All These Years Later, Indiana-Purdue Rivalry Still Means More to Mike Woodson

For most of Mike Woodson's 65 years on this planet, the Indiana-Purdue basketball rivalry has been something special. From his days as a kid in Indianapolis, to his time at Indiana as a player and now as the Hoosiers' coach, this in-state rivalry really matters

And why? It just means more.

"It does. They want to beat us as badly as we want to beat them,'' Woodson said. "It's been that way for a long time, and I think it's great for college basketball. They have their fan base, and we have our fan base. When you go there, it's the same way. You can't ask for bigger games than this. Like I said, this is what fans like to see. It's good for college basketball. 

"We'll just see what happens (Tuesday) night. When they come here, our fans are unbelievable. It doesn't matter who we're playing, our fans have been great all these years, and that's not going to change.''

The two rivals get together again on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall. Purdue is 15-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country, falling out of the No. 1 spot after losing at Nebraska last week. They've been ranked No. 1 for parts of three straight seasons, something that's never happened before in Purdue history. 

All that success, though, hasn't seemed to matter to the Hoosiers. In Woodson's two years, they are 3-1 against Purdue, and the Hoosiers have won both games at Assembly Hall. 

That, too, doesn't matter either when it comes to the Tuesday night showdown, which starts at 7 p.m. ET and is available only the Peacock streaming platform. The Boilermakers are led by 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, the reigning national player of the year, and their roster is deeper — and better — than it has been.

"We know we've got a hell of an opponent coming in here (Tuesday), and we've got to do all the necessary things to win,'' Woodson said. "We've got to rebound the ball, not turn it over, and you've got to share it and get shots, and it helps if you can put the ball in the hole. All those things tie in together in terms of you winning basketball games.

"We take each game one game at a time, and we prepare pretty much the same way in terms of who we're playing. That won't change. Every game is important, that's how I approach it. It's not just this game. We take it one game at a time, we prepare. Yes, we are a young team, hadn't been together, and a lot of these guys hadn't been in big games like this. It's my job to get them ready and calm them down if they come out not ready, and see where it leads us.''

Edey averages a team-high 22.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, and is coming off a 30-point, 20-rebound game against Penn State on Saturday at Mackey Arena. Sophomore guard Braden Smith averages 12.4 points and 6.9 assists per game and is shooting 48.2 percent — 27-for-56 — from the three-point line. 

As a team, Purdue makers you pay for double teams on Edey. The Boilermakers are shooting a league-best 39.8 percent — 150-for-377 —from beyond the arc. The 150 made threes — which equates to 8.8 made threes per game — ranks third in the conference.

Indiana is 29-27 all-time against top-5 opponents in Bloomington, including a 4-1 mark against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. They were ranked No. 1 last year when they lost in Bloomington, and No. 4 in 2022.

This Purdue team is different, too. Smith is having a breakout sophomore season, and Lance Jones has been an impact transfer from Southern Illinois, adding a lot of athleticism to their three-guard set. 

That's allowed them to play Trey Kaufman-Renn more often with Edey, and they are a handful inside, especially on the glass.  

"I just think the shooters have allowed them to do a lot of that in terms of playing two bigs. Both bigs are very demanding on the block,'' Woodson said. "Kaufman is tough on his block when he catches the ball. He's very aggressive in terms of scoring the basketball, and he's a hell of an offensive rebounder.

"So it hasn't hurt them at all because they've got some guys on the perimeter that make some shots for them. That's the key to any team. You make shots in life, you look good. Life is great if you can make them. We've had our ups and downs this year in terms of making them, but when we do make them, we're a pretty good basketball team.''

Indiana will have to be at its best on Tuesday night, and Woodson knows that. He's known that forever. To win a game in this rivalry. you need to play well. The Hoosiers have done that against Purdue under Woodson.

And they'll need to do it again.