Purdue counting on improvement against No. 6 Michigan State

Matt Painter described it pretty clearly.

If Purdue expects to have a different outcome when it takes on Michigan State for the second time in three weeks on Sunday, the Boilermakers coach said his group will need to be a lot smarter than it was the first time around.

"Things can change," Painter said. "That doesn't mean they will. We have to make better decisions for them to change. If we don't make better decisions things won't change."

The Boilermakers will get that opportunity when they host No. 6 Michigan State at 1 p.m. ET, hoping to put a 77-59 loss in East Lansing behind them.

If Purdue's performance since then is any indication, the Boilermakers at least are on the right track. They have won four straight since they faced the Spartans -- in fact, that was their only loss in the last eight games -- and they've been following the lead of standout junior guard Carsen Edwards.

The Big Ten's leading scorer has been at his best the last couple of weeks, something that was hardly the case the last time these teams met. Michigan State, the best field-goal percentage defensive team in the nation, held Edwards to a season-low 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-13 from 3-point range.

Edwards took his share of poor shots, explaining Painter's emphasis on making better decisions. But the Michigan State defense had something to do with that as well, including senior Matt McQuaid. A sharpshooter himself, McQuaid slowly has become the Spartans' defensive stopper, a role made even more important as junior guard Joshua Langford continues to sit with an ankle injury.

It's not exactly what Michigan State coach Tom Izzo expected when he recruited McQuaid out of Duncanville, Texas, but that's what McQuaid is turning into.

"I did not look at him as a defensive stopper at all," Izzo said. "But he sure has become one.

"He is going to end up maybe the best defensive player in this league, if you look at all the things that he does."

McQuaid often draws the other team's best backcourt player and likely will spend most of his time Sunday chasing around Edwards, who responded to his last outing against Michigan State by scoring 36 in a win over Wisconsin.

"He's done a better job but we haven't faced Michigan State," Painter said of Edwards' play in the past four games. "I think Michigan State did a really good job on him, but he also had some decisions and some shots he'd like to have back."

While Purdue (13-6, 6-2 Big Ten) has been on a roll, it pales in comparison to Michigan State. The Spartans (18-2, 9-0) have won 13 straight and are the only Big Ten team undefeated in conference play. They haven't lost a regular-season conference game since last January and they've won six straight road games overall.

However, they haven't won at Purdue since 2014.

Still, the Boilermakers know what they're about to face.

"They're the most physical and toughest team in the league," Painter said. "But what they do that is different from some people is they put a lot of intelligence on top of it. They've got a great point guard who makes great decisions. They're efficient offensively, efficient defensively."

--Field Level Media