Omer Mayer: How rivalry vs Indiana factors into Purdue basketball core's legacy
omer mayer — Purdue can make two statements Friday, and only one has anything to do with Indiana: avenge the loss at Assembly Hall or show the home defeat to Michigan did not end the team's pursuit of greater goals.
Omer Mayer: Seniors defend home court in 223rd meeting
The Boilermakers' senior trio — Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn — will defend their home court against Indiana in the 223rd meeting of the rivalry on Friday, a matchup that could be the final rivalry game for those in-state seniors unless a later Big Ten tournament meeting changes the draw. That group has lost four of seven games to the Hoosiers this stretch, and Friday's result could influence NCAA tournament seeding as coach Matt Painter pursues a stronger finish.
Avenge Assembly Hall loss and respond after Michigan defeat
Purdue enters Friday still smarting from a loss at Assembly Hall last month and a home loss to Michigan on Tuesday that ended the team's Big Ten championship hopes. Painter challenged his players to improve across the final five regular-season games, saying, "Let’s have these five games and let’s try to get better in each one of these games to give us the best seed that we can get into the Big Ten tournament. "
Guard Braden Smith, a Westfield native, said rivalry results don’t define his legacy, but he underscored the desire to win every game. "It doesn’t factor in at all, " Smith said when asked whether the two games per season versus Indiana, or the accumulation over four years, define a player's tenure. He added, "I don’t think we had a good four-year stretch vs. IU at all. I don’t. Give credit to them. They’ve played good basketball and they beat us. " The Jan. 27 performance in Bloomington remains a concrete blemish the team seeks to correct.
What the rivalry result means for Purdue’s remaining run
Painter, who went 3-5 as a Purdue player against Indiana with those losses coming to top-five teams, warned against overvaluing rivalry results when judging legacies but acknowledged the rivalry matters to players, coaches and fans. He framed the remaining schedule as a path to improve seedings for the Big Ten tournament and, ultimately, prepare for the NCAA tournament. Smith pushed back on the rivalry as a legacy-defining metric while still seeking victories in the final stretch.
The immediate certainty is Friday's meeting with Indiana at Purdue's home court and a five-game push Painter singled out as the way to chase the best possible seed into the Big Ten tournament. Beyond that, the team will aim to translate any rebound against the Hoosiers into momentum for the conference tournament and the NCAA selection process.
omer mayer
