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GAME NOTES: The third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers hit the road this week, as they head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Big Ten action from Williams Arena.

Matt Painter's Boilermakers are inching closer and closer to a Big Ten title, as they sit atop the conference standings at 11-3. The team heads down the stretch with a full head of steam, improving its current win streak to nine games with Saturday's 75-65 win over Illinois.

Tubby Smith's Golden Gophers are in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. The team has won its last two games, topping both Wisconsin (68-52) and Indiana (81-58) over the last week. With the current surge, Minnesota has moved to an even 7-7 in league play.

Purdue owns a 94-78 edge in the all-time series and has won each of the last four meetings.

Robbie Hummel erupted for 22 points and 12 rebounds, while E'Twaun Moore poured in 18 points, as Purdue took a 10-point decision over the Illini last time out. Senior Keaton Grant notched a season-high 15 points, as the Boilermakers were able to earn the victory thanks in large part to the team outscoring Illinois 24-3 at the free-throw line. It wasn't a dominant performance by any stretch, as Purdue shot a meager .356 from the field. It has been a much more consistent effort offensively for Purdue this year, with the team averaging 74.0 ppg, on .458 shooting. The defensive effort has been apparent as well, limiting foes to just 61.3 ppg, on 40 percent shooting. The Boilermakers have been led by the trio of Moore, Hummel and JaJuan Johnson all season long, as all three rank among the top-12 scorers in the conference. Moore is sixth in the league at 17.2 ppg. Hummel is not far behind at 15.8 ppg (eighth in the Big Ten), followed closely by Johnson at 14.8 ppg (12th in the league). Hummel and Johnson have been effective on the glass as well, combining for just over 14 rebounds per game.

Minnesota has posted similar offensive numbers this season, averaging 74.5 ppg on a healthy .475 shooting percentage. The team also boasts of three double- figure scorers in Lawrence Westbrook, Blake Hoffarber and Damian Johnson. Westbrook leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and is shooting .427 from behind the arc. Hoffarber (11.5 ppg) has been even better with his long range accuracy, delivering on 49 percent from behind the arc and leading the team with 71 three-pointers. Johnson chips in with 10.3 ppg and paces the team in blocked shots (52) and steals (53). In the rout of the Hoosiers this past weekend, Westbrook hit four three-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points. Johnson recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ralph Sampson III just missed his own double-double with 11 points and eight boards. Hoffarber netted just six points in 30 minutes of action, but wasn't really needed as the Gophers shot a scorching .554 from the field, putting the game away in the first half thanks to .581 shooting, including 7-of-11 from three- point range.

The Golden Gophers have been a streaky team, but certainly have had a great deal of success at home this year. That being said, Purdue has its sights set on a conference crown and with the kind of momentum that a nine-game win streak brings with it, expect the Boilermakers to continue to play at a high level.