Purdue's Jaden Ivey to Start Against Minnesota; Eric Hunter Jr. Replaces Isaiah Thompson

Ahead of No. 4 Purdue basketball's matchup with Minnesota on the road, coach Matt Painter revealed that he will put star guard Jaden Ivey back into the starting lineup. 

Ivey, who missed a home matchup with Northwestern due to injury, still managed to score in double figures in each of the past two games. He will take the court alongside Eric Hunter Jr., Sasha Stefanovic, Mason Gillis and Zach Edey. 

The 6-foot-4 sophomore was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after logging 18 points, four rebounds and three assists per game in the team's two victories last week. He scored a last-second 3-pointer to defeat Ohio State on Sunday at Mackey Arena in regulation, giving him a team-high 21 points for the contest.  

Hunter, who took Ivey's spot in the starting rotation against the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes, will remain a starter, leaving Isaiah Thompson to assume a role off the bench. Thompson has started all but one game for the Boilermakers this season. 

"Isaiah's has been great for us," Painter said Tuesday. "But obviously, letting Jaden kind of get back in the fold here. Eric's done some really good things here in the past four or five games. And so it's a tough decision because I've got more than five people starting, but Isaiah has done some really good things. But you've got to make decisions that you think is best for the team."

Hunter has logged at least 27 minutes for Purdue in four of the last five games while scoring at least 10 points three times in that span. The senior has hit on 6 of 7 shots from the 3-point line dating back to the team's home win against Nebraska in mid January. 

Thompson logged a career-high 18 points in an 83-73 win over Iowa on the road, but went 0-3 from the field and failed to score against Ohio State. He only registered a single rebound in the 81-78 victory. 

The junior has logged less than 20 minutes in three of the last five games as Hunter has seen increased playing time and production for the Boilermakers. 

"I talked to Isaiah about that," Painter said. "It's hard to take that when you've done good things. And now it's 'oh, I've started and now I'm not starting.' But you've also got to look at the big picture of things and now give us that punch coming off that bench and be ready to roll."

Purdue is scheduled to take on Minnesota inside Williams Arena on Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network.