#BoilerNotes
- Purdue improved to 68-53 all-time against Michigan State, sweeping the two-game regular-season series for the first time since the 2010-11 season ... Purdue has won two in a row against the Spartans for the first time since that 2010-11 season ... Purdue has won three of the last four against Michigan State ... Purdue has won back-to-back home games against the Spartans for the first time since winning three straight from 2007-09 ... Purdue's 17-point victory margin was the largest since Feb. 27, 2011 (W, 67-47).
- Purdue has won five straight Big Ten regular-season games for the first time since the 2010-11 season ... it's the fifth-longest Big Ten regular-season win streak during the Painter era.
- Purdue is 11-3 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2010-11 ... it is also 22-5 overall for the first time since that 2010-11 season ... Purdue has now been 22-5 or better eight times since the 1979-80 season and four times under Matt Painter.
- Purdue has won nine straight home games during the month of February.
- Purdue is 8-1 in its last nine games, 1-of-4 major-college teams on that stretch (Florida, Arizona, Duke; Oklahoma State currently playing right now).
- Purdue is now 23-3 at Mackey Arena against Big Ten foes since the start of the 2014-15 season -- the best record in the Big Ten.
- Purdue improved to 83-10 under Matt Painter when scoring 80 or more points.
- Purdue owns a 5-1 record against teams with a winning record in the Big Ten.
- Purdue is now 56-4 since the start of the 2014-15 season when attempting more free throws than its opponent.
- Purdue now has 27 double-doubles this season, tied for the fifth most in a season in school history.
- In two games vs. Michigan State, Purdue shot 42-of-49 (.857) from the free throw line.
- Purdue improved to 7-0 on Saturdays this year, having won nine straight games dating to last year.
- Vincent Edwards became the 50th player in school history with 1,000 career points ... he entered the day needing 10 points and finished with 12.
- Caleb Swanigan tallied 24 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for his 23rd double-double of the season ... the 23 double-doubles are the most for a Big Ten player in the last 30 years and is now sixth on the all-time Big Ten list, just three shy of the record ... his nine straight double-doubles is the third-longest streak in school history and longest since the 1965-66 season (51 years) ... he has had a double-double in 17 of his last 18 games ... Swanigan tied the Purdue single-season rebounds record (352) and became the first Purdue player since Brad Miller in 1997-97 to have 500 points and 300 rebounds in a season (now with 510 / 352) ... Swanigan now has 11, 20-10 games this year ... he has scored in double-figures in 18 straight games ... over his last seven games, Swanigan is averaging 14.9 rebounds per game.
- Isaac Haas scored 18 points with five rebounds in the win over Michigan State ... for the week, Haas scored 42 points in 45 minutes and shot 17-of-22 from the field.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Purdue leads the Big Ten Conference, thanks to 6-foot-8 power forward Caleb Swanigan and 7-2 center Isaac Haas.
Swanigan had 24 points and 15 rebounds for his 23rd double-double of the season, Haas added 18 points and the No. 16 Boilermakers beat Michigan State 80-63 on Saturday.
The big men combined to make 15 of 23 field goal attempts and 11 of 12 free throws against the Spartans.
''Obviously, our size has been a big factor,'' said Haas, who is 17 of 22 from the field in the Boilermakers' last two games. ''We're just keeping it simple, scoring when we are 1-on-1 and passing when we get doubled.''
The Boilermakers (22-5, 11-3) took a half-game lead over Maryland and Wisconsin. The Terrapins and Badgers, who play Sunday in Madison, are 10-3.
Swanigan, a Fort Wayne, Indiana, native who first committed to Michigan State before flipping to Purdue, had 25 points and 17 rebounds on Jan. 24 when the Boilermakers defeated Michigan State (16-11, 8-6) in East Lansing.
Michigan State got 14 points from Miles Bridges, who had 33 in the January loss to Purdue.
Two free throws by Dakota Mathias, a short jumper from Spike Albrecht and a dunk by Haas capped a 6-0 run and gave the Boilermakers a 57-39 lead with 11:47 remaining, prompting a Michigan State timeout.
''I told Matt (Painter) before the game that they might be playing the most consistent basketball in the Big Ten and that they also are one of the most consistent teams in the nation,'' said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. ''Their defense is getting a little better.''
Swanigan, who has established the school single-season rebounding record with 352, said the Boilermakers took advantage of foul trouble to Spartan big men Nick Ward and Kenny Goins.
''It's just the way we play,'' Swanigan said. ''We feed the ball inside. We look to score. In the post is the hardest place to play defense because we're close to the basket. We try to take advantage of that.''
That's a trait Painter enjoys about his big men.
''With Caleb, other than rebounding, passing is his greatest asset,'' the Purdue coach said. ''He and Isaac are doing a good job keeping it simple right now.''
Consecutive three-point plays from Vince Edwards and Carsen Edwards extended the Purdue lead to 45-29 with 18:04 remaining. Vince Edwards joined the 1,000-point club with that three-point play.
Purdue outscored Michigan State 15-6 during the first half's final 7:51 to lead 37-26, shooting 57.7 percent (15 of 26) and getting 11 points, six rebounds and two assists from Swanigan.
The Boilermakers outscored the Spartans 20-10 in the paint before halftime.
BIG PICTURE:
Purdue: The Boilermakers are playing their best basketball of the season, using their superior size to win a fifth consecutive Big Ten game for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
With five consecutive Big Ten victories and a share of the Big Ten lead with either Maryland or Wisconsin after those two play Sunday in Madison, Purdue likely will climb in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
EMBRACING THE TASK
Purdue junior forward Vince Edwards limited Michigan State's Miles Bridges to 14 points Saturday after Bridges scored 33 against the Boilermakers on Jan. 24 in East Lansing.
''At their place, he really got going,'' Edwards said. ''When you let a good player get his head up, he is going to make shots. I was just trying to take up space. To hold him to 14 is huge.''
UP NEXT:
Purdue: Travels to Penn State for a Tuesday game.