Mi State Vs Purdue: No. 13 Michigan State Travels for Thursday Night Clash at Mackey Arena
In a marquee Big Ten matchup, mi state vs purdue will meet Thursday evening in West Lafayette with tip scheduled for 8 p. m. ET. The game pairs two 22-5 teams each 12-4 in conference play and carries implications for seeding in the upcoming conference tournament.
Mi State Vs Purdue: Game Preview
GAMEDAY INFORMATION [8 / 8] lists Purdue (22-5, 12-4) hosting Michigan State (22-5, 12-4) on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 8 p. m. ET in West Lafayette, Ind., at Mackey Arena (14, 876). This meeting is the lone regular-season matchup between the two clubs and closes out Purdue’s three-game homestand and the month of February.
Purdue's Numbers and Form
- Overall: 22-5 | Big Ten: 12-4
- Home: 12-3 | Away: 7-2 | Neutral: 3-0
- Quarter splits: Q1: 8-5 | Q2: 4-0 | Q3: 7-0 | Q4: 3-0
- NCAA NET: 6 | KenPom: 7
- Off. Eff.: 2nd | Def. Eff.: 23rd
- NCAA SOS: 7 | KenPom SOS: 8
Purdue enters the game coming off a 93-64 win over Indiana and is aiming to remain in the hunt for a top-two seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. A win over Michigan State would produce a 6-1 mark for Purdue in February, matching the program’s recent best month marks.
Series History and Matchup Notes
This is the 135th meeting between the programs; Purdue holds a 77-57 advantage in the all-time series. Purdue has won nine of the last 11 meetings, a stretch that dates to the Jan. 27, 2019 result listed as a 73-63 Purdue victory in the context. Purdue has also won seven straight home games in Mackey Arena against Michigan State by a combined 89 points, with only two games decided by single digits in the run (2024, 2016).
One of the teams has been nationally ranked in 31 of the last 33 meetings (including this Thursday), with a parenthetical listing showing Purdue - 21 times: MSU - 21 times in the provided materials. Purdue is 5-2 at Mackey Arena against Michigan State when both teams are nationally ranked. Notably, Fletcher Loyer, whose brother Foster played at Michigan State from 2019-21, is 10-of-16 (. 625) for his career from 3-point range against Michigan State.
Broadcast, Logistics and Gameday Details
Television and streaming coverage is listed for the contest, with named television announcers provided in the gameday materials (Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel). Radio coverage is also listed with named radio commentators in the materials (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell). The gameday packet specifies the venue as Mackey Arena with capacity 14, 876.
News, Notes and Statistical Context
Additional notes in the gameday material emphasize Purdue’s month-by-month performance and national standing in several efficiency measures. An analytics measure places Purdue fourth-best in overall efficiency in the month of February behind Michigan, Florida and Illinois, ranking second offensively and 19th defensively for that stretch. Purdue is listed as one of eight teams with at least eight quad-1 victories (Duke - 12; Arizona - 11; Michigan - 10; Purdue - 8; Florida - 8; Kansas - 8; Illinois - 8; Vanderbilt - 8).
Purdue is 19-5 in the first three quads, identified as the fifth-most wins in those quads nationally with a comparative list (Michigan - 24; Arizona - 20; Gonzaga - 20; UConn - 20). Of Purdue’s remaining four games, three are listed as quad-1 contests (Michigan State, Ohio State, Northwestern) and the other is described as on the cusp of quad-1 (Wisconsin - 32).
The materials state Purdue continues to play one of America’s toughest schedules, owning the eighth-most difficult schedule in America. In the last three seasons the strength of schedule rankings are listed as 8th (2025-26), 8th (2024-25) and 2nd (2023-24). Purdue is shown ranking in the top 25 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (1st), offensive efficiency (2nd), assists per game (3rd), turnovers per game (10th), field goal percentage (15th), scoring margin (18th), 3-point percentage (20th), rebound margin (21st) and defensive efficiency (23rd). The packet also contains an incomplete line: 'Purdue is one of 11 teams to rank in the top 2' — unclear in the provided context.
Road Ahead
Following the Michigan State battle, the schedule material lists Purdue traveling to Ohio State on March 1 and to Northwestern on March 4. For fans and league observers, the outcomes of these games will shape final seeding heading into the conference tournament.
Access Note
A local news site’s access message in the materials emphasizes a push to take advantage of the latest web technology to make the site faster and easier to use; it also notes that some browsers are not supported and asks readers to download a supported browser for the best experience. The referenced domain name is not included here.
