WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With 10:57 to play in the second half, IU junior guard James Blackmon Jr. stepped up to the free throw line.
It may have seemed like a normal occurrence, but it was the first free throw attempt of the game for IU.
The Hoosiers didn’t get to the free throw line in the entire first half of play and the Boilermakers had 14 attempts before their opponent even had their first. IU ended up getting to the line 17 times by the end of the game, but that didn’t make a difference.
364 days after IU clinched its Big Ten regular season championship at Iowa, Purdue used free throws to clinch a share of its 23rd Big Ten regular season title against IU on Tuesday night by winning 86-75 at Mackey Arena.
“We didn’t shoot a free throw until the 11 minute mark in the second half, got outscored 15 to 16 points at the foul line with a plan to go inside,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “I’d say that’s always going to be a factor when you’re not getting a chance to match that.”
It was the 10th straight IU-Purdue game at Mackey Arena decided by double digits, but based on statistics alone the Hoosiers didn’t play like they lost by 11.
The amount of IU turnovers and points off turnovers from its opponent is usually a good indicator of whether the Hoosiers will win or lose. In the Hoosiers’ last loss before Tuesday, IU turned the ball over 22 times in a defeat against Iowa.
Eleven first half turnovers put IU down by eight points at the break, but just three turnovers in the second half kept them at 14 for the game compared to 10 for Purdue. IU made an assertive effort to keep points off turnovers even and both teams scored 14 off the others’ mistakes.
Neither squad had a clear edge in terms of made baskets either, as IU made two more shots than Purdue from the field and both teams sunk eight shots from beyond the arc.
The Hoosiers even had the edge in rebounding and points in the paint, but the biggest difference was free throw shooting. Purdue outscored IU by 15 at the charity stripe and was 28-of-33 compared to IU’s 13-of-17.
Crean said free throw shooting was the biggest thing that hurt the Hoosiers over the course of the entire game.
“It’s obvious when you’re scoring points in the paint that we are and yet 15 points behind at the free throw line,” Crean said. “It just hurt us.”
IU failing to get to the free throw line isn’t a recurring theme, however. Over the past 10 games, opponents have shot 274 free throws compared to just 174 for IU.
The only time IU had more attempts than its opponent over the past 10 games was in the triple overtime victory against Penn State where it got to the line three more times than the Nittany Lions.
The Hoosier big men got into foul trouble early and often, which led the Boilermakers to the free throw line.
Freshman forward De’Ron Davis fouled out with more than 12 minutes to play and sophomore center Thomas Bryant picked up his fifth foul with more than six minutes left in the game.
Purdue was sound defensively and although IU ended up shooting 17 free throws Tuesday night, all but two of them came while down double digits.
“I thought we were getting fouled,” junior guard Josh Newkirk said. “But that’s how they call it.”
