Iowa State basketball vs. Purdue prediction, 3 things to watch

There was already some buzz building when the Iowa State basketball-Purdue home-and-home series was first announced in February.

The anticipation has only been ramping up as the first leg is rapidly approaching. No. 9 Iowa State will venture to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on No. 1 Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip-off is scheduled from Mackey Arena at 11 a.m. CT and the game will be available on CBS.

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Next year, the series will head to Hilton Coliseum. The exact date has not yet been announced.

Purdue coach Matt Painter has guided his team to at least the Sweet 16 in six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments, including a runner-up finish in 2024.

Both teams are currently undefeated with 8-0 records this season.

Iowa State is coming off a record-setting 132-68 win over Alcorn State. Purdue enjoyed an 81-65 rout of Rutgers in its Big Ten Conference opener on Dec. 2.

Here are three things to watch for and a prediction for Saturday’s game:

Purdue point guard Braden Smith, the reigning Bob Cousy Award winner

There aren’t many basketball players who have a resume quite as accomplished as Purdue’s Braden Smith.

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Especially in a time where fifth- and sometimes, sixth-year seniors are vying for career records, Smith is a throwback.

The senior point guard is midway through his fourth season and already owns program and Big Ten single-season assist records. He set new highs as a sophomore with 292 assists, only to break his own records last year with 313. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game, en route to Big Ten Player of the Year, consensus first-team All-American honors and the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.

More: Iowa State basketball breaks points, 3-point records vs Alcorn State

Smith currently has 829 career assists and is in pursuit of 1993 Duke graduate Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career record of 1,076.

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The 6-foot, 170-pound guard is on some NBA mock drafts as a second-round pick. While his…

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Publish date : 2025-12-04 21:35:00

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