Meet The Opponent: Purdue Comes To Indiana On Rare Losing Streak

The Boilermakers have lost three straight games heading into Sunday’s rivalry game at Indiana.

Jack Ankony | Feb 21, 2025

Purdue coach Matt Painter and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) against USC at Mackey Arena. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana surprised many by nearly pulling off an upset win over then-No. 10 Purdue on Jan. 31. The Hoosiers were 13-point underdogs, but they hung with the Boilermakers inside a raucous Mackey Arena until the final seconds of an 81-76 loss.

The in-state rivals meet again at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on CBS. Indiana has lost eight of its last 10 games, most recently falling 72-68 on Jan. 14 against UCLA in its fourth straight home loss. With five regular season games left, the Hoosiers need a strong finish in order to reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers are having another good season under coach Matt Painter, but they’ve fallen into a rare rut in recent weeks. Purdue is coming off losses to No. 20 Michigan, No.16 Wisconsin and No. 14 Michigan State, its first three-game losing streak since February 2020. That has put a third straight Big Ten title nearly out of reach with four games left, trailing first-place Michigan by three games.

Here’s a full breakdown of the Boilermakers.

Key players

F Trey Kaufman-Renn: 19.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 61.2 FG%
G Braden Smith: 16.1 ppg, 8.8 apg, 38.3 3pt FG%
G Fletcher Loyer: 13.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 45.8 3pt FG%
G C.J. Cox: 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 41.4 3pt FG%
F Caleb Furst: 5.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 58.1 FG%
G Myles Colvin: 4.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 30.3 3pt FG%
F Cam Heide: 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 31.7 3pt FG%
G Gicarri Harris: 3.7 1.6 rpg, 28.3 3pt FG%
F Raleigh Burgess: 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 52.4 FG%
C Will Berg: 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 81.3 FG%

Key departures

C Zach Edey: 25.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 62.3 FG%
G Lance Jones: 11.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 35.7 3pt FG%
F Mason Gillis: 6.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 46.8 3pt FG%

2024-25 schedule (19-8, 11-5 in Big Ten)

W, 90-73 vs. Texas A&M Corpus-Christi
W, 72-50 vs. Northern Kentucky
W, 92-84 vs. Yale
W, 87-78 vs. No. 2 Alabama
L, 76-58 at No. 15 Marquette
W, 80-45 vs. Marshall
W, 71-61 vs. NC State (neutral site)
W, 80-78 vs. No. 23 Ole Miss (neutral site)
L, 81-70 at Penn State
W, 83-78 vs. Maryland
L, 70-66 vs. No. 17 Texas A&M (neutral site)
L, 87-69 vs. No. 2 Auburn (neutral site)
W, 83-64 vs. Toledo
W, 81-61 at Minnesota
W, 79-61 vs. Northwestern
W, 68-50 at Rutgers
W, 104-68 vs. Nebraska
W, 69-58 at Washington
W, 65-58 at No. 13 Oregon
L, 73-70 vs. Ohio State
W, 91-64 vs. No. 21 Michigan
W, 81-76 vs. Indiana
W, 90-81 at Iowa
W, 90-72 vs. USC
L, 75-73 at No. 20 Michigan
L, 94-84 vs. No. 16 Wisconsin
L, 75-66 at No. 14 Michigan State

Head coach: Matt Painter

Painter is in his 20th season at Purdue with a 466-211 overall record and a 237-128 mark in Big Ten play. Purdue has won five Big Ten regular season titles, including the last two. In 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, he’s made one Final Four run, two Elite Eight appearances and seven trips to the Sweet 16. Painter has won Big Ten coach of the year five times, and he was named NABC coach of the year in 2019. Prior to Purdue, he coached Southern Illinois for one season in 2003-04. Painter, 54, played at Purdue from 1989-93.

