Game Day Essentials
Indiana (18-11, 9-10) at No. 8 Purdue (24-6, 13-6)
- Tip Time: 2 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.
- Television: ESPN (Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel)
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Stream: Watch ESPN
- Point Spread: Purdue is a 10-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 13 Purdue 77 No. 48 Indiana 67
- Series: Purdue leads 124-90
- Last Meeting: Indiana 68 Purdue 65 (Jan. 20)
Additional Game Coverage
- Hoosiers’ close but no cigar results must change now; Ray Tolbert gives pep talk
- Watch: Rob Phinisee Q&A as IU prepares for Purdue
- Purdue win distinguishes IU season from last four. Now they must produce repeat to save NCAA hopes.
Purdue Notes
Saturday’s contest with Indiana marks the 215th all-time meeting, the most frequently-played rivalry in the Big Ten. The two teams have met every year since 1937.
The series tends to go in streaks as Purdue has won nine of the last 10 games with Indiana. Prior to this current run of the Boilermakers winning 12 of 14 games, Indiana had won four straight games from 2012-13.
Purdue dropped to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday, marking Purdue’s 17th straight week of being ranked in the top 10. The 17-week stretch of being ranked in the top 10 is the tied for the longest streak in school history.
Purdue needs one win for 25 this season, which would mark the 15th season in school history with 25 wins, including nine under Painter.
Matt Painter will coach his 600th career game (570 at Purdue; 30 at Southern Illinois). He ranks fifth on the Big Ten’s all-time games coached list (569) behind Tom Izzo (927), Bob Knight (901), Gene Keady (782) and Lou Henson (647).
Purdue has won at least 12 league games for the seventh time in the last eight years. During that span, just three other programs have done it at least five times (Wisconsin – 6; Maryland, Michigan State – 5).
The Boilermakers are 26-2 at home over the last two seasons.
Despite struggling most of the season on the defensive end, Purdue is showing signs of turning things around. Over the last five games, Purdue is allowing 67.0 points per game, holding four of five opponents to 70 or fewer points.
It has also forced 51 turnovers (10.2 per game) after forcing just 7.6 turnovers per game in the previous nine games.
Despite Purdue’s defensive woes, there have been just four games in which teams have shot over 48 percent from the field against Purdue, done by just two teams (Rutgers twice, Michigan twice).
Much has been said about Purdue’s defensive issues and it currently sits just inside the top 100 in KenPom defensive efficiency, but since Feb. 13 (5 games), Purdue’s defense ranks 54th nationally in efficiency, according to Bart Torvik.
Purdue has never had a season where it shot 50-40-70 from the three levels, but is trying to do that this year. It’s currently shooting 50.1 / 39.8 / 70.6 from the three levels.
Purdue’s 50.1 field goal percentage is currently the program’s best since shooting 52.2 percent during the 1989-90 season. It has shot over 49.0 percent just once since 1989-90 (2017-18 season; .493).
Jaden Ivey’s first 30 games of the season rank among the best statistical starts in the Big Ten since the 2009-10 season. He is one of two players since 2009-10 to have at least 500 points, 140 rebounds, 90 assists, 30 steals and 17 blocks in the first 30 games of the season.
Zach Edey has had eight games this season where he has scored a point a minute, giving him 12 for his career. Edey has had seven career games where he has scored at least 20 points in 20 or fewer minutes.
Watch Matt Painter’s preview of Indiana below (via goldandblack.com)
Three keys from the first meeting
Indiana defeated Purdue 68-65 on Jan. 20. Here were our three keys to that IU win:
1. Big Shot Rob. Rob Phinisee had a career high 20 points including the game-winner, a wing three-pointer. Fellow point guard Xavier Johnson had 18 as the pair combined for 38 of Indiana’s 68. Purdue’s strategy was to make the duo beat them, and they got it done. They shot 15-of-30 from the field and 6-of-11 from three. Phinisee also had four steals in the game. Neither Phinisee or Johnson had a turnover.
2. Overcoming Jackson-Davis fouls. Trayce Jackson-Davis only played 11 minutes but Indiana was able to win with a strong bench effort. The bench totaled 35 points. Beyond Phinisee, Trey Galloway had eight off the bench. Michael Durr didn’t stuff that stat sheet but provided a body defensively as IU limited Purdue big men Zach Edey and Trevion Williams to ten field goal attempts. The absence of Jackson-Davis helped Purdue have a 39-30 rebounding advantage and 10 second chance points, and opened driving lanes for Jaden Ivey without his shot-blocking presence.
3. Slowing Purdue from three, forcing first half turnovers. The Boilers made just 8-of-23 from three (34.8 percent). Four of those three-pointers came in the first four minutes of the second half. Sharpshooter Sasha Stefanovic was just 1-of-7 from three, and Jaden Ivey just 2-of-6. Several Indiana defenders were solid chasing shooters on the perimeter, including Miller Kopp, Trey Galloway, Phinisee and Johnson. In the first half Indiana forced 10 Purdue turnovers and scored 11 points off of them. Indiana had seven steals before the break. Purdue only had two turnovers in the second half.
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