Final Score:
Indiana: 78
Purdue: 61
The Super Bowl is the highlight of the weekend for Indiana citizens but this game comes in a close second. The two long time rivals squared off in a packed and loud Mackey Arena, which could have been the Hoosiers biggest test to date. IU has only recorded two B1G Ten road wins (both against Penn State) in Tom Crean’s tenure at Indiana and people were starting to wonder if this team was even the “real deal” or just a really good home team. The Hoosiers brought it on Saturday and were able to pull ahead late to beat Purdue by 17 and get a crucial road conference win.
Much of this game can be credited to the play of Victor Oladipo. I have highlighted Victor’s poor play in recent posts but he showed off the #4 we saw in pre-conference play in this game. He finished with a career high 23 points to go along with 8 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. That is a career night for the sophomore from Maryland. His decision making was the best I have seen out of him this season. If Purdue gave him the drive, he took it, but if help slid over, he was quick to find the open man.
Last post, I thought Remy played well enough against Michigan that he deserved more minutes. Crean even said he would look to get Abell the minutes he deserved because he liked what Remy did against the Wolverines. Coach didn’t lie. Remy recorded 19 minutes (his career high) and made they most of them. Abell had 13 points in those 19 minutes on 5-6 shooting from the field, none more important than the late three in the corner.
Another reason why this victory was impressive was that the Hoosiers got nothing offensively from Christian Watford. Watford had a couple good looks from three but never could get in rhythm. I still thought he played a good game but against stiffer competition we are going to need more from him and he knows that.
The victory was much needed not only for our road physique but especially needed to shut up the cattle herders up north. They cherished their 5-game win streak against the Hoosiers like we cherish our 5 banners. They can blame the refs all they want but in the end, the refs didn’t make you lose by 17, at home. Just wait until March 4th and the Hoosier Nation will show you how a real home crowd should be.
Looking Forward- After two straight road games, IU is back in Assembly to face the roller coaster ride that is this year’s Illinois team. They are 5-4 in conference but their only road win is against Northwestern. This will be a game the Hoosiers “should” win but the Illini do possess some quality players that can give the Hoosiers fits.
