Just three minutes into the game, there was already a stoppage for review, a potential flagrant two-foul called, and a Hoosier almost got ejected.
In a heated rivalry game on a cold Sunday afternoon, Indiana and Purdue face off on the court for the second time this season, and it is already getting chippy. Just three minutes into the game with it tied 2-2, there was a bit of a scuffle between Anthony Leal and Caleb Furst.
On a shot put up by Trey Kaufman-Ren, Indiana ended up with the ball, but Leal and Furst ended up on the ground. Leal had the aggressive box out on Furst, and as Furst went down, he hooked Leal's arm adn brought him down with him. After both players fell, Leal started to get up and, in the process of getting up, kicked his foot back, making contact with Furst.
A referee was standing right there and saw the whole thing go down and called a foul on Leal. Due to the nature of what happened on the ground, the refs called a stoppage to look at the play and figure out if the foul should be upgraded and even if a potential ejection.
Both teams 1-of-5 from the field to start.
— Zach Browning (@ZachBrowning17) February 23, 2025
We're currently at the monitor reviewing some extra cirriculars between Anthony Leal and Caleb Furst following a box out in which Leal was called for his second personal foul. #iubb
The announcers, after watching the replay again and again, were almost positioned that Leal would be ejected because they thought it looked intentional. The announcers thought there was a possibility that both players would be ejected from the play.
To the surprise of the announcers and probably everyone at home, there was no foul called at all on the play, so the initial call by the ref was recommended. Indiana was happy with that ruling, as that would have been Leal's second foul in the first three minutes of the game.
With about eight minutes left in the first half, Indiana leads the Boilermakers 21-18 as the offense is hitting shots both inside and outside the arc.