3 Things To Watch As Indiana Travels To Purdue

Indiana’s frontcourt could give Purdue problems, but the Hoosiers’ perimeter defense will have to be much sharper against the Boilermakers than it’s been in recent losses.
Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) looks to pass against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) looks to pass against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After two blowout wins by Purdue over Indiana last season, the in-state rivalry was expected to be more competitive in 2024-25.

Despite losing two-time national player of the year Zach Edey from last year’s national runner-up team, Purdue was still picked first in the preseason Big Ten poll. Indiana missed the NCAA Tournament last season, but offseason roster changes provided enough optimism for the Hoosiers to be picked second, with seven first-place votes.

Those predictions are looking good for one side of the rivalry. Purdue is in the mix for its fifth Big Ten regular season title since 2017 as sits in second place with a 16-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark in conference play. But Indiana has lost four of its last five games, falling to 14-7 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten and to the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The Boilermakers are set to host an 8 p.m. ET tipoff Friday against the Hoosiers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., and the game will air on FOX. Here are three things to watch.

1. Indiana’s 3-point defense

A major reason for Indiana’s last two losses was its inability to defend outside shooters. In the 79-70 loss at Northwestern, Indiana allowed 54 second-half points and a season-high 13 3-pointers on 27 attempts. Ty Berry torched the Hoosiers with seven. In their next game, the Hoosiers allowed Maryland to make 12-of-24 3-point attempts, including what turned out to be the game-winning shot by Rodney Rice. That’s become a concerning trend for Indiana, which ranks 247th nationally by allowing an average of eight 3-pointers per game.

Fletcher Loyer Purdue Basketball
Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer (2) shoots over Michigan center Vladislav Goldin (50) at Mackey Arena. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Purdue is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to 3-point attempts, but the Boilermakers ranks 19th nationally and second in the Big Ten at 38.4%. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer each rank top 10 in the Big Ten in total 3-pointers made. If Indiana continues to have defensive lapses when guarding the perimeter, Purdue has the personnel to pull away early. 

2. Adjusting to different styles of play

Painter anticipates Indiana will play a few different lineup combinations Friday. Malik Reneau’s recent return from injury gives Woodson the option to play the power forward alongside center Oumar Ballo and create an imposing frontcourt, or stagger their minutes in favor of getting more guards and shooters on the floor. Sunday against Maryland, Reneau and Ballo played 22:45 together. 

“They play a couple different ways, obviously, when they have both their bigs in versus when Luke Goode plays the four,” Painter said Thursday. “So I think that’s what jumps out more than anything, just making sure you’re prepared for how they play the game with two different lineups through the course of a game.”

Malik Reneau Indiana Basketball
Indiana forward Malik Reneau (5) shoots over Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) at Mackey Arena. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Woodson said on Monday’s radio show that the frequency with which he plays Ballo and Reneau together will be based on matchups. Purdue is similar in that respect, as 10 players have started at least two games this season. But over the last eight games, Purdue has started 6-foot-9 Trey Kaufman-Renn and 6-foot-10 Caleb Furst. 

When Reneau and Ballo are out there together, Painter said it’s important to avoid defensive rotations that lead to smaller players rebounding against Indiana’s bigs. Both are efficient interior scorers who can challenge a Purdue roster that isn’t as physically imposing inside without Zach Edey. Purdue is perhaps better suited defensively against Indiana’s smaller lineups, but overall it’s been a solid unit ranking 24th nationally in defensive efficiency. 

3. How does Rice match up against Smith?

Braden Smith has been one of the nation’s best point guards this season, averaging 15.4 points and leading the Big Ten with 8.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He picked apart Michigan’s defense in the pick-and-roll game during Friday’s 91-64 win, and he’s increased his 3-point shooting volume while experiencing a slight dip in accuracy, dropping from 43.1% to 38.8%. 

Braden Smith Purdue Basketball
Purdue guard Braden Smith (3) passes against Northwestern at Mackey Arena. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Indiana throw a variety of defenders at Smith like Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal and Kanaan Carlyle and see what’s working. But Indiana needs a strong performance from point guard Myles Rice to stay competitive. Rice is coming off a 16-point game against Maryland – one of 13 double-digit scoring efforts this season – but he’s also been inconsistent with seven games of six points or fewer. 

Rice’s speed in the open court could give Purdue issues. But on the flip side, he’ll have to take care of the ball against a Purdue defense that turned 22 Michigan turnovers into 29 points in its last game. 

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony has been a writer with “Indiana Hoosiers on SI” since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack