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GAME NOTES: The second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers will take on the seventh- seeded Northwestern Wildcats this evening in quarterfinal action of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Wildcats began tournament play Thursday night with a victory over Indiana (73-58). It was the second win in the last three games for Northwestern, which finished the regular season with a meager 7-11 mark in conference.

The sixth-ranked Boilermakers were sensational on the season, grabbing 26 victories, while finishing conference action with a 14-4 ledger. Purdue, which won its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title last season, has won 12 of its last 13 contests.

The Wildcats defeated Purdue, 72-64 earlier this season, but even with the win the Wildcats are on the wrong end of a 118-43 margin in the all-time series.

The Wildcats went into the intermission against Indiana down by three points, but Northwestern turned up the heat in the second stanza with a 20-5 run and went on to win by a 15-point margin. Northwestern shot 41.4 percent from the floor in the matchup and also connected on 18-of-20 shots from the foul line. Michael Thompson led the way in the win with 16 points, while John Shurna added 14 points and seven rebounds. Jeremy Nash tallied 13 points, while Davide Curletti posted 12 points off the bench. Shurna has been the best player on the floor for Northwestern this season, as the forward is leading the team with 18.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Thompson is the only other player netting double figures, as the guard comes into this game with 13.9 ppg, and a team- best 132 assists.

The Boilermakers were tenacious at the defensive end of the floor this season, as Purdue held the opposition to just 60.6 ppg. Teams are shooting 40.2 percent against Purdue, but the Boilermakers are limiting opponents to just 35.9 percent shooting, and have forced 15.8 turnovers per matchups. At the other end of the floor the team is producing a respectable 72.1 ppg, but without the help of Robbie Hummel, the Boilermakers could have trouble in this tournament. Hummel, who was averaging 15.7 ppg and 6.9 rpg, suffered an injury to his knee and will be out the remainder of the season. With Hummel on the sidelines the team will need E'Twaun Moore to carry even more of the load, but the guard is already pacing the team with 16.7 ppg. JaJuan Johnson has been a solid force in the paint for Purdue and is netting 14.9 ppg, to go along with team highs in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and blocks (61).

Even without Hummel the Boilermakers are still a better overall team when compared to Northwestern and look for them to prove just that this evening.