When IU men’s basketball takes the court in Mackey Arena for its regular season finale, 1,841 days will have passed since the last time they beat Purdue.
President Barack Obama was still in office, the No. 1 song was “Pillowtalk” by Zayn and the current iPhone was the 6S — Apple has doubled the number since then. And while a lot has changed since Feb. 20, 2016, the Hoosiers’ struggles against their in-state rival have gone unchanged.
Purdue’s average margin-of-victory over the course of its seven-game win streak is 10.3 points.
Archie Miller is in his fourth season as head coach and has yet to find a way to knockoff arguably the most important team on IU’s schedule each season. Senior guard Al Durham now faces the possibility of playing his entire collegiate career without getting the opportunity to celebrate a rivalry win with his teammates.
“This is my last Big Ten regular season game, so I feel like it means more. Especially against our rival,” Durham said Thursday. “I feel like if there was any time for us to break through and come back around, this is as good an opportunity for us to, you know, make a statement and turn it around for us.”
However, the Hoosiers have their fair share of problems as they head into their final game of the regular season. IU is on a four-game losing streak and injuries to key contributors are starting to pile up, not making it any easier.
Sophomore guard Armaan Franklin injured his right ankle Feb. 24 against Rutgers and has missed the last two games. Junior forward Race Thompson injured his face during practice leading up to the Rutgers game and after being hit in the face Tuesday against Michigan State, had surgery and is unlikely to play against Purdue, Miller said.
As a result, Miller said the team has done a lot of thee-on-three and four-on-four work in practice with the limited number of available players.
“Frustrating you can’t really play five-on-five,” Miller said on his radio show Thursday. “But at the same time, those guys are going hard. They’re trying really, really hard to do what we’re asking them to do.”
The Hoosiers will have a tall task in knocking off the Boilermakers as the two teams have been trending in two different directions. No. 23 Purdue is winners of five of its last six games, most recently beating No. 25 Wisconsin 73-69 on Tuesday.
The Boilermakers are led by their forwards junior Trevion Williams and freshman Zach Edey. Williams is averaging 15.6 points, and is second in the Big Ten averaging 8.9 rebounds per game. Edey is averaging 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game but has scored in double-figures four out of his last six games, including 21 points against Wisconsin.
“In my opinion, just mine, I think they are the toughest low-post team to guard in America,” Miller said. “I don’t care who they would play against, I don’t care what team would play against Purdue, you have your hands full with their inside attack.”
Purdue has also benefited from the emergence of freshman guard Jaden Ivey. The South Bend, Indiana, native has been a surprise standout for the Boilermakers this season, averaging 9.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists per game. Ivey has scored 11 or more points in nine of his last 12 games, becoming one of the most consistent scorers for Purdue, adding another offensive threat to the team’s already deep rotation.
“Ivey has really blossomed here late,” Miller said. “He may be, to me, their go-to perimeter player at this point in the season as a freshman which is good to see. And I think the big key for Purdue is they’re very unsung. They don’t get a lot of credit.”
The Hoosiers are looking to upset the quietly soaring Boilermakers and make a final push toward reversing their NCAA Tournament fortunes. Shorthanded and desperate, IU has no choice but to put all its focus on Purdue and hope it jumpstarts a late-season run.
“One win, as crazy as it sounds, one win can really change the course of things,” Miller said. “Being able to get one at Purdue on the weekend, head to the Big Ten Tournament, you know to me is the perfect recipe.”
