They don’t come often, but when they do, it immediately becomes one of the more enjoyable wins of the year for Indiana fans.
It takes a special kind of team to go into West Lafayette and pull out a win. Or has been the case in some years, just a really bad Purdue team.
The last time IU won at Purdue (in 2013), former head coach Tom Crean said this about winning at Mackey Arena.
“To win here, you’ve gotta really be on top of your game. It’s not just the offensive and defensive execution. It’s the attitude. It’s the energy, it’s the mental toughness. Our guys had that.”
Those are traits that have been missing at times from this year’s Hoosier team. If they are going to become the latest edition of IU basketball to win on the road at Purdue, the toughness that the Hoosiers have shown over the last week must travel with them.
Whether or not that happens this season remains to be seen, but today we take a look back at the last six IU wins at Mackey. We chose six because that covers the IU program under its last five full-time head coaches.
JANUARY 30, 2013 — INDIANA 97 PURDUE 60
The Hoosiers recorded the biggest margin of victory ever by an opponent at Mackey Arena in a dominating performance. Balance was the story for IU, with all five starters in double figures. Cody Zeller led the way with 19 points, while Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford had 17 apiece.
Interestingly enough, Purdue center A.J. Hammons scored half of the Boilers’ points, pouring in 30 on the night.
FEBRUARY 4, 2012 — INDIANA 78 PURDUE 61
Behind a career high at the time 23 points from Oladipo, Indiana snapped a five game losing streak to Purdue. The Hoosiers were down a starter as Verdell Jones missed the game with a shoulder injury. Backup Remy Abell stepped in with 13 points including a late three-pointer that put the game out of reach.
Defense and rebounding were the stories of the game, as IU outrebounded Purdue 53-35 and held the Boilers to 29.6% from the field.
MARCH 1, 2006 — INDIANA 70 PURDUE 59
It was a tale of two halves for IU. After shooting just 29% in the first half, IU caught fire at Mackey in the second segment. The Hoosiers trailed by two at halftime but outscored Purdue 45-32 in the second half to pull away. Marshall Strickland led the way with 16 points and Robert Vaden had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
It was IU’s fourth straight win in the series.
JANUARY 15, 2005 — INDIANA 75 PURDUE 73 (2 OT)
It took D.J. White a while to get going, but the freshman forward scored six of his 16 points in the second overtime. Bracey Wright led IU with 23 points but he also had nine turnovers.
The first overtime had a controversial sequence at the buzzer that resulted in Purdue’s Carl Landry with an opportunity to win it at the foul line — but of course he missed.
The game would mark former Purdue head coach Gene Keady’s final home contest against IU as the Hoosiers went on to sweep the season series.
MARCH 3, 2001 — INDIANA 74 PURDUE 58
Say what you will about Mike Davis, but he knew how to win at Mackey. In what would be his first of three wins there in five tries, IU rolled in this one. Kirk Haston recorded his 13th double-double of the season with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Haston caught fire in the second half as IU rolled out to as much as a 23 point lead after the break and completed the season sweep of Purdue.
JANUARY 16, 1999 — INDIANA 87 PURDUE 76
Luke Recker led four IU scorers in double figures as No. 23 Indiana knocked off No. 13 Purdue. A.J. Guyton added 21 for the Hoosiers as they secured their first win at Purdue since 1993. Indiana started the game hot, running out to a 26-13 lead and they would withstand multiple Purdue rallies to hold off the Boilers.
The game would mark Bob Knight’s final win at Mackey Arena.
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