Indiana must continue to protect Assembly Hall as Purdue comes to Bloomington
One of the biggest games of the year has arrived. Indiana is coming off a bounce-back 74-62 win over Minnesota and has now turned their attention to Tuesday night: Purdue at Assembly Hall.
It’s a big game for Indiana. The past two seasons have seen upset victories over Purdue in front of the home crowd and the Hoosiers are looking for a third straight upset. This game could begin to change the direction of the season. A win on Tuesday would be resume-altering for the Hoosiers, who aren’t even currently on the NCAA tournament bubble.
The Hoosiers are 4-2 in the early parts of their conference schedule, which started with two solid wins in the first week of December against Maryland and Michigan. The team split the following four games, losing ugly to Nebraska and Rutgers on the road and getting home wins against Ohio State and Minnesota.
Six games in, the conversation of Indiana’s success at home versus on the road has emerged again.
Mike Woodson’s teams are known to play their best basketball in Bloomington, but then they turn around and struggle on the road; this year is the same. Sometimes, it’s unclear which version of Indiana will show up, and the last four games were an example.
Indiana got a gritty win against Ohio State and then arguably put together their most well-rounded performance of the season against Minnesota. But on the flip side, Nebraska and Rutgers were two of the toughest losses during Woodson’s tenure.
Now, the Hoosiers start their most difficult three-game stretch of the season. They begin with No. 1 Purdue on Tuesday and then hit the road for Wisconsin and Illinois.
There’s no denying Indiana has been a much better team at home over the past three seasons. Since Woodson took over, Indiana has a 38-7 home record. The Hoosiers rarely lose at home, winning their home games 84.4 percent of the time. Indiana’s 38 wins are also tied for the second-most home victories in the conference over the past two and a half seasons. The only team that Indiana trails is Tuesday’s opponent, Purdue.
Not only has Indiana been winning their games at home, but they’re also winning most of their conference home games. The Hoosiers have a 17-6 Big Ten record at Assembly Hall since the 2021-22 season.
On the road, the Hoosiers are a different story. Indiana holds a 8-15 record in road Big Ten games under Woodson and a 9-17 overall record in true road games. In year three, one of the most significant answers Indiana is still trying to find is how to replicate the same success they have at home on the road. Under Woodson, Hoosiers have not tasted a road victory against Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers or Wisconsin.
Winning on the road in the Big Ten is never easy, so winning at home has been one of Woodson’s biggest priorities since becoming head coach. When Purdue comes into town, that philosophy means a lot more.
“They want to beat us as badly as we want to beat them,” Woodson said. “It’s been that way. 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. When they come here, our fans are unbelievable.”
Woodson made it clear when he took the job that winning at Assembly Hall would be a top priority. When playing at Indiana under Bob Knight, he was taught that Indiana doesn’t lose at home, so Woodson has tried to do the same with his teams. Indiana is 9-1 at home this season with a perfect 3-0 home record against conference opponents.
Tuesday night marks an opportunity for Indiana to change the direction of its season. An upset would put IU’s first signature win on its resume. A loss wouldn’t end IU’s NCAA tournament hopes, but it would be an opportunity squandered by the Hoosiers and leave far less room for error moving forward.
“We know we’ve got a hell of an opponent coming in here tomorrow, 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.”
Filed to: Mike Woodson, Purdue Boilermakers