Purdue Basketball: Why Boilermakers have been better than Indiana since 2000
By Matt Moore
What the research shows
According to my research, since the turn of the century, the Purdue Boilermakers are the best men’s basketball program in the state of Indiana, hands down. I can show this fact by the numbers.
Since the 2000-2001 season, Purdue has a total overall record of 428-263. That gives them a .619 win percentage. Conversely, Indiana comes in with a mark, over that same time period, of 394-291. That is a .575 win percentage. That is a clear win for Purdue. It is really not even that close.
What about their Big Ten records this century? Purdue sits at 211-158, which is a .572 win percentage in league games. Indiana comes in at just 183-186. Yes, you saw that right Indiana fans–the brave few still reading this article. It is not a misprint. The Hoosiers have a losing record in Big Ten play this century, at .496 percent. The advantage here once again clearly goes to Purdue.
When it comes to Big Ten regular-season championships, it is a wash. Both programs have won three. Indiana won at least a share of the crown in 2002, 2013, and 2016. Purdue won at least a share in 2010, 2017, and 2019. The Boilermakers get the nod here too though because they also claimed a Big Ten tournament championship in 2009. Indiana, on the other hand, has yet to win one. Thanks, Luke Recker.
The hits just keep on coming too. How about NCAA Tournament bids this century? Indiana 11, Purdue 14. What about their round of 32 appearances? Indiana 7, Purdue 11. Surely Indiana has the advantage on Sweet Sixteen’s, right? Nope. Indiana has only made four, while Purdue has garnered six appearances. Even Elite 8 appearances favor the Boilermakers: Indiana 1, Purdue 2.
The one place Indiana has beaten Purdue is Final Fours. Indiana’s magical run in 2002 took them to a Final Four, and an appearance in a national championship game. Banner six wasn’t claimed that night, but the Hoosiers got close. Closer than Purdue has gotten in this century. This is literally the only category that goes to the Hoosiers.
As I was tabulating all of this information, I must admit, I was pretty shocked at how clearly Purdue has taken the lead as the most successful basketball program in the state of Indiana, and that is to say nothing of their current 9-game win streak over Indiana. A win streak that, in all likelihood, cost Archie Miller his job.