No. 12 Purdue (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) heads to Assembly Hall on Tuesday night needing a win after back-to-back losses to UCLA and Illinois. Indiana (13-7, 4-5 Big Ten) looks to notch its first signature victory under first-year coach Darian DeVries. Who wins? Our Purdue vs. Indiana prediction has the latest projected lineups, key matchups, and a score forecast for this clash.
Purdue vs. Indiana Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
Purdue Boilermakers
- Braden Smith (15.2 PPG)
- Fletcher Loyer (12.7 PPG)
- C.J. Cox (6.0 PPG)
- Trey Kaufman-Renn (12.5 PPG)
- Oscar Cluff (11.8 PPG)
Indiana Hoosiers
- Tayton Conerway (11.2 PPG)
- Lamar Wilkerson (19.4 PPG)
- Nick Dorn (45.1% 3PT)
- Tucker DeVries (14.6 PPG)
- Sam Alexis (10 rebounds vs. Rutgers)
Braden Smith continues to be the engine in Purdue’s offense, averaging an NCAA-best 9.3 assists per game. Tayton Conerway will draw the assignment of slowing him down, but the Hoosiers haven’t had anyone capable of containing elite ball-handlers this season.
If Smith operates freely, Purdue’s offense hums.
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Lamar Wilkerson is one of the top scorers in the Big Ten, averaging 19.4 points per game. He dropped 44 on Penn State and 32 against Nebraska. Not only does he score a lot of points, but Wilkerson is also a 40.6% three-point shooter.
Purdue must account for him on every possession.
Fletcher Loyer has battled with consistency recently, averaging just six points per game in his last four contests. The senior sharpshooter breaking out of his slump against his in-state rival would swing the game decisively toward the Boilermakers. Indiana has won three of the last four meetings in Bloomington, defeating a ranked Purdue squad in each of those three contests.
Purdue vs. Indiana Prediction and Preview
Nothing like a location rivalry game for an elite team coming off consecutive losses, right? The Boilermakers’ high-end profile kept them atop our March Madness power rankings this week, but that is obviously a tenuous situation.
On paper, they are even or better than Indiana in just about everything, but one Lamar Wilkerson heater can change a lot of things.
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In terms of predicting an outcome, I side with mean projections, and that is going to favor the road team. The specific strength here is the foul line.
The Hoosiers are an elite FT% offense, and that should serve them well come tourney time, but in order for that advantage to come to light, they have to first get to the stripe, something the Purdue defense excels at limiting.
Braden Smith is as good as any guard in the country, and with Indiana typically favoring a slowed-down game, the value of every possession spikes and makes his edge that much greater. Purdue rights the ship with a nice road win.
Prediction: Purdue 77, Indiana 67
How To Watch Purdue vs. Indiana
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2025
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Bloomington, IN
- Arena: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live Stream: Peacock
