Written by: TJ Inman
Beating your archrival twice in a season is difficult. When the rival is ranked in the top 10, loaded with seniors and coming off a loss, that tall hill to climb becomes a mountain. Such was the case as the Indiana Hoosiers traveled to West Lafayette and were steamrolled by the Purdue Boilermakers. The home team jumped out to a 6-0 start with a pair of three-pointers and it became quickly apparent that Indiana would be fortunate to keep the contest competitive. Purdue’s offense got into rhythm and IU was unable to get any traction on the scoreboard, unless you want to count the fouls that were stacking up.
IU was whistled for 15 fouls in the first half and three starters were forced to the bench with three fouls apiece. The Boilermakers shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and outscored the Hoosiers by eight points from the foul line. Beyond the defensive struggles, IU star Lamar Wilkerson only had two points (both from the foul line) as Purdue’s defense and foul trouble combined to keep him out of the action. In the first meeting between the two teams, Wilkerson and Nick Dorn combined for 37 points but they only had two at the half. The lone positive for the visitors was the first good minutes in a few weeks for Tayton Conerway.
Indiana needed a quick run to begin the second half but instead, Purdue landed a knockout blow and stretched the lead to 22 points within a few minutes as Trey Kaufman-Renn continued to feast inside while Braden Smith orchestrated the action with his usual efficiency. Lamar Wilkerson finally found some success in the second half and he racked up 18 points in the second half but Indiana never threatened and Purdue coasted to a dominant 93-64 victory to improve to 22-5 on the season.
Lamar Wilkerson led the way with 20 points while Tucker DeVries added 11 and Reed Bailey chipped in 10. Purdue’s senior trio of Trey Kaufman-Renn (20), Fletcher Loyer (18) and Braden Smith (15) were way too much for the overmatched Hoosiers as IU made only 7-19 from three and were outscored by nine points at the foul line. As has been a major issue all season, Indiana was hammered on the glass and ended up with the shockingly low total of only 15 rebounds for the game.
Indiana’s NCAA Tournament future hangs in the balance as they head into the final two weeks of the regular season. A home game against Northwestern on Tuesday night looms as a must-win game before IU hosts Michigan State on Sunday. The general consensus is that a 3-1 finish in the final four games will punch Indiana’s ticket but the Hoosiers will need to play much better than they did on Friday night in West Lafayette.