Indiana vs. Purdue: Best games from the last decade of the rivalry

1. #16 Purdue 69, at Indiana 64 (February 9, 2017)

These two Indiana rivals met twice in 2017, but this Hoosiers team had already taken a step back. Caleb Swanigan and Vince Edwards had developed into great players for Purdue, while Indiana was struggling to replace Yogi Ferrell’s leadership and production. The Hoosiers had scored huge wins over #3 Kansas and #3 North Carolina, but had lost at Fort Wayne and struggled in Big Ten play. They entered this match-up at 5-6 in Big Ten play, their only win in their last four games being a triple overtime victory over Penn State. While Purdue didn’t have those big upset wins, they did have more consistent play, though they knew they faced a challenge when traveling to their rivals.

The entire game was a back and forth struggle, with the largest lead for either side just 7 points. Indiana led 36-32 at the half, but this was a truly competitive game. Every shot in the last ten minutes seemed to change the lead. However, momentum swung in Purdue’s direction in the final minute when one official called a blocking foul on Caleb Swanigan, while the other called Thomas Bryant for a charge. I

nstead of Indiana shooting free throws, both Swanigan and Bryant were fouled out of the game. Down 5 at the time, Indiana just didn’t have enough to get back the lead, falling by that same amount. Edwards had a career-high 26 points while Swanigan was a beast with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Bryant’s 23 paced the Hoosiers in a very tight game, both teams had 35 rebounds, 11 assists, and shot the ball pretty similarly.

After the tough home loss, Indiana’s struggles would continue, ending the year 7-11 in Big Ten play and leading to Tom Crean’s firing after nine seasons. On the other side, Purdue kept rolling, losing a few games to Michigan, but ending at 14-4 in the Big Ten and securing a 4-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers survived Vermont and Iowa State but were blown out by Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen. Swanigan declared for the NBA draft and became a late first round pick, leaving Purdue fans disappointed that they couldn’t advance past the Sweet Sixteen with their All-American.

These two rivals are very familiar with each other, and this year should provide exciting action between the two teams. After Saturday’s game, they’ll meet again in February at Bloomington, and these should be two competitive games. While Purdue has had the advantage in recent years, anything can happen in a bitter rivalry game.