Indiana At Mackey: Hoosiers Have Had Their Moments In The 21st Century

The 21st Century started well as far as Indiana's success at Mackey Arena is concerned, but became less frequent as the years rolled on.

The Indiana Hoosiers bench celebrates after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Indiana won 79-71. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana at Mackey Arena series concludes with the 21st Century.

Indiana has generally had a frustrating time with Purdue since the turn of the century. The Hoosiers have finished ahead of the Boilermakers nine times (with a pair of ties) in the Big Ten standings, but Purdue has finished above them every year since 2016.

There have been six wins at Mackey in the 21st Century – including what was probably Indiana’s most exciting victory in all of its visits to the roundhouse in West Lafayette.

Mike Davis regularly won at Mackey

Indiana coach Mike Davis speaks with Jared Jeffries in this 2002 file shot. / Indiana University athletics

In terms of highest percentage of games won at Mackey Arena, no Indiana coach comes close to what Mike Davis did in his brief time as Indiana’s coach.

Davis had three wins in West Lafayette in six tries as a head coach. That .500 record is far better than any other Indiana coach can claim.

The first victory came in 2001, the first year Davis was in the top spot on the bench with Bob Knight having been fired in September 2000.

Indiana’s big men carried the day in a 74-58 victory. Center Kirk Haston had 22 points and 15 rebounds. Jeffrey Newton had 11 points and seven rebounds. Jared Jeffries had 15 points and eight rebounds. The Hoosiers’ defense also held the Boilermakers to just 30.2% shooting.

The 2001 season wasn’t a banner one for Purdue – Indiana’s win in the regular season finale was the Boilermakers’ sixth home loss in 2001, their worst since Mackey Arena opened.

By 2006, Davis was in his final season and the Boilermakers were at a low ebb. It was Matt Painter’s first season as head coach, and Purdue was in rebuilding mode and would finish last in the Big Ten.

Such matters don’t mean much in a rivalry game as the Hoosiers showed little mercy, especially in a second-half surge.

Indiana shot 71.4% in the second half – its best shooting half in four seasons – as the Hoosiers earned a 70-59 victory. It was the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten road victory in its penultimate Big Ten game of the 2006 season.

Marshall Strickland led Indiana with 16 points, making all of his 3-point shots. Robert Vaden added 11 points and 12 rebounds.

It was a nice way for Davis – who had already announced he was going to resign at season’s end by the time of this game – to finish off a very successful run in Purdue’s house. Davis won three times in West Lafayette, and he was 9-2 against Purdue overall.

Perhaps the most exciting game of all of those victories came the season before – a double overtime barn burner.

A classic in 2005

Neither team was playing well entering this mid-January clash. Indiana was 7-7 and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Purdue was 4-10 and 0-4 in Gene Keady’s final season in charge.

Underdog Purdue led by six at halftime and had a 10-point lead in the second half before the Hoosiers answered with a 14-0 run to take the lead. A 3-pointer by Purdue’s David Teague put the Boilermakers up three with 25.6 seconds left, but Strickland answered with a traditional three-point play just afterward and the contest went to overtime.

The first overtime finished with a weird circumstance. With nine-tenths of a second left in a tie game, Strickland was fouled. He made the first foul shot to put Indiana in front 62-61 and was then instructed to miss the second free throw. The clock would start when the ball was rebounded and Purdue would have a hard time getting a shot off. However, Strickland accidentally made his free throw to make it 63-61.

Purdue’s Andrew Ford threw a perfect full-court pass to Carl Landry, who managed to convert his shot at the rim. Indiana’s A.J. Ratliff was called for the foul, Miraculously, Purdue was going to have a chance to win it.

Landry’s shot had to survive a replay review. In a rare decision, officials determined Landry’s shot was released after the buzzer sounded, but he was fouled before the clock expired. He was given continuation and the chance to make a game-winning free throw.

Landry’s free throw was missed.

