ESPN Men's Basketball

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- In the raucous visitors' locker room at Mackey Arena, one voice boomed above the rest.

"We outrebounded them by 26! 26!"

It didn't take long to find the source.

"Yeah, that was me," Michigan State forward Draymond Green said after his team's 53-44 win. "That's something that we really pride ourselves on, and we did a great job of it tonight."

There was little doubt No. 3 Purdue would miss star forward Robbie Hummel in Sunday's clash with No. 14 Michigan State. The unknowns: How much would Hummel's absence sting and in what specific areas?

After all, Hummel helped Purdue in so many ways: scoring (15.7 ppg, 2nd on team); rebounding (6.9 rpg, 2nd on team); assists (56, 2nd on team); steals (29, 3rd on team); free-throw shooting (90.2 percent, 1st on team).

The first phase of LWH (Life Without Hummel) left no mystery about where the star was missed the most.

Michigan State outrebounded Purdue 46-20. That's a difference of 26, as Green made sure anyone within earshot of Michigan State's locker room found out. The Spartans notched their first win against a ranked opponent since Jan. 6 and stayed alive in the Big Ten race.

"The game was lost for us on the glass," Boilers coach Matt Painter said after his team's 10-game win streak ended. "We had an effort, but you can't say, when someone outrebounds you by 26, we had a great effort."

Purdue's effort certainly revealed itself on the defensive end, as it forced 23 Michigan State turnovers, eight from reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas. But the Boilers couldn't convert defense into offense -- they shot just 30 percent for the game and had major cold spells to open each half -- and gave Michigan State way too many extra chances on the offensive end.

The Spartans had 16 offensive rebounds, four fewer than Purdue's game total.

"To think that our team outrebounded them the first time after watching that," Painter said, "it's a little amazing."

Purdue held a 31-30 edge in rebounds Feb. 9 in a win at the Breslin Center. Hummel had five boards and 15 points that night.

A sequence in the final minutes encapsulated how things have changed for Painter's team. Trailing 48-44, the Boilers had 6-3 guard Chris Kramer defend the 6-6, 235-pound Green. Kramer is one of the nation's best defenders and set the team's all-time steals record Sunday. But the size disadvantage proved too much, as Green missed a shot, missed a tip but made the second tip.

As the crowd deflated, Hummel watched from the end of Purdue's bench, crutches at his side.

"I'm guarding the other team's 4-man," Kramer said. "It's nothing [I haven't] done before."

Sure, in spurts. But Hummel's injury leaves Purdue with only one major contributor in the post, forward JaJuan Johnson, who struggled Sunday.

And when a team has multiple threats down low, like Michigan State has with Green (12 points, 11 rebounds), Raymar Morgan (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Derrick Nix (7 points), mismatches are inevitable.

"You can't expect [Hummel] to be there any more," Kramer said. "That's just part of it. We still did everything the same way as we normally do. Sure, Rob's another threat out there for us and can do a lot of thing, but our team's got to keep coming.

"This wasn't us tonight."

The NCAA tournament selection committee might not be convinced, especially after Sunday.

For the last six weeks, "us" looked like a bona fide Final Four contender. Purdue blitzed through the Big Ten and appeared poised to make the short trip down I-65 to Lucas Oil Stadium.

But one unfortunate step Wednesday night at Minnesota changed everything.

"Don't kid yourself," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "They missed him, and missed him a lot."

One of the many signs displayed Sunday in Purdue's spirited student section read, "Same Goals." Purdue can still win the Big Ten. It still could make a run in March.

But if the on-court product seen Sunday doesn't improve, Purdue will see its NCAA tournament seed slip and its promising season end much earlier than expected.

"As soon as Rob went down, our backs went to the wall," Kramer said. "It just comes down to us, coming together, correcting everything we did wrong today and just keep on moving forward.

"We can prove everybody wrong by winning the basketball games. There's no other way to do it."

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue did all it could to grind out a win without star Robbie Hummel. For 30 minutes, the formula worked, but eventually a team needs to put the ball in the basket and the Boilers simply couldn't.

Michigan State dominated the area it needed to -- the backboards -- and capitalized on an obvious advantage down low to escape Mackey Arena with a 53-44 win. The Spartans outrebounded Purdue 46-20 and got production from multiple front line players, particularly Raymar Morgan and Draymond Green. They remain in the hunt for the Big Ten regular-season title after notching their first win against a ranked opponent since Jan. 6 against Wisconsin.

