Purdue vs Indiana: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Purdue and Indiana meet for the second time to reignite their fierce rivalry; can the Hoosiers get revenge or will the Boilermakers win on the road?
TV schedule: Tuesday, February 19, 7:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana
Once again near the top of the Big Ten, Purdue (18-7) has been playing their best basketball in recent weeks. Their only losses in the last two months were road games at Maryland and Michigan State, but they’ve taken care of most of their games in Big Ten play. They knocked off the Hoosiers last month by 15 and avoided an upset against Penn State a few weeks later.
The Boilermakers are led by Wooden Award finalist Carsen Edwards (24.4 ppg). Edwards has been a scoring machine, topping 38 points in that win against the Nittany Lions, and added 21 more on Saturday in the Penn State rematch. The only other player in double figures is senior guard Ryan Cline (12.2 ppg). Sophomore center Matt Haarms (8.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg) is the team’s best big man and he stood out with 18 points on Saturday.
This team is led by their offense, which ranks 4th in offensive efficiency, putting them at 10th in KenPom. Their offense has stood out even while playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The Boilermakers rank in the top 30 in both forcing turnovers and rebounding, and they are pretty efficient at shooting 3-pointers as well. This very potent Big Ten team can compete with the Michigan schools to win the conference.
On the other side, Indiana (13-12) has really been struggling. After an impressive 12-2 start to the season, the Hoosiers season fell apart. A surprising upset win at #6 Michigan State two weeks ago came out of nowhere, but they haven’t been able to replicate that success. They’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games and the bottom seems to be falling out of their season.
Freshman guard Romeo Langford (17.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) is a highly touted prospect, but his freshman season isn’t going as expected for his team. Langford really struggled against Purdue last month but did lead the way with 19 points in the Hoosiers’ win over Michigan State. The other standout is senior forward Juwan Morgan (15.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg), who led the way with 14 points in Indiana’s rough road loss at Minnesota on Saturday.
Indiana’s long losing streak has seen them freefall in the ratings. They’ve fallen to 47th in KenPom, though they still rank 39th in defensive efficiency. Their challenging schedule and hot start have kept them afloat in most ratings, but this is a team playing dreadfully; this is not the 47th best team in the nation right now.
For the Hoosiers to pull off what amounts to a home upset, they need Langford to have a big game; certainly a better effort than last time against Purdue. These teams both play at a slower than average pace, so defense will be very important. If Haarms and the other Boilermakers can continue to rebound the ball and force turnovers, then the Hoosiers won’t have any more success than they’ve had in recent weeks.
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Nothing that Indiana has done has shown that they’re going to turn it around against their rivals, though anything can happen in a rivalry game. I expect Edwards to get his 20 points and for the team to control the boards on both ends. They’ll secure an important road win against a maligned Hoosiers squad.