Indiana is in the midst of a three-game losing streak heading into a road battle at Purdue. Can the Hoosiers stop the slide and get a much needed win?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 19, 2:00 pm ET. FOX
Arena: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana
After a seven-game win streak that propelled them as high as No. 21 in the country, Indiana Basketball 12-5 (3-3) has lost the team’s last three Big Ten contests. The first two were on the road against two of the top teams in Maryland and Michigan but the last game was a surprising home blowout loss to Nebraska by 15.
The Hoosiers scored just 51 total points against the Cornhuskers, with Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan combining for 35 of them. Along with overall team health, Indiana has struggled to find a consistent third scorer in conference play.
It forces both Morgan and Langford to have great nights just to give them a chance at winning games. And they’ll have to do so against another Big Ten program looking for a win.
Purdue 11-6 (4-2) has won four out of their last five games after going through a stretch of five losses in seven games. It has been the offense that’s led the way for the Boilermakers, averaging around 85 ppg in the last five wins.
Carsen Edwards has continued playing at an All-American level, averaging 24.9 ppg on the season. He led the team with 19 in their last game against Rutgers as well. Purdue had three other players in double figures, including starter Ryan Cline and Trevion Williams and Sasha Stefanovic off the bench. Edwards will always bring it on most nights but balance is the key to the Boilermakers being a top-half Big Ten team.
These two teams played just once last season, with the No. 3 Boilermakers beating Indiana 74-67. Morgan’s 24 points weren’t enough for the win, while Edwards had just 10 points for Purdue. This time around, the guard matchup between him and Langford will be a great reason to watch this game on Saturday.
The brutal stretch of games continues for Indiana, with Purdue being the first of four out of five games on the road, with a home bout versus No. 2 Michigan sandwiched in between. This is a big game for both teams but more importantly for Purdue, looking to get right back in the NCAA Tournament conversation. They’re the hotter team and will be at home, so I’ll the Boilermakers the slight edge in this game.