As a young kid, I remember the years when Purdue and Indiana were almost always at the top of the Big Ten standings. Those were the times that the legendary Bob Knight and the scowling Gene Keady prowled the sidelines. Those were the days when Calbert Chaney, Alan Henderson, Brian Evans, and the school boy superstar Damon Bailey wore the proud cream and crimson. They faced off against the likes of Glenn Robinson, Cuonzo Martin, Brad Miller, Chad Austin, and Brian Cardinal in the old gold and black. Most years in the early to mid nineties, the IU – Purdue basketball games were a heated rivalry between two good teams. They played not only for bragging rights in the basketball crazed Hoosier state, but also usually for a Big Ten title. At that time, the rivalry was closer in recognition and importance to North Carolina and Duke.
Oh how times have changed. Purdue fell into a horrible slump of losing since their 2000 elite eight appearance under Gene Keady. IU, meanwhile continued to be respectable (even making the 2002 title game vs. Maryland), but were never quite the same after the legend Bob Knight was fired. The upper echelon of the Big Ten was filled by teams such as Illinois, Michigan State, and Ohio State. While the rivalry remained important to Purdue and Indiana, the national significance faded. This was mainly due to Purdue stumbling and Knight’s departure.
This year has been a return to that feeling I had as a young fan. Coach Matt Painter took over in a succession plan for Gene Keady and led the Boilermakers back to the NCAA tournament last year with seniors Carl Landry and David Teague. He then pulled off a stunning coup by landing the Big Ten’s best recruiting class and one of the best ones nationally with the Fresh Four (JuJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and Scott Martin). All four players hailed from the state of Indiana and were widely regarded as four of the nation’s top 75 high school basketball players for their class.
The fresh four’s impact has been immediately felt. After Purdue struggled early in the preseason with losses to Iowa State and Wofford, they have come on strong in Big Ten play. They have shocked everyone by going on an eleven game winning streak and posting a league leading 12-1 record with their lone loss coming at Michigan State by three points. Counting key wins over ranked Michigan State and twice over Wisconsin, Purdue has seen awesome contributions from many players in their balanced attack. Freshman Robbie Hummel has shown himself to be a versatile jack of all trades while E’Twaun Moore has emerged as a smooth scoring threat. Sophomores Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer have also stepped up. Kramer remains the young leader of the team playing smart basketball, strong defense, and exhibiting incredible toughness. Grant is quite possibly the Big Ten’s most improved player showcasing a three ball this year that has proven to be deadly. Overall, Purdue has been one of the most physical teams and they play great, suffocating team defense. People expected them to compete for the conference crown a year or two down the line, not right now. But the baby boilers have arrived earlier than expected, and they are wise beyond their years.
Indiana meanwhile has had a great season themselves. They enter the game 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the conference. They have been led by the Big Ten’s most potent one two punch, D.J. White and Eric Gordon. White is the senior stalwart and resident inside enforcer for the Hoosiers. He’s had a great year averaging around 17 points a game and is considered by many to be the front runner for Big Ten Player of the Year. Gordon is another in a long line of Indiana high school greats. The freshman phenom leads the Big Ten in scoring this year and can just hurt you in so many ways. His talent level is so great that he is certainly a one and done player to the NBA.
IU has faltered some this year. They lost at home to a surging and now ranked UConn team. They have lost twice to Wisconsin. However, they have shown they are still a good and dangerous team. They most recently routed a ranked Michigan State at home, mostly without the services of D.J. White due to a knee injury.
This game means so much. It is the only scheduled meeting between two bitter instate rivals. It is probably the most influential game of the conference championship chase. The winner will not only earn state bragging rights, but most likely Big Ten supremacy. The feeling of old has returned, and the stage is set.
Go Purdue!
