3 quick takeaways from No. 21 Indiana's upset of No. 1 Purdue
No. 21 Indiana survived No. 1 Purdue’s second-half comeback for a 79-74 thrilling rivalry upset at Assembly Hall. It is Indiana’s first win over a No. 1 team since Feb. 2, 2013, against Michigan.
Here are 3 quick takeaways from the big win for Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers:
1. Tale of 2 halves
Indiana got off to a hot start in Saturday’s upset bid. The Hoosiers established a 16-point lead, going up 46-30 with 2:18 left in the half. It would be 50-35 at the half. IU’s 50-point first half was remarkable considering Purdue entered the game having not given up more than 70 points all season.
As expected, the Boilermakers rallied in the 2nd half. The defense tightened up and knocked the Hoosiers off their 100-point pace.
The 2nd half belonged to Purdue 39-29, but it wasn’t enough for Matt Painter’s squad.
2. Big men show up big time
The Zach Edey vs. Trayce Jackson-Davis showdown lived up to the hype.
Edey was the game’s top scorer with 33 points on 15-of-19 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 at the line for Purdue. Edey, who made it a double-double with 18 rebounds, led the Boilermakers’ strong start to the 2nd half, helping cut the 15-point deficit to single digits in the early going.
Jackson-Davis, meanwhile, led the Hoosiers with 25 points on 9-of-19 field-goal shooting while going 7-of-9 at the line. Jackson-Davis came up short of the double-double but was Indiana’s top rebounder with 7 boards of his own.
3. Turnovers and free throws
Upsets start with turnovers. Indiana’s early double-digit advantage was fueled by the Hoosiers capitalizing on Boilermakers’ miscues.
The final tally shows Purdue turning the ball over 16 times to Indiana’s 8 giveaways. The Hoosiers won the points-off-turnover battle 20-8.
At the final buzzer, it was a 5-point game despite Purdue’s total rebound advantage of 38-22. The Boilermakers, though, were just 10-of-17 at the foul line. Indiana made 5 more free throws, going 15-of-18 at the stripe.