Just minutes before tipoff of Indiana men’s basketball’s contest with Purdue, “Whose house? Our house!” chants followed by “Beat ‘em up, Beat ‘em up, Beat ‘em up” filled a packed Mackey Arena.
And those chants foreshadowed exactly the night the Cream and Crimson would have.
The Boilermakers dominated the Hoosiers on both ends of the floor. It was evident that Indiana was in Purdue’s house in its 93-64 beatdown loss Friday night in West Lafayette.
“It's tough to come in here and win,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “You gotta play well. And I thought we didn't do our part tonight and certainly Purdue was on point tonight.”
From the jump, Indiana had to play from behind. The Boilermakers got out to an early 6-0 lead and never looked back. Besides the opening minute of the game, the Hoosiers never tied or led for the entirety of the contest.
Defensively, Purdue set the tone early. On the Hoosiers' first possession, the Purdue defense forced fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson into a turnover as he desperately looked to get a shot before the shot clock expired.
Then, just a few possessions later, redshirt senior guard Conor Enright had to throw up a midrange jumper that bricked off the glass as the shot clock dwindled.
Purdue continued to disrupt what the Hoosiers could do offensively for the remainder of the night and made them pay for it on the other end of the floor.
“I thought they did everything they needed to do to put us in some tough spots tonight and took advantage of it, especially on the offensive end,” DeVries said. “We just could never get them under control.”
Unlike Indiana, Purdue got the shots it wanted. And when it didn’t, the Boilermakers were able to knock down their contested shots anyways.
Purdue finished the night shooting 65% from the field and 56% from beyond the arc. Purdue senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn was a force inside, tallying 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field with six rebounds and five assists.
If the Hoosiers chose to double team Kaufman-Renn, he would find the open shooter. If the Hoosiers didn’t swarm Kaufman-Renn, he’d find a way to get to the bucket. No matter what the Hoosiers threw at Purdue, the Boilermakers were unfazed.
“It seemed like they had an answer for whatever we did,” DeVries said. “So, we doubled some, we didn't double some. We came with different guys, and they seemed to have a solution for a lot of it.”
Purdue dominated the game and controlled nearly every statistical category. The Boilermakers shot a higher field percentage from the field and beyond the arc than the Hoosiers. They committed four fewer turnovers than the Hoosiers.
Purdue owned the rebounding battle 30-15, including six offensive boards, compared to Indiana’s one. Purdue tallied 11 more assists than the Hoosiers, notched six more steals, poured in six more paint points and got to the charity stripe more often.
“Nights like these are hard,” DeVries said. “I mean, obviously, everybody knows how good Purdue is. And when they're playing at a level like this, it makes it incredibly challenging.”
Indiana wasn’t playing at its best, and the Boilermakers were.
Purdue showed why it’s the No. 7 team in the country. When the Boilermakers are at their best, it’s a test for anyone who plays them. While the Hoosiers were able to defeat the Boilermakers in the first matchup this season, this game looked like two different teams competing.
Now, all the Hoosiers can do is put the loss behind them. The Cream and Crimson are at a crucial stretch of the season, fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Indiana was unable to come up with any answers for Purdue. The Hoosiers must go back to the drawing board and make sure they have the solution for a bounce-back win against their next opponent — Northwestern.
Indiana will have a few days to prepare before facing the Wildcats at 7 p.m. Tuesday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
