Feb 20, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Conor Enright (5) dribbles against Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn ImagesColin LaverySat, February 21, 2026 at 3:11 AM UTC·2 min readWhile Friday night’s matchup with Purdue at Mackey Arena wasn’t a must-win game for Indiana’s NCAA Tournament chances, getting blown out to the point of not being competitive in the second half is never good. Especially against Purdue.
After being upset in Assembly Hall in late January, Matt Painter had his team ready for this matchup. The Boilermakers effectively shut down Lamar Wilkerson for most of the game, holding him to just two points on 1-3 FG in the first half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPurdue was ready for Nick Dorn too, closing out on him on the perimeter and refusing to be caught off guard by his shooting for a second time this season. Dorn has struggled since his midseason hot streak, but tonight was a particularly tough game for him, as he was held scoreless through the first 30 minutes of the game.
On the other side of the court, Braden Smith looked like the Braden Smith that will be in contention for numerous end-of-season awards and All-Conference, likely All-America honors. Indiana’s been able to hold him in check at Assembly Hall throughout his career, but that was not the case in Mackey tonight.
Smith missed his first jumper of the game, but knocked down an open 3-pointer on Purdue’s second possession off of a Wilkerson turnover. Mackey erupted and the fans did not appear to sit until the final whistle.
Purdue opened up the lead to as many as 30 points down the final stretch, allowing Painter to empty the bench in a convincing revenge win for the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers have a few days off before hosting Northwestern on Tuesday night, a game Indiana really cannot afford to lose if it wants to remain on the right side of the bubble.
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