Written by: TJ Inman
What: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Where: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
When: Tuesday, January 27 at 9:00 pm
How to Watch: Peacock
Opponent Glance: The Purdue Boilermakers have dropped consecutive games and they now sit two games 9-0 Nebraska and one game back of Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois in the Big Ten standings. The Boilers fell at home to Illinois in an incredibly entertaining game this past weekend as Keaton Wagler had an unbelievable 46 points on 9-11 shooting from three. It was one of the best road performances the Big Ten has ever seen.
Needless to say, if the Hoosiers can get a performance like that from someone like Lamar Wilkerson, it would go a long way towards pulling off the upset. Beyond a scorching the nets night for IU, slowing Purdue’s efficient offense down will be a huge challenge. Their attack begins with one of the nation’s best point guards: senior Braden Smith. He’s added a deadly midrange fadeaway to his arsenal and he’s already the all-time Big Ten leader in assists. When Smith is aggressive and in rhythm, Purdue’s offense is among the best in the country.
Trey Kaufman-Renn has struggled recently but Indiana does not really have a good matchup for an interior scorer like him and if Tucker DeVries is forced to guard “TKR”, it seems incredibly likely he’ll be saddled with foul trouble most of the game. Fletcher Loyer is in a shooting slump but he still leads the Boilermakers in free throw attempts and is 90% foul shooter.
Indiana cannot afford to pick up fouls against Loyer and put him on the line given the other weapons the Boilers have and IU’s current lack of useful depth. Purdue’s defense is a potential vulnerability point for the Boilermakers and Illinois is not the only team to have a great game shooting the three against them. If the Hoosiers can stay committed to moving well on offense for 40 minutes, Purdue’s defense will give them some good looks but IU will have to avoid periods of offensive stagnation. An extensive drought against a team as lethal (#2 offensive efficiency) as the visitors from West Lafayette would spell doom.
Why it Mattered: The Indiana Hoosiers beat the Purdue Boilermakers, battling to an 11-point halftime lead and then finding a way to hang on late. The victory was IU’s first Quad 1 victory of the season and a massive shot in the arm for first-year head coach Darian DeVries. There is now a path to the NCAA Tournament but the pending West Coast swing requires at least one win in order to stay on track.
Highlights
Game #2
What: Indiana Hoosiers at UCLA Bruins
Where: Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California
When: Saturday, January 31 at 5:00 pm
How to Watch: Peacock
Opponent Glance: The UCLA Bruins have won five of six games after blasting Oregon 73-57 and adding to wins over Maryland, Penn State, Northwestern and a 69-67 triumph over Purdue. The Bruins are now 15-6 and 7-3 in the Big Ten and ranked 39th in KenPom.
As expected with Mick Cronin teams, they play at a slow pace (309th in adjusted tempo) and try to grind down opponents. Maryland only scored 55 points, Penn State was held to 60, Purdue only had 67 and Northwestern only put up 64 so the defense has rounded into form during this good stretch of play. The light has gone on for point guard Skyy Clark and he has combined with forward Tyler Bilodeau to lead the way. Bilodeau averages 18.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.6% from three.
Clark is shooting 48.6% from three and is second on the team with 13.5 points per game but he’s been out since January 3 with a hamstring injury and the team has seemingly played better without him. He has reportedly practiced recently and is trending towards a return but the defense has been better with him on the sidelines as Trent Perry fills in.
New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent was expected to be an All-Big Ten level scorer but he’s struggled to shoot the ball with any consistency. He did have 23 points against Purdue and 13 against both Ohio State and Northwestern recently plus 15 against Oregon and he has the capability to get hot or get IU’s guards in foul trouble. Dent is a volume shooter and not particularly efficient. The Bruins don’t have a true center and they are not a great rebounding team, something that should help IU in this road game. Finding the same defensive intensity and fight on the glass that Indiana played with against Purdue will be critical.
Why it Matters: The Indiana Hoosiers enter the final game of January firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and this two-game West Coast trip offers a gigantic opportunity for Darian DeVries’ squad. The UCLA Bruins are 39th in the NET and that means this is a Quad 1A chance for Indiana. On Tuesday night, the Hoosiers face the USC Trojans and that projects as another Quad 1 chance. Winning both games in California would elevate Indiana into excellent shape while a split would keep them on the right side of the bubble.