Series history

Purdue leads the all-time series 128-92 and has won the last three matchups. Indiana coach Mike Woodson has a 3-4 record against Purdue, including two wins in Bloomington. Prior to hiring Woodson, Indiana went 0-7 against Purdue in four seasons under Archie Miller. Painter has a 22-12 record against the Hoosiers dating back to 2005-06. Indiana has a 13-9 record against Purdue in games played at Assembly Hall since 2000.

Strengths

Purdue has perhaps the best trio in the Big Ten with point guard Braden Smith, shooting guard Fletcher Loyer and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. Smith is leading the Big Ten with 8.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and he’s 10th in scoring with 16.1 points per game, making him a top candidate for Big Ten player of the year.

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

Kaufman-Renn is extremely efficient inside, ranking third in the Big Ten with a 61.2% field goal percentage among qualified players. He hit the game-winning shot against Indiana in the first matchup and has scored 22-plus points in the last six games. Loyer is 12th in the Big Ten with 55 made 3-pointers, and his 45.8% 3-point percentage is higher than the 11 players ahead of him in total makes.

Purdue ranks 10th nationally in offensive efficiency, 27th in 2-point percentage and 24th in 3-point percentage, though its 21.2 3-point attempts per game rank 245th. Only 61 teams turn the ball over less frequently than the Boilermakers at 10.6 turnovers per game. They also share the ball well, assisting 59.7% of its made field goals, good for 31st in the country. Painter has established Purdue as a perennial power in the Big Ten and nationally.

Weaknesses

Outside of Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn, Purdue has not been able to rely on its role players for consistent production on a game-by-game basis. Players like Myles Colvin and Cam Heide were expected to take steps forward in their sophomore seasons – and they’ve had several bright spots – but neither has made quite the jump Purdue needed to reach its ceiling. Freshmen C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris have had solid freshmen seasons, mixed with a fair share of off nights.

In the front court, Purdue lacks an intimidating shot blocker as Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst and Raleigh Burgess combine to average just 0.8 blocks per game. That’s where 7-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen’s season-ending injury and 7-foot-2 sophomore Will Berg’s slow development has been costly. Purdue ranks 343rd nationally in block percentage and 329th in opponent 2-point field goal percentage.

Purdue’s three-game losing streak began with a 75-73 loss at Michigan that went down to the final seconds. In a 94-84 home loss to Wisconsin, the Badgers made 20 of 22 2-point field goals in the second half and shot 12 for 30 from 3-point range all game. Purdue struggled to stop Wisconsin guard John Tonje, who scored 32 points.

The Boilermakers had their third-lowest scoring game of the season Tuesday at Michigan State, falling 75-66. Michigan State scored 19 points off Purdue’s 12 turnovers, and Smith and Kaufman-Renn were the only Boilermakers to score double digits.

Season and game outlook

The Boilermakers have fallen into a fourth-place tie in the Big Ten standings and trail Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin with just four regular season games left. Purdue was picked first in the preseason Big Ten media poll. Although that looks out of the question now, the Boilermakers are still projected to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament as they look to return to the Final Four for a second straight season. They’ve taken a step back since two-time national player of the year Zach Edey’s departure, but have still been ranked in the top 15 in 11 of 16 AP Top 25 polls this season, including each of the last five.

Indiana gave Purdue all it could handle on Jan. 31, led by Mackenzie Mgbako with 25 points. Purdue struggled to defend the pick-and-roll game between Trey Galloway and Oumar Ballo, who combined for 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Purdue still does not have a great matchup for the 6-foot-9 Mgbako, and its lack of rim protectors makes stopping the pick-and-roll with Galloway and Ballo difficult.

KenPom projects a 77-73 Purdue victory Sunday at Assembly Hall and gives the Boilermakers a 64% chance of victory. It’s the last Indiana-Purdue rivalry game for coach Mike Woodson and longtime Hoosiers Galloway and Anthony Leal, who will be looking to end the series on a high note at home.

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