The Rivalry Resumes as #5 Purdue Hosts #17 Indiana in Primetime on Saturday
GAMEDAY INFO
Saturday, February 25, 2023 | 7:30 p.m. ET
[5] Purdue (24-4, 13-4) vs. [17] Indiana (19-10, 10-7)
West Lafayette, Ind. | Mackey Arena (14,876)
TELEVISION: FOX | RADIO: Purdue Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS: Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• One of America’s greatest rivalries returns to the hardwood on Saturday night, when No. 17-ranked Indiana arrives in Mackey Arena to take on the No. 5-ranked Boilermakers. The 7:30 p.m., tip marks the first time the game will be played in primetime on a weekend in Mackey Arena since the 2000-01 season. The 43 combined victories between the two teams equal the most in series history.
• Saturday’s meeting marks the first time that Indiana and Purdue are ranked in the top 20 in a Mackey Arena contest since Jan. 18, 1994.
• Purdue righted the ship in its last outing — an 82-55 win over Ohio State that snapped a two-game losing streak. The Boilermakers won their 56th straight game when shooting over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 70 percent from the free throw line.
• Purdue is now 15-1 on the season when not ranked No. 1 in the country following the win over Ohio State. The Boilermakers fell to No. 5 in Monday’s AP poll, but has been ranked in the AP Top 5 in a school-record 13 consecutive weeks.
• The Boilermakers are looking for their 25th win, which would make this year’s team just the seventh season of 25 regular-season victories. Matt Painter is looking for his 10th season of 25 or more victories.
• Purdue has won at least 12 Big Ten games for the eighth time in the last nine seasons and is close to locking up a double-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. Purdue is the only program that has received a double-bye in every year that has been played under the current format.
• Purdue is 53-12 since the start of last season. The 53 wins over a two-year span are already the seventh most in school history and Purdue needs just four wins to tie the record for most wins in a two-year span (57 in 2017, 2018). Iowa is second among Big Ten teams with 43 wins.
• The Boilermakers are nearing their league-leading 25th Big Ten Championship, needing the combination of one win and / or Northwestern loss to clinch at least a share of the title. Purdue (Indiana, at Wisconsin, Illinois) owns a 13-4 record, while Northwestern (at Maryland, Penn State, at Rutgers) has an 11-6 mark. There are five Big Ten teams tied for third in the loss column with seven setbacks.
• Purdue has MADE 419 free throws this season, while opponents have SHOT just 293. Purdue has made 206 more free throws (419 to 213) than its foes this season, the highest discrepancy in the nation (Purdue +206, Portland +164, North Carolina +155, Texas A&M +150).
• Purdue is shooting 75.8 percent from the free throw line this season, currently the Big Ten leader (all games played) and the third-highest percentage in school history (.782 – 1969; .760 – 1998).
• In Purdue’s last six home games (all wins by an average of 16.3 points), it boasts an offensive efficiency of 123.4 and a defensive efficiency of 87.9. It is shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from long distance, while outrebounding foes by 17.0 boards per game. It has averaged at least 1.22 points per possession in five of the six games during that stretch (PSU, Ohio State, Iowa, Neb, MSU).
• Purdue has been ranked in the nation’s top five in 25 of the last 35 polls dating to the preseason poll a year ago. Gonzaga (21), Houston (16) and Kansas (15) are the only other programs to have at least 15 weeks ranked in the top 5.
• Sixteen of Purdue’s 24 wins have come against the KenPom top-100, the second-highest number of top-100 wins in the country (Kansas – 16). Purdue is also second behind Kansas in top-50 victories with 10 (Kansas has 13).
• Purdue is in search of its fourth No. 1 seed in school history, previously earning the No. 1 seed in 1988, 1994 and 1996. In addition, Zach Edey is the leader to earn consensus National Player of the Year accolades. The last time Purdue earned a No. 1 seed, it was led by its last consensus National Player of the Year recipient, Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson. Since 2000, eight players have earned consensus National Player of the Year accolades and led their team to a No. 1 seed, including four times in the last eight years (Williamson, Brunson, Mason, Kaminsky).
• Zach Edey surpassed 750 career rebounds in the win over Ohio State and is the only active junior (or younger) in the country with 1,350 career points and 750 rebounds. He and former No. 1 NBA Draft pick Joe Barry Carroll are the only Purdue players to ever do it.