Over the 125 years that the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers have played each other, the in-state rivals have lost zero love during that span. Indelible impressions have been carved throughout the series that has now seen 223 games contested.
Friday night’s game was no different. The Boilers never trailed and took the competitive nature out of the game early on in their 93-64 dismantling of Indiana at Mackey Arena. Purdue improved to 22-5 and 12-4 in Big 10 matchups. The Hoosiers, who are firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, slumped to 17-10 and 8-8 in conference games.
The Boilermakers shot 65% from the field for the game, which marked the highest mark for a Matt Painter-led squad, and 58% from beyond the arc. The offensive onslaught could not have come at a better time after Purdue’s disappointing effort in a loss earlier in the week to Michigan.
Friday’s 29-point margin is the largest the Boilermakers have had against Indiana since a 120-76 drubbing the Boilermakers handed the Hoosiers on March 8, 1969.
After getting outrebounded against Michigan, the Boilers doubled up the Hoosiers, 30-15, on the glass. Oscar Cluff (8) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (6) almost combined for more rebounds than the entire Indiana team.
All-American guard Braden Smith kicked off Purdue’s scoring parade with a three-pointer one minute into the game. Fletcher Loyer matched that one possession later to give the Boilers a 6-0 lead, and the rout was set in motion.
The Boilermakers steadily built their lead throughout the first half and held a 23-14 advantage with 7:34 to go. At the under-four-minute media timeout, Purdue stretched its supremacy to 13 points with a 34-21 edge. From there, the Boilers kept the pedal down and closed out the first half by hitting four of their last shots from the field to lead 46-29 at the break.
After twenty minutes, no Hoosier registered double-digit point totals, but Kaufman-Renn (14), Smith (13), and Loyer (10) did for Purdue with a combined 12-for-17 shooting display.
In the second half, the “Omer Mayer Show” commenced. After scoring four points in the first half, the freshman proceeded to drain all five of his field-goal attempts, including four from distance, and finished with 18 points off the bench.
Painter lavished praise on Mayer after the game and emphasized how important he is to his team.
“He was great tonight. You see that we have more than five starters. I think that’s been the statement, and that’s some of what we told him in recruiting. This will be a tougher year, where things will open up more for him his sophomore year in terms of an opportunity.
“He’s been great,” he remarked. “He’s worked hard, he’s putting in time, but it’s just a trickle-down from our seniors. Our seniors are that way and so it really, really helps his growth and development, but he can go. He’s a good player. Nobody on our team is surprised about the way he’s played. He’s really given us a punch off the bench.”
Purdue took advantage of Indiana’s propensity to foul. The Boilers converted on 17 free throws, which was more than the Hoosiers’ 15 total attempts.
It does not take a basketball genius to realize that success is often dictated by how often the ball goes through the hoop. Painter, however, realizes that while he was pleased with his team’s accuracy on Friday, that does not guarantee success in attaining overall goals.
“Things look better when you make shots,” he said. “You can get a little carried away with how good you think you are, because if you don’t make all those shots, it just looks like you’re not doing well, but you’re executing well. I thought this was a great bounce-back for our guys, because it’s hard to take. It’s really hard to take when you have lofty goals and one of them (winning the regular-season Big 10 championship) is out the window.”
A convincing win over Purdue’s nemesis was the salve needed to heal the wounds suffered on Tuesday against Michigan. Though Purdue outshot, out-rebounded, out-hustled, and thoroughly outplayed Indiana, it only counted as one win in the standings. In other words, the win was nice, but the Boilermakers are in no position to relax and rest on their laurels.
Purdue now embarks on a challenging three-game road stretch, starting with a monumental clash in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday. This game, set for a 8 PM EST tip-off, will speak volumes on whether the Boilers are set for a deep March run or if Friday’s win was just a fluke.
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