No. 16 Purdue beats IN to clinch share of Big Ten crown

The Hoosiers had a chance to play spoiler on Tuesday in a hostile building.

Newkirk spoke not long after the Hoosiers had to exit the Mackey Arena floor Tuesday through a hail of confetti, Purdue completing its rivalry series season sweep with an 86-75 win, and clinching a share of the Big Ten title.

IN with far less to lose out on.

With fading tournament hopes on the line, IN found itself IN a remarkably familiar situation tonight. Thanks to their victory over IN, those teams are now eliminated from league championship contention, leaving the Boilermakers just win or Wisconsin loss away from clinching the title outright. Purdue won that first matchup at Assembly Hall, 69-64. But that makes back-to-back games where the junior Texan has seen meaningful action.

Purdue basketball players Dakota Mathias, Vince Edwards and Caleb Swanigan, comment on their win over rival IU at Mackey Arena. Tuesday only confirmed that the Hoosiers deserve little more than to be spectators, passengers on someone else’s championship ride. The Hoosiers passed on an opportunity three years ago to play in that third-rate tournament, but making the NIT is no given, as in figures to need another victory to feel safe about a spot in that 32-team field. How will the Hoosiers respond? In Big Ten road games this winter, the Hoosiers are now minus-94 there. In four days Purdue ends its season at Northwestern, and a victory might be necessary to earn the outright Big Ten title, depending on what No. 21 Wisconsin does against Iowa on Thursday. The Boilermakers were 6-3 in the conference and Wisconsin was in the driver’s seat. A loss to the Hoosiers could put all of that in jeopardy. Considering it was a road Big Ten game, it was probably the most comfortable minutes of his entire IN career. What only is starting to get mentioned is how important Dakota Mathias is to Purdue.

Swanigan is averaging 18.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Where Purdue was then, in 2013-14, losing the final seven games of the season, limping to a 15-17 overall finish, only a 5-13 mark in the league.

James Blackmon Jr. (G): 16.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 46.2 FG%. The Cornhuskers are 2-4 in their last six games.

De’Ron Davis (F): 6.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 51.8 FG%. “And Thomas Bryant has a lot of versatility”.

Juwan Morgan (F): 7.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 54.1 FG%. Maryland cannot get a double-bye if they lose both games; MSU can (though they need lots of help, obviously).

Michigan State freshman Miles Bridges, an extraordinary talent who might have been even better this season with a more experienced supporting cast, leads a guard-heavy second team that also includes Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh, Michigan’s Derrick Walton, Nebraska’s Tai Webster and Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, who was the preseason Big Ten player of the year.

The 2017 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at Verizon Center in Washington D.C. for the first time from March 8-12.

This is barring an improbable run in the Big Ten Conference Tournament (which would likely require winning the tourney).

Purdue has won seven of eight and has clinched the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament. IN fell into 13th place in the league, a season that once looked so promising slumping ever closer to a disappointing finish. They wanted to be coached … most of the team. What Collins and Turgeon have done would be enough to win this award in many years, but the Golden Gophers’ Richard Pitino would get my vote. IN sealed their fate for the Tournament with a loss at Iowa in the final two minutes last week. What can I do for our team and our players to get ready for that next game?’ Once it’s over, there’s only one team that wins.