Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/428024
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 13 • 8 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com I t was known Purdue's freshmen would have to play this season, but their production to this point has to come as something of a pleasant surprise. Forward Vince Edwards is the Boiler- makers' leading scorer and top rebound- er and by almost any measure, its MVP to this early juncture of the season. Center Isaac Haas is Purdue's second- leading scorer and rebounder, even in av- eraging less than 20 minutes per game. Guard P.J. Thompson's averaging more than 19 minutes per game and been a critical piece in Purdue's back- court and helped the Boilermakers sig- nificantly in beating N.C. State. Dakota Mathias, an anticipated key contributor, has been a 40-plus-percent three-point shooter and handed out 12 assists to just two turnovers, but in only 16.4 minutes after injuring both ankles in the preseason. "This is actually really frustrating for Dakota," Coach Matt Painter said. "He wants to make an impact … but he's been at a little bit of a disadvantage with his health, but he's getting back. It's hard to always get minutes. But I really think he's going to be able to take off and get going and get some more consistent minutes." STEPHENS' FINGER IS FINE After suffering a gruesome pinky dislocation on his non- shooting hand against BYU — the video of which went viral on the Internet — Boilermaker shooting guard Kendall Ste- phens said it's now a non-issue. Stephens was 2-of-11 shooting against North Caroli- na State and did appear to have tape on the finger, but said it's not impacted him. "I just played pretty bad," Stephens said. For the season, Stephens is shooting 47 percent from three-point range but just 38 percent overall. SCOTT INJURED Sophomore point guard Bryson Scott missed the N.C. State game with a sprained an- kle sustained the Saturday after Purdue returned from the Maui M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S vertime Tom Campbell Vince Edwards (right) and P.J. Thompson are part of a freshman class that has hit the ground running. 2014-15 PURDUE MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 2 CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (BTN Plus) W, 89-52 Nov. 7 CARROLL (BTN Plus) W, 90-49 Nov. 14 SAMFORD (BTN Plus) W, 80-40 Nov. 16 IUPUI (BTN) W, 77-57 Nov. 20 GRAMBLING (BTN Plus) W, 82-30 Maui Invitational - Lahaina, Hawaii Nov. 24 vs. Kansas State (ESPN2) L, 79-88 Nov. 25 vs. Missouri W, 82-61 Nov. 26 vs. BYU (ESPN2) W, 87-85 (OT) Big Ten/ACC Challenge - West Lafayette Dec. 2 NC STATE (ESPNU) W, 66-61 Dec. 6 NORTH FLORIDA (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Dec. 8 IPFW (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 10 ARKANSAS STATE (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Vanderbilt (SEC Network) 9 p.m. Crossroads Classic - Indianapolis Dec. 20 vs. Notre Dame (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Dec. 22 GARDNER-WEBB (BTN Plus) 6 p.m. Dec. 31 MINNESOTA (BTN) TBA Jan. 3 MICHIGAN (BTN) 2:15 p.m. Jan. 7 at Wisconsin (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 10 MARYLAND (BTN) 2:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Penn State 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at Illinois (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 24 IOWA (BTN) Noon Jan. 28 INDIANA (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 31 at Northwestern (ESPNU) 6 p.m. Feb. 4 OHIO STATE (BTN) 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Minnesota (BTN) 3 p.m. Feb. 12 at Rutgers(ESPNU) 7 p.m. Feb. 15 NEBRASKA (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Feb. 19 at Indiana (ESPN/ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 26 RUTGERS (ESPNU) 9 p.m. March 1 at Ohio State (CBS/BTN) TBA March 4 at Michigan State (BTN) 8 p.m. March 7 ILLINOIS (BTN) 4:30 p.m. March 11-15 Big Ten Tournament (Chicago) Freshmen Playing Crucial Roles For Season Stats Click Here