Bloomington, IN (Sports Network) - The 200th installment in the bitter rivalry
between the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers takes place on Saturday
afternoon, as the two square off in a Big Ten Conference bout at Assembly
Hall.
Purdue, which leads the all-time series with Indiana by a 112-87 margin, comes
in a game under .500 overall on the season (12-13), and two games below the
mark in conference (5-7). The Boilermakers, who were crushed at home by the
Hoosiers back on Jan. 30 (97-60) and have lost the last three meetings between
the two teams, have just one win in their last five games of this season. The
club is coming off a 79-58 loss at Illinois on Wednesday night, dropping it to
3-5 in true road games.
Indiana is the No. 1 team in the land for the second time this season, as the
team has logged 22 wins in 25 opportunities, which includes a 10-2 mark in Big
Ten play. The Hoosiers are tied with Michigan State atop the conference
standings, and they will take on the Spartans this coming Tuesday in East
Lansing. IU is 15-1 at home this season, the one loss coming against Wisconsin
back on Jan. 15.
With a below average record, it's not surprising to see Purdue ranked in the
bottom half of the Big Ten in nearly every major statistical category. The
Boilermakers are averaging 64.9 ppg while allowing nearly the same (64.3 ppg),
and the team boasts only two double-digit scorers in Terone Johnson (13.0 ppg,
4.6 rpg) and A.J. Hammons (11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg). Two others, Ronnie Johnson (9.8
ppg, 3.8 apg) and D.J. Byrd (9.5 ppg) are close to joining the ranks, and it
was Terone Johnson who scored a game-high-tying 18 points to pace the
Boilermakers in their recent loss to Illinois. Hammons and Byrd chipped in
with 10 points apiece, but the team as a whole shot just 38.2 percent from the
field while committing 17 turnovers. A 44-34 rebounding deficit certainly
didn't help matters.
Indiana averages a Big Ten-best 82.9 ppg, which actually ranks it second in
the nation. The Hoosiers also lead the conference in field goal percentage
(.500), 3-point field goal percentage (.427), and field goal percentage
defense (.381). The team boasts four double-digit scorers, with All-America
candidate Cody Zeller leading the way with 16.5 ppg, and he adds 8.2 rpg, 32
blocks and 28 steals to his impressive stat line. Victor Oladipo (14.3 ppg,
5.9 rpg), Christian Watford (13.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Jordan Hulls (10.7 ppg,
3.2 apg) add significant punch to the starting five, while sixth-man Will
Sheehy (9.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg) in counted on to contribute on most night. Zeller
poured in 16 points, Watford had a double-double with 13 points and 11
rebounds, and Oladipo tallied 13 points and eight boards, all of which were
used to help the Hoosiers whip the Nebraska Cornhuskers earlier this week by
29 points. The Huskers were held to 36.2 percent field goal efficiency, and
Indiana hit 8-of-16 3-point attempts, easily won the rebounding battle
(36-24), and forced 15 turnovers.
The Sports Network