Fletcher Loyer, No. 18 Purdue intent on sending message to UCLA

Purdue slumped to three losses in its last four regular-season games to stumble out of favorable positioning for the Big Ten Conference tournament in Chicago.

As it turns out, the No. 18-ranked Boilermakers didn't have an issue getting back in the groove.

After defeating 11th-ranked and second-seeded Nebraska 74-58 in Friday's quarterfinals, seventh-seeded Purdue (25-8) will look to keep rolling in Saturday's semifinal against sixth-seeded UCLA (23-10).

The winner will play either...