Central Connecticut State At Purdue Basketball: Preview, TV, Odds, Time & More

Purdue gets an opportunity to redeem itself in the eyes of many fans tonight when it hosts Central Connecticut State in Mackey Arena. The Boilers opened the season Friday with a one point win against Northern Kentucky, a feat that resulted in uproar in the fanbase following a preseason full of expectations and hype. The Big Ten as a conference has yet to lose a game this season, but with the one-point wins over less prestigious teams, Purdue and Indiana have been the closest to slipping.

Tonight's game will also mark the return of AJ Hammons, a member of last season's All-Big Ten Freshman team. He was suspended the first three games (two exhibitions, one regular season) for conduct detrimental to the team. It will be interesting to see how he does tonight. He had impressed many during an offseason in which he completely remade his body and seemed to finally have the focus that was absent too often last season. Much of the respect he had seemingly gained was risked with the suspension, but a dominating effort tonight could shake many fans' fears.

It will also be interesting to see how Hammons is used in combination with Jay Simpson. Simpson started in Hammons' absence and played very well. I'd expect to see him start again tonight, if only as a way for Painter to send the "earn your way back" message. In the long run, though, it is a foregone conclusion that Hammons will be the starter, with Simpson backing him up. It will be interesting to see if the duo are ever used at the same time, especially against a team like CCSU, whose tallest starter is 6-foot-7.

One way the Blue Devils make up for their lack of size is by shooting the ball well and utilizing guard Kyle Vinales. He scored 30 of their 77 points in their opener, a 93-77 loss to Yale. In that game, CCSU led by as many as 17 points in the second half before going cold from the field. That game was Vinales's eighth career game with at least 30 points. The Blue Devils hit 50 percent from the field and 66 percent from the 3-point line in the first half of that game.  They lost, however, after going eight minutes without a field goal in the second half.