Morgan put together one of his best all-around efforts of the season, contributing 16 points and 11 rebounds. Green overcame early foul trouble to score 10 of his 12 points in the second half. He also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Purdue played stifling defense for much of the game, forcing 23 turnovers, eight from reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas. Michigan State committed turnovers on five consecutive possessions at one point in the second half. But the Boilers' top offensive options never got going, as E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson combined to shoot 7-for-27 from the field. Purdue missed seven of its first eight shots after halftime and went just 6-for-32 from the floor in the second half.

The Boilers missed the versatile Hummel in so many areas, namely rebounding, field-goal shooting and even free-throw shooting (12-for-18). They'll face an uphill battle for seeding, as the NCAA tournament selection committee could see things have changed significantly without Hummel. Wins this week against Indiana (home) and Penn State (road) are critical before the Big Ten tournament.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Some halftime dribbles from Mackey Arena, where No. 3 Purdue holds a 28-26 lead against No. 14 Michigan State.

• Despite some significant shooting struggles, Purdue is not merely surviving, but leading the game. The Boilers missed eight of their first 10 shots, 11 of their first 15 and 15 of their first 21 before heating up toward the end of the half. They fell behind 22-16 before surging on a 12-2 run behind ferocious defense. Purdue forced 10 turnovers in the half.
• Michigan State needs its bigs to start stepping up, and Raymar Morgan is answering the call so far. Morgan capitalized on a shorthanded Boilers front line with nine points, seven rebounds and a steal in 13 minutes. Freshman Derrick Nix, who started in place of Delvon Roe, also provided a lift with five points and didn't shy away from calling for the ball in the low post.
• The foul situation is going to be interesting in the second half, as both teams have key players in a little bit of trouble. Roe picked up three first-half fouls, while Morgan and Draymond Green both have two. For Purdue, E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson both have two fouls.
• Guards Chris Kramer (Purdue) and Kalin Lucas (Michigan State) had an interesting first 20 minutes. Kramer committed three quick turnovers and seemed a bit hesitant to shoot the ball. But the senior stormed back late in the half with three layups, two following steals. He leads the Boilers with nine points on 4 of 5 shooting. Lucas has committed four turnovers but provided a bit of a spark after briefly leaving the game because he was hit below the belt.
• Injured Purdue forward Robbie Hummel watched the pregame warm-ups from the scorer's table, where he was greeted by a steady stream of well-wishers. Purdue's student section, The Paint Crew, paid tribute to the star by holding up signs like "Win it 4 Robbie," "This ones 4 Rob" and "Hummel Nation." Another group of fans sitting above the arena tunnel held a sign that read "Final 4 for #4." Hummel is using crutches and sitting at the end of Purdue's bench.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Greetings from Mackey Arena, where life without Robbie Hummel begins for No. 3 Purdue as it hosts No. 14 Michigan State.

Today's game had major Big Ten title implications before Wednesday night, and it still does. Purdue can hang onto sole possession of first place in the league with a win heading into its final two regular-season games (vs. Indiana, at Penn State). If Michigan State wins, it would be tied in the loss column with both Purdue and Ohio State, though the Spartans still would need some help in the coming days.

But the big story today is Purdue's response from losing Hummel, its No. 2 scorer and top rebounder, to a season-ending torn ACL. Few players in the country can match Hummel's versatility, and Purdue will have to fill production voids in tons of areas (scoring, rebounding, assists, 3-point shooting, free-throw shooting). The Boilers will turn to senior guard Keaton Grant, who will make his sixth start of the season. Grant is heating up, having tallied double figures in each of Purdue's last three games.

Injuries create opportunity, and for Purdue, there's plenty today. After losses by No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Kentucky on Saturday, the Boilers could move into the top spot with a win, especially one under such adverse circumstances. The NCAA tournament selection committee will be evaluating Purdue without Hummel for seeding possibilities.

There's also plenty of opportunity for Michigan State today. The Spartans, who have struggled defensively this season, had few answers for Purdue in a 76-64 loss on Feb. 9 in East Lansing. Purdue shot 56.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range at the Breslin Center, so the Spartans will need to be much better on the defensive end.

Without Hummel, Purdue could be susceptible in the post, and it's time for Michigan State's bigs to step up. Sophomore forward Draymond Green has been fabulous this year, but the Spartans need more from Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe.

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