Two in-state rivals will collide in West Lafayette going in opposite directions as Indiana tries to turn its season around against a Purdue team eyeing its third straight Big Ten Title.

Purdue has won 8 of its last 9 games and sits in second place in the Big Ten.

Indiana has lost four of its last five games and has fallen to 5-5 in the Big Ten. Worst yet, Mike Woodson's squad appears to be on the wrong side of the bubble after back to back losses to Northwestern and Maryland.


There's not much good news waiting for Indiana either. Its next six games are nightmare fuel for a team that needs wins: @Purdue, @Wisconsin, Michigan, @Michigan State, UCLA, and Purdue.


Indiana is at a likely crossroads if it misses the NCAA Tournament again. Mike Woodson's tenure has been a disappointing one, but one place where he's excelled at in comparison to recent coaches at IU is his success against Purdue. IU swept Purdue in 2023 after breaking a losing streak the season before, but Purdue beat IU by 21 and 20 points last season.

Will IU's fanbase tolerate another IU blow out to its once little brother?

There's not much that says IU will have a chance at Purdue when it comes to Friday's matchup in Mackey Arena on paper. Purdue has been superior on both ends of the floor and IU's offense and defense has both lacked in the last few weeks. Indiana's lost some heart breakers in those last five games, but it's a fundamentally flawed roster with a lack of shooting depth and turnover prone guard play.

Those are two things Purdue's defense has shown itself capable of taking advantage of in the last month.

But Matt Painter doesn't have a tough time envisioning how IU could get the best of Purdue.

“You’ve gotta look at each guard and grab their best game and then collectively what if they all had their best game at the same time," Painter said about IU's collection of guards. Mackenzie Mgbako has shot the ball better. Trey Galloway has gotten the better of Purdue before. Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle have proven they can be big-time scorers.

Both teams should be fresh on Friday night. After an exhausting trip out west and start to the year, Purdue got a full week off after playing Michigan last Friday night.

That meant three days off for Purdue players after nearly a month straight where it had travel, practice, or a game adn no days off.

"We start practicing in June. And you look at it and February is around the corner. February is Saturday," Matt Painter said about how he dealt with the week off. "So if you ain’t got it figured out now, you don’t know what you’re doing. If we get in a game and we call something and somebody doesn’t know what they’re doing, it’s like, shit, I shouldn’t be coaching. So kind of refining some things and being on the same page."

"But I think the Saturday and Sunday and getting away, that really helps more than anything. And understanding that you don’t want to underprepare but you also don’t want to overtrain."

For IU, the Hoosiers have had five days off before heading to Mackey Arena.

While it's become popular to say just another game when it comes to rivalries, Matt Painter isn't bying it. IU coming to Mackey Arena isn't just another game for someone who grew up in Indiana, played for Purdue, and now coaches there.

“I think it’s satisfaction. You want to win. You want to beat your rival. You don’t want them to have the upper hand on you," Matt Painter said of the rivalry. "For us, we want to win the Big Ten… It’s hard to play twenty games and be the best. It really is.”“

Purdue's ultimate goal of three-peating will almost definitely require Purdue to sweep IU for the season. Purdue is two losses behind the first place Michigan State Spartans.

"But we don’t look at it as just another game," Matt Painter followed up about playing IU. "People say that, ‘oh so you look at that like another game.’ No, not at all. It’s a rivalry game, man. It’s cool. Like anybody that’s been in a conference growing up and had a rival, or like whatever, it doesn’t matter. Cubs-Cardinals. Duke-North Carolina, it makes it more enjoyable. It’s probably more for the fans, right? But I am a Purdue fan, right? I just happen to coach the team.”

Where: Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana

When: Friday, January 31st, 8:00 p.m. EST

How to watch: Fox