Better At Home, Trey Galloway Key to Indiana’s Hopes of Upsetting No. 2 Purdue

If Indiana is going to extend its 3-1 record against Purdue under Mike Woodson, it needs a signature game from Trey Galloway, who played an integral role in last year’s wins. Though his shooting numbers are down from last year, Galloway is at his best at Assembly Hall.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Trey Galloway’s senior season mirrors the larger theme of this year’s Indiana team. They play well at home but struggle on the road.

Inside the comfort of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the 6-foot-4 guard shoots 57.6% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range and averages 12.6 points. Galloway had the best game of his Indiana career in a narrow loss to Kansas, scoring 28 points on 12-for-17 shooting with plenty of his signature floaters.

Road trips have been unkind to Galloway, who shoots just 32.8% from the field and 3-for-24, or 12.5%, from 3-point range in buildings not named Assembly Hall. It’s those woeful away and neutral site games that have caused Galloway’s 3-point shooting percentage to drop all the way from 46.2% as a junior to just 26.9% as a senior.

Galloway’s fearless drives to the basket have earned him trips to the free throw line at a career-high rate, 2.6 attempts per game, but he’s not been able to cash in – home or away. In home games, Galloway has shot 17-for-34 from the charity stripe, an even 50%, and just 4-for-10, or 40%, in road and neutral site games.

An overall 47.0% field goal percentage is in line with Galloway’s career averages, but his 3-point shooting is down 19.3% and free throw shooting is down 16.7%. That’s part of the reason Indiana is 9-1 at Assembly Hall but just 3-4 everywhere else, two crucial factors to which coach Mike Woodson can’t quite figure out the solution.

“I wish I could really answer that and tell you why he's not shooting it like he did last year,” Woodson said Monday. “It's hard to explain. I think as a coach all you can do is to keep encouraging and pat him on the butt and say, ‘Hey, the next one is going to go in.’ That's all you can do and continue to work and practice.”

Indiana's Trey Galloway (32) celebrates hitting a big 3-pointer during the second half of the Indiana versus Kansas men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023

Fortunately for Indiana and Galloway, Tuesday’s game is at Assembly Hall, where history suggests both will be at or near their best. The opponent, though, No. 2 Purdue, presents arguably Indiana's biggest challenge of the season.

All eyes will be on Zach Edey, both because you can’t miss the 7-foot-4 center and because his dominance as the reigning National Player of the Year demands attention.

“He's a load,” Woodson said. “I mean, I don't even know how to explain it. He's a big guy that's very skilled and tough to deal with.”

At times, that focus on Edey, along with the insertion of sophomore forward Trey Kaufman-Renn into the starting lineup, causes opponents to commit so much to the paint that they lose track of Purdue’s perimeter talent.

Teams could get away with that last year when Purdue shot 32.2% from 3-point rage, 291st in the country. But the Boilermakers are making opponents pay this year, as they’ve shot 39.8% from beyond the arc, which ranks 9th in the country.

Purdue’s trio of starting guards, sophomores Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, plus senior Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones, are a big reason why. Jones leads the team with 5.6 attempts per game, and he shoots 32.6% from three. Loyer is next at 4.5 attempts per game, and he’s improved from 32.6% as a freshman to 40.8% as a sophomore. Similarly, Smith is up to 48.2% from 3-point range this year, compared to 37.6% as a freshman.

There’s no reprieve for opponents, with Mason Gillis (51.1%), Myles Colvin (38.5%), Cam Heide (55.0%) coming off the bench and Kaufman-Renn shooting 46.7%.

Indiana has struggled to defend the 3-point line, allowing the most attempts and makes of any Big Ten team. The Assembly Hall crowd, with students back, should provide an A-plus atmosphere, but they’ll be silenced if the Boilermakers are hot from beyond the arc.

“That's the biggest challenge,” Woodson said. “You're going to have to guard the 3-point line and still deal with Edey … That's the key to any team. You make shots in life, you look good. Life is great if you can make them.”

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Trey Galloway (32) defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Galloway will spend plenty of time Tuesday hounding Purdue’s top 3-point shooters, an individual matchup he won in last year’s games. Galloway first scored 11 points with three steals in Indiana’s home win, then 13 points to sweep the season series at Mackey. He combined to shoot 9-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

But perhaps more importantly, he played a key role in limiting Smith and Loyer. The duo combined for 4-for-13 shooting and three turnovers at Assembly Hall. They shot an even worse 6-for-23 from the field with 5 turnovers at Mackey Arena.

Galloway’s defense on Smith and Loyer in that game popularized a nickname.

"He was excellent defensively, always pressuring the ball,” Indiana senior Trayce Jackson-Davis said last February. “We call him ‘Crazy Man' for a reason. He did all the little things. He was on the floor, and he's going to give it 110 percent when he's out there and that's what we need from him."

Indiana needs another signature performance from Galloway, especially with how inconsistent sixth-year point guard Xavier Johnson has been since returning from injury. That may even mean Galloway logging more minutes at point guard like he did against Minnesota.

Edey will dominate no matter what, but pulling off the upset starts with Galloway and the Hoosiers’ perimeter defense, which has proven to be the formula to beat these Boilermakers.

Purdue coach Matt Painter is well aware of Galloway’s impact.

“I recruited him really hard and spent a lot of time recruiting him and was a big fan of his, not just as a player but as a person,” Painter said Monday. “He’s about winning. He makes a lot of winning plays. He’s very competitive. When he gets it going, like you look at the Kansas game and how he played, he was an all-conference player that game. But he can affect the game with his defense, his ability to get steals, his awareness, he knows what’s going on out there. So just a good two-way player. You’ve got to try your best to keep him from going downhill on you and not getting rhythm shots.”

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