| WEEKEND STREAMING GUIDE (all times ET) |
| Men's Basketball |
| Friday / 7 p.m. / at Maryland / BTN |
| Sunday / 4 p.m. / Northwestern / BTN |
| Volleyball |
| Friday / 9 p.m. / at Utah / Utah Live Stream |
| Wrestling |
| Friday / Noon / at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational / FloWrestling |
| Saturday / Noon / at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational / FloWrestling |
By Tom Schott
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Volleyball advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a four-set win over High Point last night in Salt Lake City.
The 16th-ranked Boilermakers (23-9) play No. 13 and host Utah (23-9) tonight at x ET.
With the win, Purdue remained perfect in NCAA first-round matches under head coach Dave Shondell at 12-0. In 15 seasons, Shondell has led the Boilermakers to seven Sweet 16 appearances and two trips to the Elite Eight. Purdue is playing in its 19th NCAA Tournament in school history.
Earlier this week, senior outside hitter Danielle Cuttino and redshirt junior outside hitter Sherridan Atkinson were unanimous first team All-Big Ten selections. Cuttino ranked second in the conference with 4.08 kills per set to go with a .334 attack percentage, while Atkinson averaged 3.48 kills and hit at a .329 clip.
Senior defensive specialist Carissa Damler was the Boilermakers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
As a team, Purdue hit .301 during the regular season to rank second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.
Men's Basketball Begins Big Ten Play
Men's basketball (6-2) begins Big Ten Conference play tonight at Maryland (6-2).
The Boilermakers, who defeated No. 17 Louisville 66-57 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 28, then play host to Northwestern (4-3) on Sunday. Tip time is 4 p.m., and tickets are available here.
All Big Ten teams are playing two conference games this weekend to accommodate the Big Ten Tournament in New York, which is being played a week earlier than normal (Feb. 28-March 4).
On Sunday, Purdue will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mackey Arena, which opened Dec. 2, 1967. The first 2,000 fans will receive a Guy "Red" Mackey bobblehead, Mackey served as the Boilermakers' athletics director from 1942 to 1971, and Purdue Arena was renamed in his honor in 1972.
Members of the 1969 NCAA Final Four team will be recognized at halftime.
Football Bowl-Bound
Thanks to its 31-24 Old Oaken Bucket win over Indiana last Saturday, football (6-6) is bowl eligible for the first time since the 2012 season. The Boilermakers will learn their bowl destination Sunday.
Purdue clearly is the turnaround story of college football. Its six wins are only three fewer than the program totaled over the last four seasons. The Boilermakers tied for third place in the Big Ten Conference West Division, equally their best finish since the advent of division play in 2011.
The Boilermakers will be playing in their 18th bowl game all-time and 12th in the last 20 seasons. They boast nine wins: 1967 Rose, 1978 Peach, 1979 Bluebonnet, 1980 Liberty, 1997 Alamo, 1998 Alamo, 2002 Sun, 2007 Motor City and 2011 Little Caesars Pizza.
For head coach Jeff Brohm, he has led each of his four teams to a bowl game - his three Western Kentucky squads from 2014 to 2016 and now Purdue in his first season. His teams have won their three previous bowls ââ'¬" averaging 48.3 points per game: 2014 Bahamas Bowl (49-48 over Central Michigan), 2015 Miami Beach Bowl (45-35 over Miami, Fla.) and 2016 Boca Raton Bowl (51-31 over Memphis under interim head coach Nick Holt after Brohm had taken the Purdue job).
Robinson Leads Football All-Big Ten Honors
Senior defensive tackle Gelen Robinson was named third team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches.
Robinson moved from end to tackle prior to this season and thrived. He started all 12 games, amassing a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss, including 4.0 sacks, among 48 total stops. He had two pass breakups and forced and recovered a fumble
Ten Boilermakers received honorable mention recognition: sophomore linebacker Markus Bailey, junior center Kirk Barron, senior linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, senior defensive end Danny Ezechukwu, senior cornerback Da'Wan Hunte, sophomore defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal, fifth-year senior cornerback Josh Okonye, punter Joe Schopper, senior offensive tackle David Steinmetz and junior safety Jacob Thieneman,.
Junior quarterback David Blough was Purdue's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Mahoungou, Jones Big Ten Players of the Week
Senior wide receiver Anthony Mahoungou was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Iowa on Nov. 18.
Mahoungou had a career-best game with seven receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahoungou, who shared the honor with Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, is the first Purdue receiver recognized by the conference since Dorien Bryant in 2007.
Junior running back Markell Jones subsequently was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Indiana on Nov. 25.
It marks the first time Purdue has had players recognized by the conference in back-to-back weeks since 2011. Jones shared his honor with Iowa running back Akrum Wadley.
Jones rushed for a career-high 217 yards on 31 carries (7.0-yard average). His yardage total is the fifth-most by a player from Purdue or Indiana in the annual intrastate showdown and the most by a Boilermaker since Ralph Bolden rushed for 234 yards against Toledo in 2009. Bolden was the last Purdue running back to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors following that game.
Women's Basketball Returns Home
After a game at Utah, three in Honolulu and one at Georgia Tech - all in a span of 11 days - women's basketball (5-3) has returned home to face Ball State (6-0) on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Boilermakers will play their next six games at Mackey Arena. After Ball State, they will entertain Valparaiso on Dec. 8, Ohio on Dec. 10, Eastern Washington on Dec. 17, Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 18 and Saint Mary's on Dec. 20. The last three games are part of the Basketball Travelers Inc. Invitational.
Williams Second Team All-American
Fifth-year senior Maddy Williams is a second team All-American.
The Big Ten leader in goals (14) and points (36) this season was honored last night by the United Soccer Coaches.
Williams is the fourth All-American in school history. She joins Parrissa Eyorokon (2007, first team), Annette Kent (2003, second team) and Kira Bilecky (2007, third team) as Boilermakers recognized among the nation's best players.
Williams, who earned first team All-Midwest Region laurels, also received an invitation to U.S. Soccer's U-23 training camp this week in Orlando.
Etcetera
No. 20 wrestling competes at the 36th-annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational today and tomorrow. Nearly 50 teams are expected to be in action, including half of the Big Ten. On Nov. 18, redshirt senior Luke Welch captured the Navy Classic 125-pound championship, leading the way as the Boilermakers finished second in the team standings. Welch, ranked 15th nationally, picked up his second tournament title of the season. The Boilermakers racked up 100.5 points with six total placewinners … Condolences to Cheryl and Jade Washburn on the passing of their husband and father, Jeff, a Hall of Fame sportswriter whose career with the Lafayette Journal & Courier spanned five decades. Jeff passed away Nov. 29 at the age of 63 … Recent Purdue Athletics hires include Katie Egloff as senior director of operations … Guests on this week's Purdue Athletics Podcast are football seniors Garrett Hudson and Anthony Mahoungou.