Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The Indiana Hoosiers (14-9; 6-6) visit Mackey Arena to take on the #2-ranked Purdue Boilermakers (21-2; 10-2) in another rivalry clash. Tip is scheduled for approximately 8:00 pm (Eastern time) with television coverage on FOX.
Projected Starting Line-ups:
Indiana - Kel'el Ware (questionable status), Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps, and Trey Galloway
Purdue - Zach Edey, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Lance Jones, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith
This is the second meeting this season for the two teams. Purdue won the earlier game in Bloomington last month, 87-66. Indiana is coming off a good win at Ohio State on Tuesday after trailing most of the game and coming back from a big second half deficit. Purdue has been off since its win at Wisconsin last Sunday. The status of Kel'el Ware will have an impact on Indiana's game plan/strategy for the game. If he is not able to go, it limits their options going against Zach Edey, and the Hoosiers will need to find more production in the front court from Reneau and Mgbako. Regardless, look for Anthony Leal to get significant minutes with Xavier Johnson's absence.
Malik Reneau leads Indiana in scoring, and Trey Galloway usually saves some of his best play to battle the Boilers. Expect them to be a significant part of the offense for the Hoosiers whether or not Ware is available. Even though Indiana has had a lot of inconsistent play this year, they can play solid defense. They are far from prolific from long-range, but they have the ability to knock down shots, especially if Purdue has some breakdowns.
I expect that Purdue will get Indiana's best shot - it's a chance for the Hoosiers to get a huge statement win and perhaps turn their season around. The Boilers absolutely have to be ready to match the effort and intensity.....on defense and on the glass particularly. They need to execute the offense with a solid game from Braden Smith making the right decisions.....if they do that and shoot like they have most of the season....the Boilers should be in good shape.
In the last game, Indiana came out inspired at the start of the second half to dig into a sizeable deficit - it showed what they are capable of, and Purdue needs to be able to counter effectively. A win for the Boilers would keep them in really good position at the top of the conference. Can they take an eighth straight game and keep things rolling?
We shall see in a couple of hours.
Boiler up, my friends...