Indiana basketball hits the road for the first of two consecutive contests away from Assembly Hall on Friday night, as the Hoosiers travel north to West Lafayette to take on Purdue.
The Hoosiers (14-7 overall, 5-5 in Big Ten play) have lost two straight games, including a road loss to Northwestern and more recently a home defeat at the hands of Maryland. The Boilermakers (16-5 overall, 8-2 in Big Ten play) are fresh off of a dominant bounce-back win at home over Michigan.
Before the rivalry matchup on Friday night, preview the contest between Indiana and Purdue.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Matt Painter
Record: 488-213 in 21st year overall, 463-208 in 20th year at Purdue
Matt Painter has taken Purdue to new heights during his two decades with the program. Since the 2006-07 season, Painter's second year in charge, Purdue leads all Big Ten teams in conference wins (231) and ranks second in NCAA Tournament appearances (15).
Painter, a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year honoree, is one of six coaches in the country to average at least 25 wins over the last nine seasons and he's one of just four to tally at least 250 wins over the last decade. During his time at the helm of the Boilermakers, Painter is 21-12 against the Hoosiers.
After graduating from Purdue in 1993, Painter got his coaching start at Washington and Jefferson at the Division III level as an assistant coach. From there, he spent time as an assistant at Barton College, Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois.
With the Salukis is also where he got his start as a head coach, leading the Southern Illinois program from 2003-04 before being name an associate head coach at Purdue.
Painter spent just one season in that role with the Boilermakers before he was hired as the head coach at Purdue in 2006—a position he has held ever since.
THIS SEASON
The Boilermakers began the season strong, winning their first four games of the season, including an impressive victory over No. 4 Alabama at home.
Purdue fell short in its first road test of the season, a trip to Milwaukee to to take on No. 9 Marquette. Purdue felly by 18 points in that contest before rattling off three straight wins, including a two-point win at home over No. 23 Ole Miss.
To begin December, the Boilermakers hit a rough patch. Purdue lost its Big Ten opener on the road against Penn State before bouncing back with a home win over (RV) Maryland. However, Purdue then lost two straight at neutral site to No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 1 Auburn.
Since then, the Boilermakers have rattled have wins in eight of their last nine games, including impressive wins on the road against No. 16 Oregon and at home against (RV) Michigan.. The lone blemish in that stretch came at home, when Ohio State walked out of Mackey Arena with a three-point victory just over a week ago.
For the sixth time under Painter, Purdue has started 8-2 or better in Big Ten play.
As a team, Purdue is averaging 77.5 points per game this season. The Boilermakers are shooting 49.3% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range—which ranks second in the Big Ten. Purdue averages 17.1 assists to just 10.8 turnovers per game on the year.
Defensively, Purdue is surrendering 67.5 points per game. The Boilermakers are holding their opponents to 43.0% shooting from the field and 30.5% shooting from 3-point range this year.
Purdue is the No. 8 team in the country, according to KenPom. The Boilermakers possess the nation's second-ranked offense and 44th-ranked defense. Purdue ranks No. 9 in the NET with a 6-5 record in Quad 1 games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Guard Braden Smith: A junior, Smith has established himself not only as perhaps the best point guard in the Big Ten, but he's established himself as one of the best guards and players in the entire country. Smith is averaging 15.4 points, a Big Ten-leading 8.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.2. The former Westfield High School standout has shot the ball at a 43.3% clip from the field and a 38.8% clip from downtown this season. Smith currently ranks third in KenPom's National Player of the Year rankings. He's also the only player in the country with 300-plus points, 150-plus assists and 75-plus rebounds this season.
- Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn: A forward stylistically similar to Indiana's Malik Reneau, Kaufman-Renn is the Boilermakers' leading scorer on the season. The 6-foo-9 and 230-pound forward is averaging 18.1 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds a game while shooting 59.5% from the floor. The Sellersburg, Indiana native is currently the only player in the country averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game while shooting at least 58.0% from the floor. In the history of the Big Ten only three players have ever posted those numbers over the course of an entire season—Chris Webber, Evan Eschmeyer and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
- Guard Fletcher Loyer: Loyer, a 6-foot-5 off-ball guard and high school teammates of Indiana's Luke Goode, is the third and final member of Purdue's three-headed attack. Loyer is averaging 14.0 points per game this season while shooting 46.7% from beyond the 3-point arc. That figure puts Loyer as the most efficient 3-point shooter in the Big Ten, of those who are attempting 2.5 or more long balls a game. A junior, Loyer currently ranks 16th on Purdue's all-time 3-point shooting leaderboard with 165 3-pointers made throughout his Boilermaker career.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Will Indiana fight...
Indiana's lost two straight games and is at risk of dropping below .500 in conference play on Friday night in West Lafayette. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are at two completely different places right now as far as each program is concerned. Purdue is the heavy favorite at home and have been playing exceptional basketball as of late. Will Indiana come out with some fight in this rivalry contest on Friday, or will the Hoosiers lay down against their in-state rival?
Can the Hoosiers limit Braden Smith...
Braden Smith is the catalyst for everything Purdue likes to do on the offensive end of the floor. One of the reasons Penn State was able to take down Purdue back in December was the play of Nittany Lion guard Ace Baldwin, who was able to make things difficult for the Boilermakers' lead guard. The Hoosiers don't have a guard as defensively stout at Baldwin, but if Indiana can make Smith uncomfortable—which not many teams have done—that would could a long way for the cream and crimson as they look for a big time upset on Friday night.
Can Indiana get a Jalen Hood-Schifino esque performance...
Two years ago, inside of Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino put on a show for the ages against Purdue. He went for a career-high 35 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the field, powering No. 17 Indiana to an impressive road win over No. 5 Purdue—the Hoosiers' first win at Mackey in a decade. With Indiana looking to pull off the upset on Friday night, the Hoosiers may need a performance to that of Hood-Schifino's from a few years ago.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (14-7, 5-5) at Purdue (16-5, 8-2)
Series History: Purdue leads all-time series 127-92 (Last Meeting: Purdue won 79-59 on Feb. 10, 2024 in West Lafayette, Indiana
When: Jan. 31, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana
TV: FOX: Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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