By ,
Published May 02, 2016
West Lafayette, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - The 22nd-ranked Indiana Hoosiers look to rebound from a double-digit road loss, as they pay a visit to Mackey Arena on Wednesday night for a Big Ten Conference tussle with Purdue.
Indiana had a four-game win streak snapped with Sunday's 82-70 setback at Ohio State. That win streak began with a victory over the previously 22nd-ranked Buckeyes, and it also included a 19-point decision over then 13th-ranked Maryland last Thursday. The Hoosiers have won 12-of-13 at home this season, but they are just 3-4 in road and neutral games.
Meanwhile, Purdue is feeling plenty confident after knocking off No. 25 Iowa on Saturday, 67-63. That contest kicked off a stretch that will see the Boilermakers play three of four at home. The win was the fourth in the last six outings for Purdue, which moved to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Purdue leads the all-time series with Indiana, 113-88. These teams will meet up again Feb. 19 in Bloomington.
Junior guard Yogi Ferrell (16.0 ppg) scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half against Ohio State, but Indiana was unable to overcome a six- point halftime deficit. Collin Hartman shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and joined Ferrell in double figures with 12 points. As a team, IU shot 52 percent from the floor and made 12-of-25 attempts from 3-point range (.480). However, the Buckeyes shot an even better 62.3 percent for the game, including a ridiculous 18-of-24 effort from the floor (.750) after halftime. They also committed just eight turnovers.
James Blackmon Jr. (16.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Troy Williams (13.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg), two of the Hoosiers' top scorers this season, combined for six turnovers and only 17 points in the loss. Indiana entered the week ranked 12th in the nation in scoring offense (81.4 ppg) and eighth in 3-point shooting percentage (.410).
Purdue's offense is an equal-opportunity scoring unit, with a total of six players averaging between 8.7 ppg and 10.7 ppg. A.J. Hammons is the top scorer (10.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.1 rpg), while Kendall Stephens (10.4 ppg) leads the team in 3-point shooting (.410). Despite lacking a true go-to scorer, the Boilermakers boast a +7.2 scoring margin and are +5.0 on the boards this season.
Their win against Iowa was the program's first over a ranked opponent in the last 14 tries. The Boilermakers did it, for the most part, by taking care of the basketball as they committed a season-low six turnovers. They also held the Hawkeyes to 32.8-percent shooting, which helped make up for Iowa's 46-31 rebounding advantage for the game. Raphael Davis led all scorers with 24 points, while Hammons and Basil Smotherman scored 13 apiece. Isaac Haas finished with 10 off the bench.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/big-ten-bout-features-matchup-of-hoosier-state-rivals