Ticket Information
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - There are occasions in this world that people wait an entire lifetime to see, and some never get to see at all. For the truest of Purdue fans, this weekend marks an opportunity to watch one of the greatest rivalries in college sports – three times, in three days, in three different sports, all in the hallowed confines of Mackey Arena.
Beginning Friday at 7 p.m. ET, Purdue and Indiana will meet in wrestling, men's basketball and women's basketball, welcoming fans from all over the Midwest to watch the Boilermakers and Hoosiers do battle. For most Purdue fans, just the occasion of Purdue vs. Indiana is enough to draw you to the Greater Lafayette area, but for the rest of you let's look at five reasons to spend your weekend here.
#1: MACKEY MAGIC
Mackey Arena has received compliments from everyone who has walked through its doors over the last 50 years as one of the best places to watch a sporting event, and one of the top home-court advantages in college sports. Andy Katz recently called Mackey the No. 1 home-court advantage in Big Ten men's basketball, and that edge definitely bleeds over into the rest of the Old Gold & Black squads. Wrestling is 4-1 in Mackey since moving home duals to Holloway Gymnasium for the 1984-85 season, previously beating Indiana on three occasions in the building, men's basketball has won 81 percent of its games all-time on its home floor and women's basketball has won 75 percent of its home contests all-time.
Fifth-year head coach Tony Ersland has got the Boilermakers' wrestling program on the right track, watching his squad climb as high as No. 13 in the nation this season and having six of his 10 wresters earn a spot in the individual national rankings. The Boilermakers have won eight straight against the Hoosiers, starting the streak in 2011, but Indiana enters 2018-19 under new leadership. First-year head coach Angel Escobedo and the Hoosiers are coming off a 36-3 dual win over Maryland on Sunday.
Expect Friday's dual to be an outstanding event, with particularly good matches to watch at 133, 157 and 174 pounds. No. 19 Purdue redshirt senior Ben Thornton heads into his final career dual against the Boilermakers' archrivals sporting a 13-3 season record, and he will face Mount Vernon, Indiana native Paul Konrath, who returned to the Hoosiers after originally committing to Wisconsin. No.13 Griffin Parriott is set to meet Jacob Danishek at 157 pounds, a rematch of last year's dual which took Parriott only 44 seconds to stick the Hoosier redshirt senior. A pair of Indiana natives will square off at 174 pounds with Purdue's 14th-ranked redshirt junior Dylan Lydy meeting Indiana sophomore Jacob Covaciu, who also transferred to his home state from Wisconsin.
#3: OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL
Let's face it, Saturday's men's basketball game doesn't need any more hype. The sold-out affair is going to be rocking from start to finish and has been marked on your calendar since it was released in the fall. That being said, if there's an angle to keep an eye on, it's the meeting of two of the nation's most dynamic scorers in Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford. Edwards' list of preseason and weekly awards continues to scroll down Northwestern Avenue, Langford's freshman awards are piling up, and both have been a hot ticket for NBA scouts all season.
Edwards leads the conference and ranks fifth in the NCAA at 25.3 points per game, while Langford is fourth in the conference at 18.8 points per game. Expect fireworks as these two look to light up the scoreboard and duel to the finish.
#4: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
While neither team was picked in the top-three of the Big Ten preseason poll, Purdue and Indiana find themselves in the thick of the conference championship race in the early season. With matching 4-1 conference records, the Boilermakers and Hoosiers are tied for second place to start the week with Indiana ranked 25th in the AP Poll and the Boilermakers receiving votes.
Indiana's biggest win of the season came over No. 17 Michigan State at Assembly Hall on Jan. 6, while the Boilermakers enter the week on a three-game winning streak, including a 62-57 victory over No. 22 Iowa. For Indiana high school basketball fans, Sunday will feature two of the last four Indiana Miss Basketball honorees as Indiana's Ali Patberg earned the award in 2015, while Purdue's Karissa McLaughlin took home the title of the state's best in 2017.
It seems most appropriate that Sunday is Purdue's Alumnae Day, as both the head coaches of Purdue and Indiana are former Boilermaker players. Sharon Versyp starred for Purdue from 1985 to 1988, while Indiana's Teri Moren sported the Old Gold & Black from 1988 to 1991.
#5: THE GOVERNOR'S CUP
The weekend's events have a full two points on the line for the annual rivalry trophy between the two intrastate rivals. Friday's wrestling dual is worth a full point, while each basketball game has a half-point on the line as the teams meet again in Bloomington later in the year. The Boilermakers currently hold a 4-1 lead in the 2018-19 standings, nearly sweeping the fall events, and have kept the trophy in West Lafayette in four of the last five years.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - There are occasions in this world that people wait an entire lifetime to see, and some never get to see at all. For the truest of Purdue fans, this weekend marks an opportunity to watch one of the greatest rivalries in college sports – three times, in three days, in three different sports, all in the hallowed confines of Mackey Arena.
