Mi State Vs Purdue: No. 13 Michigan State Travels to No. 8 Purdue in Thursday Night Big Ten Showdown

The Mi State Vs Purdue matchup pits No. 13 Michigan State against No. 8 Purdue on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 8 p. m. ET in Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind. The game matters because both teams enter with identical records and conference marks, and the result will affect seeding narratives heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

Mi State Vs Purdue: Game Details and Broadcast

The contest is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 8 p. m. ET at Mackey Arena (capacity 14, 876) in West Lafayette, Ind. Television commentators listed for the game are Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel; radio commentators listed are Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell. A notice on a local news site indicated the browser was not supported for some readers and suggested downloading modern browsers for the best online experience.

Purdue and Michigan State Records, Rankings and Metrics

Purdue and Michigan State both enter with identical overall records of 22-5 and Big Ten records of 12-4. Purdue’s profile lists home 12-3, away 7-2, neutral 3-0, with quadrant breakdowns Q1: 8-5, Q2: 4-0, Q3: 7-0, Q4: 3-0. National metrics shown for Purdue include NCAA NET: 6, KenPom: 7, offensive efficiency ranked 2nd, defensive efficiency ranked 23rd, NCAA strength of schedule 7, and KenPom strength of schedule 8.

Purdue’s February Form and Team Rankings

Purdue is closing out a three-game homestand and completing the month of February with this meeting. The Boilermakers are coming off a 93-64 win over Indiana and are aiming to remain in the hunt for a top-two seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. A win over Michigan State would give Purdue a 6-1 mark in February, matching the program’s best month-long record since the 2016-17 team went 7-1; the 2018-19 team also went 6-1 in February.

Data from an analytics site shows Purdue owning the fourth-best overall efficiency in February behind Michigan, Florida and Illinois, ranking second offensively and 19th defensively. Purdue ranks in the top 25 nationally in several categories: 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). Purdue is one of 11 teams to rank in the top 2 unclear in the provided context

Series History and Matchup Trends

This is the 135th meeting between Purdue and Michigan State; Purdue holds a 77-57 advantage in the series. Purdue has won nine of the last 11 meetings between the programs, a run that dates to Jan. 27, 2019, a 73-63 Purdue victory. At Mackey Arena, Purdue has won seven straight home games against Michigan State by a combined 89 points; only two of those home meetings were decided by single digits (2024 and 2016). One of the teams has been nationally ranked in 31 of the last 33 meetings between the two programs, with Purdue and Michigan State each accounting for 21 of those ranked appearances. Purdue is 5-2 at Mackey Arena when both teams are nationally ranked.

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.

Remaining Schedule, Stakes and Context

After the Michigan State game, Purdue will play on the road at Ohio State on March 1 and at Northwestern on March 4. Of Purdue’s remaining four games, three are listed as quad-1 contests (Michigan State, Ohio State, Northwestern); the fourth, Wisconsin, is described as right on the cusp of being a quad-1 opponent (Wisconsin - 32). Purdue’s recent strength of schedule is noted as one of the toughest nationally, ranked eighth this season; strength of schedule placements for the last three seasons are listed as 8th (2025-26), 8th (2024-25) and 2nd (2023-24).

Quadrant Records and National Context

Purdue is one of just eight teams nationally with at least eight quad-1 victories. The listing of quad-1 totals includes Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Purdue, Florida, Kansas, Illinois and Vanderbilt. Purdue is 19-5 in the first three quads, the fifth-most wins in those quads nationally; programs with more are Michigan, Arizona, Gonzaga and UConn.

Preview focus: the Mi State Vs Purdue meeting is a high-stakes Big Ten clash between evenly matched teams with identical records, significant series history favoring Purdue, and clear seeding implications for the conference tournament. Game-day adjustments and three upcoming quad-1 tests will shape Purdue’s final regular-season profile.