Two Big Ten basketball teams in the top half of the bracket go head to head Saturday afternoon as the Purdue Boilermakers host the No. 25 Indiana Hoosiers in an in-state clash.
Two Big Ten teams with big-name players go head to head on Saturday in the Mackey Arena, and the two in-state rivals, Indiana and Purdue, share some large similarities. The two teams whose respective schools sit just 115 miles apart have both faded in and out of the Top 25, are led by Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford and should fancy themselves able to make a decent run when the Big Ten Tournament comes calling.
Purdue’s Edwards has lit up the Big Ten and the nation as a whole this year, in a season where many thought he had a really good shot at National Player of the Year. So far, he’s leading the Boilermakers with 24.9 points per game, and scoring twice as much as the next leading Purdue Player, Ryan Cline. Edwards is adding three rebounds and three assists per game, as well.
On the other end of the match-up, Indiana’s Langford has starred for the Hoosiers in his freshman season, and the No. 25 Hoosiers have reaped the benefits. Langford was recently named the Big Ten freshman-of-the-week for the third time this season, and much of the Hoosiers game-plan revolves around the young starlet. Langford is tallying an equally impressive stat-line, especially considering he’s a true freshman and is putting up 18.8 points per game to pair with 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
The two teams are separated by just one loss overall, with Indiana sitting at 12-5 (3-3 B1G) on the season as opposed to Purdue’s 11-6 (4-2 B1G) and are hopefuls for a low seed come the Big Ten tournament.
Purdue comes into this game on a two-game win streak, with wins over Wisconsin and Rutgers. The Hoosiers are on the opposite track and will be looking to get their footing after dropping three-straight games to No. 2 Michigan, No. 19 Maryland and Nebraska.
A win for Indiana could stop their slide, and keep them close to the Top 25 ranking they’re holding, and a win for Purdue would do a lot to boost their resume and keep their March Madness hopes alive.
For the casual fan, it will be a fascinating show to watch Edwards and Langford go to work on the same court. For the more involved fan, it will be interesting to see how the Hoosiers go about matching up with Edwards, and vice versa, Purdue with Langford.
Purdue does a lot of things that have caused Indiana to struggle lately, such as fierce rebounding and cutting down on turnovers. Langford will have a heavy load to carry, and the No. 25 Hoosiers will have to be at their best to take down the Boilermakers and stop their skid.
How to watch Purdue vs. Indiana
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Arena: Crisler Center
TV Info: Fox
Live Stream: fuboTV