Beginning Friday at 7 p.m. ET, Purdue and Indiana will meet in wrestling, men's basketball and women's basketball, welcoming fans from all over the Midwest to watch the Boilermakers and Hoosiers do battle. For most Purdue fans, just the occasion of Purdue vs. Indiana is enough to draw you to the Greater Lafayette area, but for the rest of you let's look at five reasons to spend your weekend here.
#1: MACKEY MAGIC
Mackey Arena has received compliments from everyone who has walked through its doors over the last 50 years as one of the best places to watch a sporting event, and one of the top home-court advantages in college sports. Andy Katz recently called Mackey the No. 1 home-court advantage in Big Ten men's basketball, and that edge definitely bleeds over into the rest of the Old Gold & Black squads. Wrestling is 4-1 in Mackey since moving home duals to Holloway Gymnasium for the 1984-85 season, previously beating Indiana on three occasions in the building, men's basketball has won 81 percent of its games all-time on its home floor and women's basketball has won 75 percent of its home contests all-time.
#2: WRESTLING ON THE RISE5. @BadgerMBB's Kohl Center
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 10, 2019
4. @HuskerHoops' Pinnacle Bank Arena
3. @umichbball's Crisler Center
Which venues sit at No. ?? and ?? on @TheAndyKatz's list of best @B1GMBBall venues this season? Check it out. ?? pic.twitter.com/ZiSwS2De50
Fifth-year head coach Tony Ersland has got the Boilermakers' wrestling program on the right track, watching his squad climb as high as No. 13 in the nation this season and having six of his 10 wresters earn a spot in the individual national rankings. The Boilermakers have won eight straight against the Hoosiers, starting the streak in 2011, but Indiana enters 2018-19 under new leadership. First-year head coach Angel Escobedo and the Hoosiers are coming off a 36-3 dual win over Maryland on Sunday.
Expect Friday's dual to be an outstanding event, with particularly good matches to watch at 133, 157 and 174 pounds. No. 19 Purdue redshirt senior Ben Thornton heads into his final career dual against the Boilermakers' archrivals sporting a 13-3 season record, and he will face Mount Vernon, Indiana native Paul Konrath, who returned to the Hoosiers after originally committing to Wisconsin. No.13 Griffin Parriott is set to meet Jacob Danishek at 157 pounds, a rematch of last year's dual which took Parriott only 44 seconds to stick the Hoosier redshirt senior. A pair of Indiana natives will square off at 174 pounds with Purdue's 14th-ranked redshirt junior Dylan Lydy meeting Indiana sophomore Jacob Covaciu, who also transferred to his home state from Wisconsin.
#3: OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL
Let's face it, Saturday's men's basketball game doesn't need any more hype. The sold-out affair is going to be rocking from start to finish and has been marked on your calendar since it was released in the fall. That being said, if there's an angle to keep an eye on, it's the meeting of two of the nation's most dynamic scorers in Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford. Edwards' list of preseason and weekly awards continues to scroll down Northwestern Avenue, Langford's freshman awards are piling up, and both have been a hot ticket for NBA scouts all season.
Edwards leads the conference and ranks fifth in the NCAA at 25.3 points per game, while Langford is fourth in the conference at 18.8 points per game. Expect fireworks as these two look to light up the scoreboard and duel to the finish.
#4: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
While neither team was picked in the top-three of the Big Ten preseason poll, Purdue and Indiana find themselves in the thick of the conference championship race in the early season. With matching 4-1 conference records, the Boilermakers and Hoosiers are tied for second place to start the week with Indiana ranked 25th in the AP Poll and the Boilermakers receiving votes.
Indiana's biggest win of the season came over No. 17 Michigan State at Assembly Hall on Jan. 6, while the Boilermakers enter the week on a three-game winning streak, including a 62-57 victory over No. 22 Iowa. For Indiana high school basketball fans, Sunday will feature two of the last four Indiana Miss Basketball honorees as Indiana's Ali Patberg earned the award in 2015, while Purdue's Karissa McLaughlin took home the title of the state's best in 2017.
It seems most appropriate that Sunday is Purdue's Alumnae Day, as both the head coaches of Purdue and Indiana are former Boilermaker players. Sharon Versyp starred for Purdue from 1985 to 1988, while Indiana's Teri Moren sported the Old Gold & Black from 1988 to 1991.
#5: THE GOVERNOR'S CUP
The weekend's events have a full two points on the line for the annual rivalry trophy between the two intrastate rivals. Friday's wrestling dual is worth a full point, while each basketball game has a half-point on the line as the teams meet again in Bloomington later in the year. The Boilermakers currently hold a 4-1 lead in the 2018-19 standings, nearly sweeping the fall events, and have kept the trophy in West Lafayette in four of the last five years.