GAMEDAY INFORMATION -- GAME 18
[2] Purdue (15-2, 4-2) vs. Indiana (12-5, 4-2)
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
7 p.m. ET | Bloomington, Ind.
Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
TELEVISION: Peacock (Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel, Caroline Pineda)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The No. 2-ranked Purdue Boilermakers embark on their only two-game Big Ten road trip this week, first traveling to Indiana for a 7 p.m. ET, tip at Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington on Tuesday. Purdue is 1-2 in its Big Ten road games and by the end of the week will be halfway done with its Big Ten trips after ending the road swing at Iowa on Saturday. It will also be Purdue's last weekday road game until March.
• The two teams will meet for the 218th time on Tuesday, the most-frequently played rivalry in the Big Ten. Purdue owns a 125-92 series advantage, but Indiana has won three of the last four meetings. However, before that, Purdue won 12-of-13 meetings from Feb. 2014 to March 2021.
• The Boilermakers are 15-2 (or better) through 17 games for the third straight season, the first time in school history that Purdue has been at least 15-2 through 17 games in three straight seasons. It marks the fifth time in Matt Painter's 19 seasons that Purdue has been 15-2 or better (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2011). Over the last three seasons, Purdue is 54-6 in months November through January.
• Over the last three games, Purdue is averaging 83.3 points while allowing 81.3 points per game. It comes after a stretch where Purdue held three straight teams to 57 or fewer points. Purdue is 33-of-76 (.434) from 3-point range in the last three games.
• Purdue ranks in the NCAA's top 20 in rebound margin (7th), assists per game (8th), 3-point percentage (9th), scoring offense (14th), fewest fouls per game (15th), scoring margin (15th), field goal percentage (16th) and assist / turnover ratio (18th).
• Purdue leads the country in quad-1 wins (6) and quad-1 and 2 wins combined (9). Purdue has as many quad-1 wins as teams ranked No. 4 (Alabama), 5 (BYU), 6 (Tennessee) and 8 (Auburn) combined.
• Since the start of last season, Purdue is 44-8, the fifth-most wins nationally, while the eight losses are the second fewest behind Houston (6). The eight losses during that span have come by 1, 5, 6, 14, 8, 5, 4 (OT) and 16 points. Thirty-one of the 44 wins have come against teams ranked in the KenPom top-100, including 24 against teams ranked in the top-50.
• Purdue is 44-36 in Big Ten road games since the 2015-16 season, the sixth-best road record among major-conference teams in the country. Purdue is 8-5 in Big Ten road games since the start of last season.
• Matt Painter now needs one win to tie Lou Henson for fifth place on the all-time wins list for Big Ten Conference games only. Painter enters the Indiana game with 213 league victories. Henson is fifth with 214 wins.
• Turnovers tell the story... When forcing 10 or more turnovers, the Boilermakers have won 17 straight games in a row. In Purdue's two losses this season, the Boilermakers' turnover margin is -9.50 (31 to 12). In the losses, opponents average 8.5 steals per game to Purdue's 1.0.
• Purdue was voted No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll on Monday, falling out of No. 1 for the first time since the Dec. 16, poll. With its No. 2 ranking this week, Purdue has now been ranked in the top 5 of the AP poll for 27 straight weeks, the longest-active streak in America by 11 weeks (Kansas - 16). It has been ranked in the top 3 in 21 of those 27 weeks.
• The 27 straight weeks ranked in the top 5 is the fifth-longest streak in Big Ten history, but the second-longest streak in the last 45 years.
• Purdue's starting lineup of Braden Smith, Lance Jones, Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Zach Edey have started all 17 games. It's the longest stretch for a starting group to start the season since the 2017-18 season (28 games).
• Zach Edey became the second high-major player (Oklahoma's Blake Griffin) in the last 20 years to have at least two 30-20 games, when he went for 30 and 20 against Penn STate. Over the last 15 years, Purdue has had four 30-20 games. The rest of the Big Ten has one combined.
• Edey needs 88 points and 13 blocked shots to become the third player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 blocks and to shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field (Patrick Ewing, David Robinson).
• Purdue is at least 15-2 through 17 games for the third straight season. Last year's team was 16-1, while the 2021-22 team was 15-2 through 17 games.
• In years that Purdue won the Big Ten regular-season championship under Matt Painter, the Boilermakers started 3-3 (2010), 4-2 (2017), 4-2 (2019) and 5-1 (2023) through five games. This year's team is 4-2 through six games.
• Following the loss to Nebraska, this year's senior class (Edey, Morton, Gillis) have been court-stormed in every road loss but one (Michigan State - 2022) over the last three seasons (2021 didn't count - CoVid attendance), coming in nine of the 10 setbacks. All of the losses have occurred with Purdue ranked inside the top 10.
• Purdue's 95 points in regulation vs. Penn State were its most against a Big Ten team since scoring 104 against Iowa on Feb. 5, 2020. The 56 first-half points were also the most since scoring 61 in that same game.
• With the win over Penn State, Purdue improved to 6-1 since the start of last year following a loss.
• In th win over Penn State, Purdue had 26 assists on its 32 made field goals and outrebounded the Nittany Lions 43-24.
• The win was Purdue's 100th in Big Ten play since the start of the 2016-17 season (100-41). Michigan State is next among Big Ten teams with 89 victories in that span.
• Over the last four games, Purdue is shooting 42-of-96 (.438) from 3-point range, making at least nine triples in all four games.
• Purdue now ranks ninth nationally in 3-point percentage (.398). Purdue has finished in the top 10 in 3-point percentage three previous times under Painter (2017, 2018, 2022).
• After holding three straight foes (Jacksonville, Eastern Kentucky and Maryland) to 57 or fewer points, Purdue has allowed its last three foes to average 81.3 points per game, while opponents are shooting 31-of-70 (.443) from long range in that span.
• Purdue has 52 turnovers over its last four games, while opponents have just 38 (-3.50 margin in that span). Opponents have scored 64 points off Purdue's turnovers in the last four games.
• Purdue currently has four players averaging at least 11.0 points per game. The last time Purdue had four players average at least 11.0 points per game was during the 2017-18 season (Carsen Edwards, Isaac Haas, Vince Edwards, Dakota Mathias). It has happened only five times previously in school history (2017-18, 1997-98, 1987-88, 1986-87, 1977-78).
• Among players that have made at least 20, 3-pointers this year, Mason Gillis' 51.1 percentage ranks eighth nationally and third among high-major players.
• Braden Smith's eight games of at least 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists are the third-most nationally and most in the Big Ten by four games. Smith has dished out at least five assists in 15 of the 17 games, including at least six assists in six straight games.
• Since the start of last year, Purdue is 13-0 when Zach Edey attempts single-digit field goal attempts. Purdue is 31-8 when he has 10 or more field goal attempts.
• Fletcher Loyer shot 32.6 percent a year ago from 3-point range. So far this year, Loyer is shooting 40.8 percent from long range.
• Purdue's two primary power forwards, Mason Gillis and Trey Kaufman-Renn, are averaging 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and shooting 30-of-60 (.500) from deep, with an assist / turnover ratio of 1.92 (46 / 24).
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