Three Boilermakers to simmer on Saturday for Indiana basketball

After snapping their five-game winning streak, Indiana basketball now turns to Saturday’s matchup against rival, No. 1 Purdue, to get back on track.

Purdue has won nine straight games coming into Saturday’s matchup after blowing out a talented Penn State team on February 1, 80-60 at Mackey Arena. Indiana basketball, on the other hand, just faltered for the first time since January 11, losing to Maryland in College Park, 66-55, on January 31.

Matt Painter’s squad holds one of the best records in Division I basketball right now and it’s mostly on the back of Naismith Player of the Year frontrunner and 7-foot-4 giant, Zach Edey. But, it’s not just about Edey. The Boilermakers have six other players that average at least 5.0 points and six players on their roster have knocked down at least 15 three-pointers this season.

Compared to the Hoosiers, Indiana basketball has nine players averaging at least 5.0 points this season, but only four players on the active roster have made at least 15 three-pointers in 2022-23.

The primary matchup that the media will highlight is Zach Edey versus Trayce Jackson-Davis, but I’d keep an eye on the Boilermakers’ young guards matching up with Jalen Hood-Schifino and the backcourt of Indiana as well.

Here are my three key Purdue Boilermakers that the Hoosiers need to simmer on Saturday for Indiana basketball to take down the No. 1 team in the nation:

Three Boilermakers for Indiana basketball to simmer on Saturday:

3. Braden Smith – Freshman Guard – #3

2022-23 stats: 23 GP, 29.2 MIN, 9.5 PPG, 4.6 REB, 4.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 1.1 3PM, 40.0 3P%

In his last game against the Nittany Lions, Smith led the offense with nine assists but did not have a good shooting or scoring night for Purdue. Shooting just 4-for-9 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point land, Smith finished with nine points.

Smith has not been needed to score as much as you’d think, especially with the play from Zach Edey thus far. But, his three-point shooting has come in handy this season when he is knocking them down. Over his last four games, Smith is shooting just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc.

The freshman guard is most dangerous when he’s creating plays for his teammates. While shooting does not always travel for teams, Smith has thrived on the road this season, averaging 11.7 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from deep, along with adding in 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in six road games this season for Purdue.

If the Hoosiers can keep Smith in front of them and not let him create open shots for the shooters or Edey, they may have a chance to limit this offense on Saturday afternoon.