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The Big Ten will have a total of 2 teams in action on Monday night, highlighted by Minnesota's battle against North Dakota at home. The Boilermakers are coming off an upset against North Florida and are looking to put that disappointing loss behind them.
With that, here are Monday's Big Ten games:
Game of the Day
IPFW at Purdue - 7:00 PM ET (ESPNU/WatchESPN)
For most, this would be a relatively unexciting game. However, considering that Purdue just lost to North Florida over the weekend, Boilermaker fans are going to want Purdue to prove that was a freak game. According to KenPom, IPFW is rated as the #198 team in the nation. For some perspective, North Florida was #166 coming into their matchup with Purdue last weekend. Purdue should still be a pretty heavy favorite in this one, but that does not mean fans and the team are ever going to feel comfortable at any point in this game.
Purdue will look for rebound performances from several players and specifically from true freshman Vincent Edwards. During this season, Edwards has looked like an All-Big Ten Freshman type of player, but he had a lackluster 5 points in the team's game against North Florida and fans will be looking for a bigger offensive performance in this one. Another area where fans will be watching is on the defensive end, where Purdue gave up 24 points to point guard Dallas Moore. Jon Octeus and Raphael Davis need to do a better job here. IPFW is a decent shooting team, so it will be important for Purdue to play solid defensively.
The Rest
North Dakota at Minnesota - 9:00 PM ET (ESPNU/WatchESPN)
The Gophers are looking to extend their 3 game winning streak on Monday night against North Dakota. Minnesota is coming off two straight double-digit wins should be pretty big favorites in this game. However, given the upsets over the weekend, it will be important for Minnesota to stay focused. North Dakota's offense is not great, but they do a good job of holding on the ball, which could be useful in a game against Minnesota, who looks to force turnovers. Minnesota has also struggled to rebound the ball consistently, which North Dakota has done well on the defensive end of the floor. The Gophers will be big favorites in this one, but these are a few areas to watch.