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Big Ten Basketball: Indiana vs. Purdue preview, prediction, TV schedule

By Michael Foy

Feb 15, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Indiana Hoosiers huddle before the game against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Indiana Hoosiers huddle before the game against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Tuesday night in the Big Ten basketball league, the Indiana Hoosiers travel to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers.

TV Schedule: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Arena: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana

Prediction: Purdue 80, Indiana 65

The Indiana Hoosiers are limping into this matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, while Matt Painter’s squad is looking better and better each game. Aside from their slip up over the weekend, Purdue is as hot as any team in the country, and each game will help them pad their resume for the NCAA Tournament.

Related Story: Takeaways from Maryland at Northwestern

To make things interesting, if Purdue beats IU on Tuesday, they will clinch a share of the Big Ten title. On top of that, these two teams don’t like each other, which is why no matter the record, we will be in for an entertaining game.

The Boilermakers are coming off of a rough loss at Michigan, following a six-game winning streak. Despite this recent loss, Purdue looks like the best team in the Big Ten and is currently projected to be a number four seed, the highest seeded Big Ten team in the NCAA Tournament.

Indiana is whatever the opposite of what Purdue is right now. The Hoosiers are coming off of a nail-biting win over Northwestern after a five-game losing streak. The Hoosiers are anything but hot right now and they are a lock for the NIT sitting at 16-13 and in 11th in the Big Ten. This is a massive fall from grace for the once 3rd ranked Hoosiers.

It could be an entertaining and close game, like the 69-64 Purdue victory in Bloomington earlier this month. Or, this game could get out of hand quickly and the Boilermakers could put the Hoosiers to sleep early.

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Purdue has something to play for, and that’s a Big Ten title and seeding in the NCAA Tournament, not to mention sweeping their arch-rival. These things along with the fact that Purdue has the front-runner for Big Ten and National Player of the Year on their team, are the reasons why they will sweep the Hoosiers this year.

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