Harold Shelton III, BTN Studio Researcher, March 21, 2017

Before No. 4 Purdue takes on No. 1 Kansas in the Midwest Region semifinals Thursday night, BTN researcher Harold Shelton wanted to share what the Big Ten regular-season champs have working for and against them vs. the perennial Big 12 power.

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STREAM: Watch the Purdue-Kansas game here.

Working in Purdue's favor:

  • The Boilermakers rank 17th in defensive efficiency and 22nd in offensive efficiency.
  • Purdue shoots 40.4 percent from distance (6th in nation), and Kansas allows teams to shoot 35.2 percent (181st).
  • Purdue doesn't foul (3rd in nation in opponent free-throw rate).
  • It allows only one shot more than 75 percent of the time.
  • Caleb Swanigan: 28 double-doubles this season (Most in nation and most by a Big Ten player in a single season)
  • Kansas is not a good free-throw shooting team, hitting fewer than 68 percent (272nd).
  • Kansas doesn?t force a lot of turnovers, ranking 177th in that category.
  • Kansas isn?t a great defensive rebounding team, allowing opponents to grab nearly 30 percent of their misses (200th)

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Working against Purdue:

  • The Boilermakers rank 287th in forcing turnovers, 306th in block percentage and 279th in steal percentage.
  • Purdue opponents make nearly 68 percent of their shots at the rim (338th), and Kansas shoots 65 percent at the rim (46th)
  • Purdue isn?t great taking care of the ball. They are 145th nationally in turnover percentage and 229th when it comes to opponents stealing the ball from them. Meanwhile, Kansas is 91st nationally in steals.
  • Kansas shoots 40.6 percent from 3 (4th) and rank fifth in efficiency, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 28th in 2-point shooting and 36th in offensive rebounding.
  • Kansas is 18th in transition offense and it ranks just outside the top 40 in time of possession.
  • The Jayhawks allow teams to shoot just 45 percent on 2-point shots (25th) and are also 25th in defensive efficiency .
  • Frank Mason, the favorite for national player of the year, averages more than 20 points, with 4 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He?s shooting 48 percent from the floor and 47 percent from 3.
  • The Sprint Center in Kansas City is located 45 miles from the Jayhawks campus.