country, but JaJuan Johnson is an interesting match up for Thabeet. 

The Huskies will have to guard the perimeter and hold Purdue to around 30 percent shooting from three point range.  Jeff Adrien needs to continue to hit the 17-foot straightaway jumpers if UConn is forced to play a half court game.  A.J. Price, Craig Austrie, and Kemba Walker need to take care of the ball and limit their turnovers. 

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