Tag Archives: JaJuan Johnson

>Illinois-Purdue

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>Illinois at Purdue

   Once again, this game could be crucial for the Illini’s NCAA hopes.  A win here over a team that has won six straight and is still in the Big Ten title hunt would be HUGE for Illinois’ stock.  After coming up with a win over lowly Iowa, Illinois (18-11, 8-8) is looking to win consecutive games for the first time since winning its first three conference games. The Illini win over Iowa on Saturday, snapped a two-game losing streak.

   Demetri McCamey is finally starting to play like the player all Illini fans were envisioning at the beginning of the year.  After a disappointing stretch, McCamey has been playing much better recently, averaging 16.5 points the last four games. Over the previous six games, he averaged 8.7 points while shooting 29.3 percent.

   The Boilermakers, on the other hand, have been one of the nation’s hottest teams.  In that six-game winning streak, some of their wins have been over this Illini squad, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

    JaJuan Johnson had 20 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and seven blocks in their win over the Spartans.  Johnson’s double-double was his second in four games. He’s averaging 20.4 points and 8.1 rebounds this season.  As he has been all season, E’Twaun Moore has been his sidekick, pouring in nearly 19 ppg. 

   Illinois has lost four straight to Purdue and three of its last four visits to West Lafayette.  Purdue is trying to sweep the season series against the Illini for a second straight year.  Prediction: Sorry Illini fans, Purdue is just too good.  80-70

>Wisconsin vs. Purdue

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>Wisconsin at Purdue (Purdue is a 4.5 pt favorite)

Wisconsin is coming off of the win of the year, after derailing Ohio State’s route to an undefeated season.  Their 32-10 run was one of the more impressive runs you’ll see all year.  Now they’re stuck with a tough road game and it will be interesting to see if they regain focus or the high from the upset is still there.

With the win over the weekend, the Badgers have now won eight of their last 10 games, including a seven-point home win over the Boilermakers 15 days ago.  Two players, Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor, are still the only players averaging double figures in scoring, with Leuer at 19 and Taylor at 18.  Taylor has been playing like one of the, if not the, top guards in the nation lately, scoring 30 and 27 points in two of the last three games, respectively.

Purdue’s next two games will most likely determine how they finish in the Big Ten, as they host Wisconsin and Ohio State this week.  They have yet to lose at home this season and will be looking for that home court advantage to fuel them to two upsets.  As has been the case all season, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore lead the team, with pint-sized point guard Lewis Jackson coming on strong as of late.  Prediction: Purdue 79-78