Team toughness on display Tuesday

Adversity will often determine character. For Purdue, Tennessee and to a lesser degree Northern Iowa and Wichita State, they will all be tested on Super Tuesday. The Boilermakers have lost three in a row; the Vols take to the road since having best player dismissed and the Panthers look to stay perfect in conference action, while the Shockers look to rebound from loss.

Purdue pride on display

The Boilermakers (14-3, 8-9 ATS) started 14-0 and looked like one of the best teams in the country, three conferences losses later they might not even be a Big Ten contender unless they can overcome inadequacies. The question around the country has been what’s wrong with Purdue? Unfortunately, the warts are in more than one location.

Start with the Boilermakers are a good not a great shooting team. Purdue makes 45.2 percent from the field, which is only good for a tie for fifth in the conference with Wisconsin. When they have an off shooting night like they did at Northwestern (35.6 percent) their defense alone can’t overcome bad shooting eye. Though they are a +7 in turnover margin, coach Matt Painter has another issue, rebounding.

Beyond 6-foot-10 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue lacks height, as Robbie Hummel continues to be miscast as power forward. The Boilers have been out-rebounded in every Big Ten game thus far, by an average of over eight per game. That means few offensive boards for opportunities to score and giving up too many chances to the opposition. If Johnson gets in foul trouble, then the problem becomes even larger.

Purdue is a 2.5-point road favorite at Illinois (12-6, 5-10-1 ATS) according to Bookmaker.com, who is 3-7 ATS in last 10 games. The Boilermakers are on 2-6 ATS slide as favorites and 3-8 ATS against teams with a winning home record. Possibly there only saving grace is the Illini are 1-10 ATS as a home underdog of three points or less or pick, losing by almost six points game.

This Big Ten tilt starts at approximately 9 Eastern on ESPN.

Why don’t we do it on the road?

It’s been a test of character for Tennessee, losing four players to suspension, especially its best player Tyler Smith, who has been dismissed from the squad. The Vols (14-2, 7-6 ATS) have been able to overcome a shortened roster playing at home, which has been a big plus. Though guards Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum returned to practice Sunday, coach Bruce Pearl’s club takes to the SEC road for the first time since the off-campus incident occurred.

Coach Pearl and his team have done great work in rallying, playing with just six scholarship players on the roster until Goins and Tatum returned. A hostile environment sets up a different set of circumstances for a team that is 17-32 ATS in road games after four or more consecutive wins.

Look for this to be an angry Alabama (11-6, 7-7 ATS) club having lost two straight. The Crimson Tide student body will likely have an opinion about Tennessee’s returning players, who according to Pearl might not see any action, preferring to keep the recent rotation intact. The Volunteers are 2.5-point favorites; however Bama is 12-1 ATS as a home underdog of three points or less or pick. ESPN has coverage at 7 Eastern.

Missouri Valley matchup a beauty

If you haven’t seen Northern Iowa (16-1, 12-4 ATS), all they do is systematically disassemble opponents. They have a collection of skillful guards with different abilities. Center Jordan Eglseder is 7’0, 285 pounds, with a deft left-handed touch and forward Adam Koch is dependable 13 points a night with five boards and solid defender for squad that is 16-4 ATS versus clubs that concede 64 or fewer points a game over the last two seasons.

Wichita State (16-3, 7-5 ATS) has proved its pedigree with wins over Texas Tech and quality road triumphs at Cleveland State and Missouri State. The Shockers have imposing depth, with eight players averaging 17 to 30 minutes a game, with no drop off. Guards Clevin Hannah and Toure Murry, along with center J.T. Durley are the team’s three leading scorers that are part of a very balanced attack. Coach Gregg Marshall stresses defense and his players are wholly committed to limiting descent looks at the basket by the opposition. Wichita State is off tough one-point loss at Creighton and is 5-0 ATS after a defeat.

The Shockers are a three-point favorite which doesn’t mean much since Northern Iowa is 16-4 ATS as an underdog over the last two seasons. These combatants are 6-6 SU and ATS at Charles Koch Arena the last 12 years. This MVC matchup starts at 9:05 on ESPNU.