First Thoughts: Indiana 83, Purdue 55
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Hoosiers earned an 83-55 win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon at Assembly Hall.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Will Sheehey had a career-high 22 points, Cody Zeller added 19 of his own, and the Hoosiers picked up a season sweep of archrival Purdue. The Boilermakers never led and shot 38 percent from the field. In the 200th meeting of a storied in-state rivalry, No. 1 Indiana left no doubt as to which program currently has the upper hand. Purdue has won 112 of the matchups, but the Hoosiers have taken the last four and seem to have sealed their third straight week atop the AP Top 25.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Indiana opened the game with Christian Watford guarding huge Boilermakers center A.J. Hammons, and Watford made a difference on both ends. More specifically, undersized power forward Rapheal Davis looked like a fish out of water trying to stay with Watford on defense, as Watford broke loose for two 3-point swishes from the top of the key and a layup in scoring the Hoosiers’ first eight points. Watford finished with 14, of which all but one came in the first half. Hammons was ineffective, sluggish and did not appear to be engaged mentally. The 7-foot, 280-pound freshman played just 21 minutes and was on the bench to start the second half.
Indiana star Victor Oladipo did not play in the second half after sustaining an ankle injury inside of a minute remaining in the first. Oladipo was said to have been capable of returning, but with the game never in doubt in the final 15 minutes, the Hoosiers staff chose to play it safe. Consequently, Oladipo finished with a season-low three points in 14 minutes. Oladipo is critical to Indiana’s national title hopes. He wasn’t critical to pounding hapless Purdue, which fell to 12-14 and continued to struggle defensively in conference play. Indiana shot 56 percent and often got easy shots in the paint. The Hoosiers are 23-3 with only five games remaining in the regular season.
KEY NUMBER: Indiana assisted on 16 of 30 made field goals, symbolic of the type of rapid, precise and consistent ball movement that coach Tom Crean desires from his charges.
TURNING POINT: Purdue coach Matt Painter called three timeouts in the first 12 minutes as the Hoosiers raced out to a 29-14 lead. Nothing worked. The deficit grew to 19. The Boilermakers found money with a 13-4 run, but Indiana hardly batted an eye and pushed the lead back to 12 at halftime. At Purdue, there’s plenty of work to be done, and this game was over almost as soon as it began.
NEXT: The Hoosiers face No. 8 Michigan State on the road Tuesday night. If the Spartans knock off Nebraska later tonight, that game will break the tie atop the Big Ten league standings.
