Even though Friday night’s game against Purdue at Mackey Arena wasn’t a must-win game for Indiana’s NCAA Tournament chances, getting blown out to the point of not being competitive in the second half is never good. Especially against Purdue.
After getting upset in Assembly Hall in late January, Matt Painter had his team ready for this game. The Boilermakers effectively shut down Lamar Wilkerson for most of the game, limiting him to just two points on 1-3 FGs in the first half.
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Purdue was also ready for Nick Dorn, closing in on him on the perimeter and refusing to be caught off guard by his shooting for the second time this season. Dorn has struggled since his mid-season stretch, but tonight was a particularly tough game for him, as he was held scoreless for the first 30 minutes of the game.
On the other side of the field, Braden Smith looked like the Braden Smith who will be in the running for many end-of-season and All-Conference awards, likely All-America honors. Indiana has been able to keep him in check at Assembly Hall throughout his career, but that wasn’t the case in Mackey tonight.
Smith missed his first jumper of the game, but made an open 3-pointer on Purdue’s second possession following a Wilkerson turnover. Mackey erupted and the fans didn’t seem to sit down until the final whistle.
Purdue opened the lead up to 30 points down the stretch, allowing Painter to empty the bench in a convincing revenge victory for the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers have a few days off before hosting Northwestern on Tuesday night, a game Indiana really can’t afford to lose if it wants to stay on the right side of the bubble.
