IU basketball game day: Hoosiers desperately need to end Purdue losing streak

No series has magnified Indiana’s recent struggles more than their two annual matchups with Purdue.

Overall Indiana has lost eight in a row and 10 of 11 to their in-state rival, and Hoosiers’ head coach Archie Miller has yet to claim a win in the series.

Already losers of four in a row down the stretch run of this 2020-21 season, if Indiana cannot crack the code this time it is almost certainly lights out for the NCAA Tournament, and perhaps even the end of a coaching tenure.

At the very least, serious questions about the future will become unavoidable if Purdue wins yet again on Saturday afternoon.  The Hoosiers and Boilermakers will meet for the 213th time in the final game of the regular season in West Lafayette.

GAME DAY ESSENTIALS

Indiana (12-13, 7-11) at No. 23 Purdue (17-8, 12-6)

• Tip time:  Saturday, 2:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.
• Television:  ESPN (Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel)
• IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith)
• Series:  Purdue leads 123-89 (Purdue won last meeting 81-69 on Jan. 14)
• Point Spread:  Purdue is a 7 point favorite
• KenPom has No. 14 Purdue by 6 points over No. 40 Indiana

Purdue is led by Matt Painter who is 354-182 in 16 years in West Lafayette.

See also:

• Watch: IU basketball releases senior day speeches from Al Durham and Cooper Bybee
• Indiana heads to Mackey Arena for its last stand of the regular season
• Watch: Rob Phinisee Q&A prior to regular season finale at Purdue

ARCHIE MILLER ON MEETING PURDUE AGAIN

Indiana head coach Archie Miller was asked on his radio show this week what he thought was different about Purdue since the earlier meeting in Bloomington:

“I think (Jaden) Ivey has been put in a much different position offensively. Early in the year he was probably more of a role guy. I think now he’s more of a prime guy where you have to deal with Jaden Ivey right now. He’s a very good offensive player, he’s a very good driver. He’s their best offensive one-on-one player. They still have the shooting but they aren’t running as much of their true motion which they used to run. To me, it’s 75 percent of the time how much can they throw it into the big boy and you have to deal with him. If it’s one-on-one he’s tough to deal with. If he’s trapped he does a great job passing, he’s an excellent passer. Then when he’s out they bring in another curveball in with the other big guy. To be they are much more inside-oriented but like I said from the perimeter standpoint, they’re about the same. I just think Jaden Ivey has evolved into a very, very tough matchup on the perimeter for them and they use him very well.”

MATT PAINTER PREVIEWS INDIANA

Video credit – GoldandBlack.com

THREE KEYS FROM THE FIRST MEETING

Here are The Daily Hoosier’s keys from the first meeting, an 81-69 Purdue win in Bloomington:

1. Purdue starts hot from three, stays hot enough.  The Boilermakers made six of their first seven attempts from behind the three-point line to storm out to an early lead.  From there Purdue “cooled off” by making just 5 of its last 10 from behind the arc.  Three players (Jaden Ivey, Ethan Morton and Aaron Wheeler) who came into the game 26.5 percent or worse from distance knocked down at least one 3-pointer.  11 of Purdue’s 25 field goals came from long range.

2.  Hoosiers give points away at the stripe, struggle from three.  IU got plenty of opportunities at the free throw line but didn’t capitalize.  The Hoosiers made just 16-fo-29 attempts from the stripe.  Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson combined to go 12-of-23.  Things were worse from behind the arc where IU shot just 3-of-18 (16.7 percent).  The Hoosiers got just eight points combined from guards Al Durham and Rob Phinisee.  They were 1-of-5 from three.  In his first action coming off an ankle injury, Armaan Franklin was 0-of-5 from three.

3.  Can’t dig out of the hole.  In large part due to the first two keys, Indiana could never get over the hump. With the early three-point onslaught in full effect, Purdue pulled out to a 29-17 advantage with 8:06 left before the break.  Behind a strong defensive effort to close out the first half, IU cut that lead to 40-36 at halftime.  Indiana had the deficit down to one at 50-49, but the Hoosiers struggled to score down the stretch.  IU went over five minutes without a field goal as Purdue turned a 57-53 lead into a backbreaking 67-56 edge.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST MEETING

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