When Indiana and Purdue met a month ago, Purdue coach Matt Painter noted how effective the combination of Trey Galloway, Luke Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako were playing together, along with Oumar Ballo setting screens and getting offensive rebounds.
Those four gave the Hoosiers good spacing, and combined for 67 of Indiana’s 76 points in a five-point loss.
While the Hoosiers have struggled to win games since, several of those same players have been performing at a high level of late.
Galloway has continued a trend that began last year. He has dished out more than 100 assists in each of the last two seasons. He is the first Hoosier to achieve the feat since Yogi Ferrell handed out 100-plus assists in four-straight seasons (2012-16). Galloway is one of four Big Ten players (Brock Harding, Iowa; Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State; Tre Holloman, Michigan State) to average at least 4.0 assists in under 30.0 minutes per game.
Goode has averaged 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.1% (53-of-115) from the floor, 43.6% (34-of-78) from the 3-point line, and 91.3% (21-of-23) from the free throw line over his last 14 games (10 starts). The Fort Wayne, Ind., native has averaged 14.2 points per game on 16-of-31 (51.6%) shooting from behind the 3-point line in his last five Big Ten Conference road games.
Over his last six starts, Mgbako has averaged a team-high 16.0 points per game on 47.7% (42-of-88) shooting from the floor and 88.9% (16-of-18) from the free throw line. He has also grabbed 5.1 rebounds per contest.
After suffering a knee injury, Malik Reneau seems to be back to himself. In his last three appearances, Reneau has posted 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 50.0% (20-of-40) shooting from the floor.
Fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal has started the last eight contests and has averaged 3.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 stocks
Despite his share of struggles at IU, and his tenure overlapping with perhaps the greatest run in the history of Purdue basketball, IU coach Mike Woodson can finish 3-3 against the Boilers with a win on Sunday. The teams split their home-and-home in 2022, with Woodson’s squad ending a nine-game losing streak in the series. Indiana swept Purdue in 2023, and the Boilermakers returned the favor last season.
Purdue is on a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2020. They are at risk of falling completely out of the Big Ten race with a loss to IU.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter spoke with the media on Friday ahead of the rematch and said his team has to do a much better job guarding the ball and keeping the ball out of the paint on defense. They’ve given up more than 81 points per game in the three losses.
“It’s really important for us to do a good job on the ball and do a good job of what we’re doing, whether it’s ball-screen defense or post defense and keep the ball out of the paint,” Painter said. “When the ball gets driven that way or the ball gets posted deep and they get that kind of position, that’s what gives us trouble against them.
“That’s their strength — their size and ability to get there, but also their guards’ ability to work you downhill, especially Trey Galloway. He really did a good job (in the first game). That being said, Trey Kaufman(-Renn) had foul trouble and they were trying to attack him to get to his fourth or fifth foul.”
Here’s more from Painter ahead of the IU game.
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