Purdue Basketball Advances Past Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal

purdue basketball used its size, depth and rebounding advantage to control a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal Thursday night, beating Northwestern 81-68 and ending the Wildcats’ season after their third game in three days.

Purdue Basketball Sets Early Tone and Builds Halftime Cushion

Northwestern entered the matchup with little margin for error, and that narrow path shrank quickly against a bigger, deeper opponent. Purdue established control early with what Northwestern coach Chris Collins described as an initial “pop, ” building a 24-point halftime lead as the Wildcats looked worn down from the start.

“Really their pop early knocked us back, ” Collins said. “I thought we were kind of a step slow to everything early. Their older guys really set the tone. We dug ourselves a big hole there in the first half. ”

Size and Rebounding Swing Possessions

The game’s defining gap showed up on the glass. Purdue outrebounded Northwestern 35-23 and collected 16 offensive rebounds, creating extra chances and extending possessions. Those additional opportunities translated into eight more field-goal attempts and several possessions that ended at the free-throw line, a tough tax on a Northwestern team already running on fumes.

Northwestern’s personnel limitations compounded the matchup problem. Arrinten Page was out due to illness, and Tre Singleton was limited after injuring his wrist the night before. Collins said Page was not cleared medically to play, and he pointed to the absence as a key factor in Northwestern’s inability to withstand Purdue’s physicality and size.

“Yeah, he just wasn’t able to go unfortunately, ” Collins said of Page. “He wasn’t cleared medically to play in the game. It hurt us. ”

Collins added that the impact went beyond post play, stressing how Purdue’s strength affected rebounding and second-chance opportunities—especially with Northwestern on its third game in three days. He also noted Singleton’s limitation, saying the guard “couldn’t even shoot” and was battling with one hand.

Northwestern’s Second-Half Push Cuts Margin, Not Outcome

After the 24-point deficit at the break, Northwestern responded with more energy and trimmed the final margin to 13. The Wildcats scored 47 points in the second half, showing more life than the first-half scoreline suggested, even if the comeback never fully materialized into a serious threat to flip the game.

Collins said his message at halftime centered on continuing to compete.

“I challenged our guys, we were down big, I said, guys, we’re not going to tap out, ” Collins said. “We’re not throwing the white towel. That’s not who we are as a program. That’s not how you guys are as individuals, as competitors. ”

For purdue basketball, the win came with a clear blueprint: impose size, win the rebounding battle, and pressure an undermanned opponent into playing from behind. For Northwestern, the loss closed a season in which the Wildcats fought through a grueling schedule stretch and ran into a physical mismatch at an unforgiving time.