No. 21 Indiana knocks off top-ranked Purdue
Trayce Jackson-davis returned to Indiana so he could celebrate a banner season.
On Saturday, the fourthyear forward added another big piece to his legacy.
He scored 25 points and then watched Jalen Hoodschifino break free for the clinching dunk with 2 seconds left to give No. 21 Indiana a 79-74 victory over No. 1 Purdue — and a quick storming of the court.
It’s the fourth time the Hoosiers have beaten the nation’s top-ranked team at Assembly Hall, and the first since upsetting Michigan almost exactly 10 years earlier.
“I just think it’s a toughness factor,” Jackson-davis said, explaining why this team is different. “I feel like teams in the past that I’ve been on just weren’t that tough, honestly. We’ve kind of played with a chip on our shoulders since we got punked by Rutgers and we’ve kind of found our niche and that’s what we’re doing.’
The only guy that’s been even close to Jackson-davis’ productivity over the past month has been Purdue’s Zach Edey, who had 33 points and 18 rebounds.
But it was Jackson-davis who walked away with his sixth win in seven games by moving within 16 points of becoming the first Indiana player to ever score 2,000 and grab 1,000 rebounds. He finished with seven rebounds and five blocks, becoming the first player to have 25 points and five blocks against a No. 1-ranked team since Marcus Camby in November 1995 against Kentucky.
Fittingly, Jackson-davis and the Hoosiers (167, 7-5 Big Ten) celebrated with their fellow students, who rekindled memories of Christian Watford’s buzzerbeating 3-pointer to beat No. 1 Kentucky in December 2010. And this time, the fans lingered on the court long after the final buzzer as they pumped fists and danced to the sweet sounds emanating from the pep band.
It marked the first time in the 216-game series Purdue (22-2, 11-2) was ranked No. 1.
“They were our sixth man honestly and we fed off of it,” Jackson-davis said. “That was the most electric crowd since I’ve been here. They really helped us.”
But Indiana also played pretty well, forcing 16 turnovers and shooting 52.6% from the field against a defense that had held 24 consecutive opponents to 70 or fewer points. It won despite getting outrebounded 38-22 and nearly blowing a 16-point lead.
The 7-foot-4 Edey positioned Purdue for the charge by scoring eight of Purdue’s first 10 second-half points to cut a 15-point deficit to nine. He then added the final six points in a 12-4 spurt that make it 67-65 with 5:40 to play. And when Braden Smith’s layup made it 71-70 with 2:03 left, even Boilermakers coach Matt Painter sensed the fans’ angst.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOP 25 SCORES
Saturday Men
No. 21 Indiana 79,
No. 1 Purdue 74
No. 2 Tennessee 46,
No. 25 Auburn 43
No. 4 Alabama 79, LSU 69
No. 5 Arizona vs. Oregon State, late Virginia Tech 74,
No. 6 Virginia 68
No. 10 Texas 69,
No. 7 Kansas State 66
No. 13 Iowa State 68,
No. 8 Kansas 53
No. 9 UCLA vs. Washington State, late
No. 11 Baylor 89, Texas Tech 62
No. 12 Gonzaga at
No. 18 St. Mary’s, late
No. 14 Marquette 60, Butler 52 Oklahoma State 79,
No. 15 TCU 73
No. 16 Xavier 96, St. John’s 71
No. 19 FAU 67, Charlotte 52
No. 23 Miami 78,
No. 20 Clemson 74
No. 24 Uconn 68, Georgetown 62
Women
Baylor 76, No. 12 Iowa State 70
No. 17 Gonzaga 78, San Francisco 56
No. 19 Villanova 78, Butler 58
No. 20 Oklahoma 93, West Virginia 68 UTSA 58,
No. 21 Middle Tennessee 53
No. 24 Texas 68, Kansas 65
No. 25 South Florida 65, SMU 63