Bracey Wright and Robert Vaden made five free throws in the final 23.5 seconds, but Purdue kept coming back at them. Xavier Price and David Teague both made 3-pointers to keep the Boilermakers alive.

Purdue had one last chance to win it, but Brandon McKnight’s 3-pointer at the buzzer did not find the mark.

“What a great game,” Davis said. “I felt our guys showed great courage. We played four freshmen today. (D.J. White, James Hardy, Ratliff and Vaden.) And to be in this atmosphere with older guys is really tough, but to come in here with four freshmen and be able to win this basketball game was really big for our team.”

Sadly, while many Indiana-Purdue games are available to watch on Youtube, this game does not appear to be on the site.

Crean’s best teams get the job done

Indiana Hoosiers forward Cody Zeller (40) tries to drive past Purdue Boilermakers forward Robbie Hummel (4) during the game at Mackey Arena. / Sandra Dukes-Imagn Images

After a long rebuilding process in the wake of NCAA sanctions related to former coach Kelvin Sampson’s two-year stint as Indiana coach, the Hoosiers were starting to figure out how to win by 2012 under coach Tom Crean.

On Feb. 4, 2012, the Hoosiers made a statement in a 78-61 victory at Mackey Arena. Victor Oladipo showed he could be devastating as a scoring point guard as he had 23 points and eight rebounds.

Indiana led by just four with less than three minutes left when Purdue guard Lewis Jackson had a chance for a breakaway layup to cut the Hoosiers’ advantage to a single possession. However, Will Sheehy scurried back to block Jackson’s shot. After that, Indiana finished the game with a 13-0 run.

At the time, it was just the third road Big Ten win in four years for the Hoosiers. There would be more to come at Mackey in 2013.

Indiana’s greatest team under Crean demonstrated it in a 97-60 rout over the Boilermakers – the largest margin of victory any Indiana team has had in any Purdue venue.

Five Hoosiers reached double figures, led by Zeller’s 19 points. It was never close. Indiana led by 20 at halftime and then poured it on with 57.1% shooting in the second half.

Indiana was ranked No. 3 at the time, and after a win against No. 1 Michigan three days later, the Hoosiers vaulted themselves into the No. 1 spot.

But it would be a long wait before Indiana tasted victory in West Lafayette again.

Jalen Hood-Schifino’s shining moment

Indiana Hoosiers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) drives the ball around Purdue Boilermakers guard Brandon Newman (5) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Indiana won 79-71. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

After that 2013 victory, Indiana went through a bad drought at Mackey. Indiana went winless from 2014-22, and the closest game was an eight-point loss.

In 2023, Indiana wasn’t favored to win at Mackey, either. Though Indiana had beaten No. 1 Purdue three weeks before at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Purdue was ranked No. 5 in the country and the Hoosiers were underdogs.

However, what no one saw coming was an incandescent performance from freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Hood-Schifino had his greatest game as a Hoosier. He scored 35 points on 14 of 24 shooting and added seven rebounds as he was a force of nature in Indiana’s 79-71 victory.

On a day where the matchup most looked forward to was Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis versus Purdue’s Zach Edey, Hood-Schifino stole the show. Jackson-Davis was content to feed the red hot Indiana guard and had seven assists.

Edey scored 26, but got little help as Purdue shot 34.9% from the field.

Indiana ended its losing streak at Purdue, and Indiana coach Mike Woodson earned his first victory at Mackey Arena. He had never won there as a player.

Goes to show how tough it is to win at Purdue – and why when Indiana does pull it off, it’s something special.

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• INDIANA AT MACKEY, PART 1: The early years were tough on the Hoosiers ... until they built a super-team in the mid-1970s. CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA AT MACKEY, PART 2: The Bob Knight-Gene Keady years defined the rivalry for two decades. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: No. 10 Purdue is next for Indiana. What do the Boilermakers bring to the table? CLICK HERE.