Mi State Vs Purdue: February momentum, efficiency rankings and what the Big Ten race looks like after this matchup

Why this matchup matters now: The mi state vs purdue meeting pairs two 22-5 (12-4) Big Ten teams at a moment when February performance is shaping seeding and résumé. Purdue’s elite efficiency in the month and a string of quad-1 opportunities make this game more than a single result; it’s a measurable shift in league momentum with clear consequences for the final regular-season stretch.

Mi State Vs Purdue — rankings, efficiency and the shifting performance picture

Purdue enters the game ranked No. 8 while Michigan State comes in at No. 13, and Purdue’s February numbers are a central storyline: the team owns the fourth-best overall efficiency for the month behind Michigan, Florida and Illinois, ranking second offensively and 19th defensively. Across national metrics, Purdue sits near the top in a broad set of 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 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 the Boilermakers are 19-5 in the first three quads — the fifth-most such wins nationally (Michigan - 24; Arizona - 20; Gonzaga - 20; UConn - 20).

Game details and immediate logistics

The matchup is scheduled for Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 8 p. m. ET in Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind., which lists capacity at 14, 876. Television coverage is set for NBCSN and Peacock with Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel on the call; radio coverage is listed with Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell on the Purdue Global Radio Network. Both teams enter at 22-5 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play. Purdue is closing out a three-game homestand and the month of February, coming off a 93-64 win over Indiana and aiming to keep pace in the hunt for a top-two seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. After this game Purdue’s scheduled road tests are Ohio State on March 1 and Northwestern on March 4. Of Purdue’s remaining four games, three are listed as quad-1 contests (Michigan State, Ohio State, Northwestern) and the other (Wisconsin) is noted as right on the cusp of quad-1 (Wisconsin - 32). Schedule strength figures show Purdue with strong placement: NCAA NET 6, KenPom 7, NCAA SOS 7 and KenPom SOS 8.

Series history and matchup edges

These teams are meeting for the 135th time, with Purdue holding a 77-57 edge in the series. Purdue has won nine of the last 11 meetings, a stretch traced to a Jan. 27, 2019, 73-63 Purdue victory. At Mackey Arena, Purdue has posted seven straight home wins over Michigan State by a combined 89 points; only two of those meetings were decided by single digits (2024, 2016). One of the teams has been nationally ranked in 31 of the last 33 meetings (including this one), with each program listed 21 times in that span. When both squads are ranked, Purdue is 5-2 at Mackey. On the personnel side noted: 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.

Numbers and narrative: what a Purdue win would change

A victory here would put Purdue at 6-1 for February, tying the program’s recent best monthly marks (the 2018-19 squad also went 6-1) and sitting short of a 2016-17 high of 7-1. The team’s month-to-month efficiency spike is a concrete signal of momentum in a crowded conference race. The season-long scheduling context is notable: Purdue’s strength of schedule ranks eighth this season and eighth last season, after ranking second the season before that. The roster and team statistical footprint place Purdue among national leaders in several categories, and one truncated line of internal notes states that "Purdue is one of 11 teams to rank in the top 2" (context unclear beyond that phrase in the provided notes).

• Key takeaways: Purdue’s February efficiency and quad-1 accumulation have turned this game into a résumé-building chance.
• Roster note: Fletcher Loyer’s 3-point accuracy against Michigan State is a recurring matchup factor.
• Scheduling signal: three remaining quad-1 opportunities give Purdue a path to further polish its profile.
• Logistics: tip is 8 p. m. ET at Mackey Arena; national viewers can find coverage on NBCSN and Peacock.

Here’s the part that matters for fans and tournament seeding — the result won’t merely alter a win-loss tally; it shifts how the committee-style metrics and quad breakdowns will treat both teams for the final stretch. The real question now is whether Purdue’s February offensive form holds in a high-pressure road atmosphere at home against a ranked opponent.

What's easy to miss is how compact the sample is: both teams share identical overall and conference records in the provided notes, so small swings in efficiency and quad results will carry outsized weight down the stretch. A page in the assembled material also included a note that a website displayed a "browser not supported" message and suggested updating to a modern browser for the best experience, an unrelated technical detail present in the gathered content.