Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers looking to snap losing streak to Purdue on Saturday

The Indiana basketball team gets a much needed week off before they host the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday. They look to snap a big losing streak when they play.

It’s rivalry week for the Hoosiers as they host the hated Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday. Anyone in the state of Indiana probably thinks this is the greatest college basketball rivalry and sometimes they aren’t wrong.

Duke and North Carolina would like to argue that they have the best rivalry and Michigan and Michigan State would like to argue also. But the Indiana and Purdue series ranks right up there with them.

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, it has been one dominated by the Boilermakers as of late. Purdue has won five in a row and eight of the last nine. The five-game winning streak for the Boilermakers is the longest for Purdue in the series since they won seven in a row from 1967-1972.

The last time the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers was in the 2015-16 season when they won their only meeting that year 77-73. Even though Purdue has won five in a row they have only won by double-figures twice. The games have been very competitive but the Hoosiers haven’t been able to get over the hump.

The last time the two teams played, they arguably played the ugliest game in the history of the series. The Boilermakers pulled out a sloppy 48-46 win, in a game that featured only seven more field goals made than turnovers. It was a tough loss for the Hoosiers who were struggling to beat anybody on their way to just missing the NCAA tournament.

Currently, the ESPN win predictor has the Hoosiers chances of winning at just 50/50, but Indiana has only lost one game at home and desperately need to protect their home court.

The Boilermakers have also had a very up and down year this year. They have blown out Virginia at home but also only scored 37 points at Illinois. They, like the Hoosiers, have struggled to score for long stretches this year and it could be a very low scoring game.

The Hoosiers always want to beat the Boilermakers, but snapping a losing streak would be even sweeter. Indiana is not only looking to snap the streak against Purdue but also their own three-game losing streak.

It’s a game the Hoosiers need to show not only they are the better team, but a team ready to get over the hump and secure their spot along with the teams dancing this year.