No. 14 Purdue Takes Control of Big Ten Race
#BoilerNotes
- Purdue moved into first place by itself in the Big Ten with an 86-51 win over Ohio State at Mackey Arena … the Boilermakers are now 22-7 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten race, one game ahead of Michigan State and Michigan (14-4) in the league standings … Purdue will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title with a win at Minnesota (Tuesday) or at Northwestern (Saturday).
- Purdue recorded its third unbeaten season in 51 seasons at Mackey Arena (1968-69, 2010-11) with a 15-0 record … Purdue has won 17 straight home games dating to last year and 38 of its last 39 games at home … the Purdue senior class set a school record with 63 home wins and owns a nation’s-best 63-4 (.940) record over the last four years … Matt Painter won his 200th career game at Mackey Arena (200-35).
- Purdue swept Ohio State (tournament notwithstanding) for first time since the 1997-98 season … the 35-point win over the Buckeyes was the largest Purdue win in the series since a 101-63 on Jan. 22, 1994.
- Purdue becomes the fifth program in Big Ten history (and the first since 1995-96) to win at least 15 games in back-to-back Big Ten seasons (2018-19 Purdue; 1995-96 Purdue; 1991-92 Ohio State; 1987-88 Purdue; 1974-75 Indiana).
- Purdue’s 44 Big Ten wins over the last three seasons are tied for the third most in a 3-year span in Big Ten history … Purdue is 44-10 in the Big Ten over the last three seasons.
- Purdue’s senior class owns a 105-31 record, needing two wins to tie the most victories for a senior class in school history.
- Purdue held its last eight opponents at home to 64 or fewer points … just two teams (Iowa – 70; Ball State – 75) scored 70 or more points at Mackey Arena.
- Carsen Edwards scored 25 points to move into 10th place on the school’s career scoring list (1,727 points) … the most points scored by a player in school history through their junior season … Edwards tied the school record for most 3-pointers made in a season (100; tied with Troy Lewis – 1988) … he also moved into second place on the career 3-pointers made list (246).
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two seniors sparked a shooting onslaught that led to a special Senior Day at Mackey Arena.
No. 14 Purdue blew the doors off Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, winning 86-51 to put the caps on an undefeated season at Mackey Arena. Purdue (22-7, 15-3) now sits alone at the top of the Big Ten Conference regular season standings with two games to play. A win at either Minnesota (Tuesday) or at Northwestern (Saturday) will give Purdue at least a share of its 24th Big Ten Championship. Two wins will give the Boilermakers the outright crown.
With the game tied at 4-4 early in the first half, Ryan Cline nailed a deep 3-pointer from the right wing off an assist from Grady Eifert. Cline returned the favor on the very next play, finding Eifert on the left wing for another 3-pointer.
The early buckets from Purdue’s seniors were the first two of 11 consecutive possessions that ended in field goals for the Boilermakers, culminating with a 3-pointer from Carsen Edwards to put Purdue up 32-13 midway through the first half.
The Boilermakers kept it going the rest of the way, taking a 48-20 lead into halftime and quickly building a 30-point advantage that they maintained for most of the second half.
Edwards had a game-high 25 points going 9-for-16 from the field. The junior is now tied for first in 3-pointers made in a season (100) and 2nd in career 3-pointers (246) at Purdue, needing just four more to tie Dakota Mathias at the top spot. Edwards also moved into the top 10 of the Purdue career scoring chart (1,727 points). Matt Haarms contributed 12 points and six rebounds, while Aaron Wheeler had 10 points and seven boards.
But it was all about the seniors on this day, who left behind a legacy of winning at Mackey Arena with an undefeated (15-0) senior season at home. Cline and Eifert posted a nation’s-best 63-4 record in Mackey in their four years at Purdue. Cline finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and four assists, and Eifert provided eight points, five rebounds and two steals.
Purdue shot 33-59 from the field, including 11-21 from 3-point range, and outrebounded the Buckeyes 39-27.
No. 6 Michigan State was upset earlier in the day at Indiana, leaving it tied for second in the Big Ten with Michigan at 14-4.
Up next for the Boilermakers is a trip to Minnesota Tuesday night to face the Golden Gophers. The game will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET and be televised on BTN.