Mi State Vs Purdue: Michigan State 76-74 at Mackey Arena

mi state vs purdue ended with Michigan State beating Purdue 76-74 on Feb. 26, 2026, a result that alters the late‑February pecking order as both teams move toward the Big Ten Tournament and March play. The meeting came as Purdue closed a homestand at Mackey Arena and Michigan State prepared with what has been described as a ‘different mentality’ for March.

Score, rankings, venue and tip time from the Feb. 26 meeting

The final was 76-74 in favor of No. 13 Michigan State over No. 8 Purdue in the game scheduled for 8 p. m. ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind., a venue listed with a capacity of 14, 876. Entering the night both teams carried identical records on paper: 22-5 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play.

Purdue’s run in February and immediate schedule after the game

Purdue had been closing out a three-game homestand and the month of February, coming into the matchup off a 93-64 win over Indiana and aiming to remain in the hunt for a top-two seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. After the Michigan State game, Purdue’s remaining road dates were at Ohio State on March 1 and at Northwestern on March 4.

Series history and recent trends between the programs

The game was the 135th meeting between the schools; Purdue entered the series with a 77-57 advantage. Purdue had won nine of the last 11 meetings dating to Jan. 27, 2019, a 73-63 Purdue victory, and had recorded seven straight home wins in Mackey Arena against Michigan State by a combined 89 points. Only two of those home games were decided by single digits, in 2024 and 2016. Historically, one of the teams had been nationally ranked in 31 of the last 33 meetings, with Purdue listed 21 times and Michigan State listed 21 times in those rankings. When both teams were nationally ranked at Mackey, Purdue’s mark was 5-2.

Players and personal notes highlighted for the matchup

Fletcher Loyer was noted for his history against Michigan State, having made 10 of 16 three-point attempts (. 625) for his career versus Michigan State; his brother Foster played at Michigan State from 2019-21. Michigan State’s preparation for March was described in the provided material as reflecting a ‘different mentality’ in the team’s March Madness buildup.

Purdue’s metrics, quad records and national rankings entering the game

Purdue’s statistical profile entering the matchup included overall and conference records of 22-5 and 12-4; a home mark of 12-3, an away mark of 7-2 and a neutral mark of 3-0. The quarter-by-quarter record was listed as Q1: 8-5, Q2: 4-0, Q3: 7-0 and Q4: 3-0. Purdue’s national positioning included an NCAA NET of 6, a KenPom of 7, an offensive efficiency of 2nd and a defensive efficiency of 23rd, with NCAA strength of schedule 7 and KenPom strength of schedule 8.

Additional notes listed Purdue as owning the fourth-best overall efficiency in the month of February behind Michigan, Florida and Illinois, ranking second offensively and 19th defensively. Purdue was 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) and was 19-5 in the first three quadrants, the fifth-most such wins nationally (Michigan - 24; Arizona - 20; Gonzaga - 20; UConn - 20).

Of Purdue’s remaining four games at the time, three were listed as Quad-1 contests—Michigan State, Ohio State and Northwestern—while the other, Wisconsin (listed at 32), was described as right on the cusp of being Quad-1. Purdue’s strength of schedule was noted as one of the toughest in the country, ranked 8th in 2025-26, 8th in 2024-25 and 2nd in 2023-24. Purdue also ranked 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). A line in the provided notes stating “Purdue is one of 11 teams to rank in the top 2” was incomplete and is unclear in the provided context.

Broadcast details and how the game was carried

The packaged game notes listed television commentators Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel and radio commentators Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell for the evening’s coverage. The matchup was framed as the lone meeting between the two squads that season and as a pivotal Big Ten clash for seeding and momentum heading into conference tournament play.