The in-state rivalry between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Purdue Boilermakers is one of the most iconic in college hoops. Last night, Indiana (14-7) hosted No. 12 Purdue (17-4) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Prior to the game, the Hoosiers football team was honored on the court as they brought the National Championship trophy to the center of the floor, which sparked a loud roar from the sold out crowd. Head football coach, Curt Cignetti was given a microphone and delivered a thankful message to the Hoosier fanbase for a great season, followed by an uplifting, "Let's have fun tonight! Go IU!". By this point, the jam-packed arena was electrified and fans were eager to see the Hoosiers feast on their next victims, only this time in basketball.
Coach Cignetti would end up sitting courtside with his family as the historic rivalry tipped off. Purdue came into this game losers of two straight after close battles with UCLA and Illinois. Meanwhile the Hoosiers were coming off of a dominant road victory against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. With the arena already rocking, and Coach Cignetti sitting front row, there was a unique ray of energy in the building which gave last night's vibe a feeling like no other.
The game started out close with it being a one-point Hoosier lead with just under six minutes to go in the first half. Indiana was then able to get into an exciting rhythm that started with a Tucker DeVries three-pointer, which led to a 16-6 run favoring the Hoosiers to close out the first half. Indiana picked up right where they left off when the second half begun with Conor Enright converting on a deep ball for the half's first points.
Indiana was able to get significant help from junior transfer Nick Dorn who connected on back-to-back long balls en route to scoring 10 second-half points. Later on in the period, the Boilermakers found themselves able to chip into the Indiana lead and suddenly a Braden Smith layup made it just a 65-63 Indiana lead with 1:28 to go.
With a score desperately needed for the Hoosiers, Conor Enright decided to put the team on his back when he drilled a three-pointer thanks to a Tucker DeVries assist to make it a two score game. The Boilermakers did not surrender there, just a few possessions later after another two points each way, Purdue freshman guard Jack Benter registered a layup to make it a one-score game again with just ten seconds remaining this time.
With Coach Cignetti in attendance, as well as many of the newest football champions, Indiana's basketball team knew they could not afford to disappoint, having already come this far. Fortunately for the Hoosiers, their leading scorer this season, Lamar Wilkerson iced the game with two late clutch free throws as Indiana held on for a huge 72-67 upset victory. Indiana's victory felt like a reflection of the winning mentality engraved by the Hoosiers football team, as one program is now feeding off their energy to another.