Ad Disclosure
Hickey: No matter what, Big Ten title game presents a special meaning for Purdue
By Alex Hickey
Published:
CHICAGO — Purdue left the floor Saturday after its 80-66 win over upstart Ohio State without knowing whether Indiana or Penn State will be joining the Boilermakers in the Big Ten championship game.
For Matt Painter and Purdue’s players, though, the semifinal win created a win-win scenario no matter who the Boilers play on Sunday.
It’ll either be an old friend, former Purdue assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry, or Purdue’s oldest foe — Indiana.
Beat either, and the Boilermakers could still keep themselves in play for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.
Shrewsberry is in his 2nd season guiding the Nittany Lions after serving as Painter’s top assistant. He remains held in the highest regard in West Lafayette.
Which means deep down, Purdue would love to see Penn State.
“I want to see ‘Shrews’ win unless it’s against us,” said Purdue center Zach Edey. “He helped me so much as a freshman.”
He helped Painter even more in 2 separate stints as an assistant from 2011-13 and 2019-21.
“We root for Micah,” Painter said. “Obviously we don’t when he plays Purdue. He’s grown our program. He made us better. We learned a lot from him from his experience with Brad Stevens with Butler and the Celtics.”
But what excites Painter and his veteran players doesn’t exactly have the same thrill factor for Purdue fans.
Make no mistake — the Boiler Nation wants a shot at avenging its 2 losses to Indiana. And so do the Boilermakers.
“Obviously you want to face IU,” Edey said. “So I’m good either way.”
Prior to Mike Woodson’s arrival, facing IU was exciting for the Boilers because it meant a guaranteed win. Indiana broke a 9-game losing streak in the series last year. Now the Hoosiers are 3-1 against Purdue in his tenure.
“We had the upper hand for a while there,” Painter said. “But in the last 2 years, that hasn’t been the case. Mike’s done a great job. They’ve got a great team that can go a long way in the NCAA Tournament.”
As measured in effective field goal percentage, Purdue’s losses against Indiana marked its 2 worst defensive showings of the season. That clearly must change if the Boilers are to avoid the first 3-game sweep in series history.
“The first game, it was the turnovers in the first half,” Painter said. “And in the second game, it was Jalen Hood-Schifino.”
Purdue committed 16 turnovers in a 79-74 loss in Bloomington. Indiana built a 15-point halftime lead before the Boilers kept a better handle on the ball in the second half and made things interesting at the end.
In West Lafayette, Indiana broke away thanks to Hood-Schifino’s stunning 35-point performance — likely the best performance by an Indiana freshman point guard since Isiah Thomas. It was Indiana’s first win at Mackey Arena since 2013.
Revenge is usually an overstated motivator for teams. Heck, Painter doesn’t even hate the Hoosiers.
“Obviously, I grew up an Indiana fan and a lot of my family went to Indiana,” he said. “I went to the ’87 Final Four as a fan. My allegiances changed when I went to Purdue. I’m not someone who demonizes my opponent. I’m not that guy. It doesn’t mean I’m not competitive. It doesn’t mean I don’t go after it.”
You can bet the Boilermakers would very much like to make sure they aren’t the first Purdue team to go 0-3 against Indiana. Or the one that lets IU win its first Big Ten Tournament title.
If it’s Penn State, the competitive Painter won’t want to give his former protege a lifetime of bragging rights.
Whether the Boilers find an old friend or an old enemy lying in wait on Sunday, they’ll be embracing the challenge with open arms.
Alex Hickey is an award-winning writer who has watched Big Ten sports since it was a numerically accurate description of league membership. Alex has covered college football and basketball since 2008, with stops on the McNeese State, LSU and West Virginia beats before being hired as Saturday Tradition's Big Ten columnist in 2021. He is an Illinois native and 2004 Indiana University graduate.