Five takeaways from IU basketball’s win against Purdue

Photos from IU basketball’s 72-67 win against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

IU basketball earned its first win against a ranked opponent in the Darian DeVries era on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers withstood a late run from rival Purdue for a 72-67 victory.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Boilermakers:

Nick Dorn shines for a second straight game

An ankle injury to Tayton Conerway moved Nick Dorn into the starting lineup for Friday’s game at Rutgers.

Dorn responded with a season-high 23 points against the Scarlet Knights as the Hoosiers rolled to a comfortable 82-59 win.

Conerway, who played sparingly in Piscataway, couldn’t go at all on Tuesday and Dorn earned a start for a second straight game.

He earned his first KenPom Game MVP honor of the season against the rival Boilermakers, finishing with 18 points in 32 minutes.

Dorn was 6-for-11 from the field, including a 4-for-9 mark on 3-pointers. He made both of his free throw attempts, had three steals, two rebounds and didn’t commit a turnover.

The 6-foot-7 junior is now 41-for-91 on 3s this season – 45.1 percent – and in Big Ten play, his 3-point field goal percentage is seventh best in the conference.

Indiana more than held its own in the paint and on the glass

With Trey Kaufman-Renn, Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue has a decided advantage over Indiana in the frontcourt.

The Boilermakers expected to dominate the game on the interior but the Hoosiers held their own on the glass and in the paint.

Kaufman-Renn went for a game-high 23 points despite missing five free throws, but Cluff managed just two points and Jacobsen had three in a combined 32 minutes for that duo.

The second-chance points were just 11-to-10 in favor of Purdue and points in the paint, 24-18 in favor of the Boilermakers.

It was truly a group effort on the boards for the Hoosiers, with Tucker DeVries leading the way with 10 rebounds and Lamar Wilkerson adding seven.

Purdue’s inability to capitalize on its size advantage proved pivotal in IU’s win in the rivalry game.

Conor Enright played all 40 minutes and was pivotal on both ends of the floor

It doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet, but Conor Enright is an indispensable part of Indiana’s roster.

Enright, a 6-foot-1 senior, didn’t come off the floor and didn’t commit a foul while guarding Braden Smith all night.

For a player averaging over four fouls called per 40 minutes, Enright guarding the nation’s best point guard and not committing a foul is an eye-popping stat.

Smith still managed to score 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 39 minutes but committed four turnovers and shot 2-for-8 on 3s. Enright draping him was a factor in several of Smith’s shots drawing the front of the rim.

Offensively, Enright dished out eight assists and hit the biggest shot of the night, a 3-pointer in front of the IU bench with 1:12 remaining to give the Hoosiers a five-point lead.

“That was a huge shot for us,” Darian DeVries said postgame. “You know he’s not afraid. He just loves the moment and he loves competing and the challenge of everything.”

Enright also scored IU’s final two points of the night, a pair of free throws with 23 seconds remaining to seal the 70-65 victory.

Another efficient 3-point shooting performance

When Indiana is making 3-pointers, it can compete with the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

On Tuesday, it was hot perimeter shooting in the first half that helped the Hoosiers build an 11-point halftime lead.

Indiana shot an efficient 8-for-20 on 3s in the opening 20 minutes, which fueled an output of 1.33 points per possession at intermission.

The Hoosiers went only 4-for-13 from distance in the second half, but timely makes by Dorn and Enright helped hold off a furious rally by Purdue.

Indiana finished the game with a 12-for-33 mark on 3s, a mark of 36.4 percent and near its season average of 35.9 percent.

The Assembly Hall crowd was a difference maker

For the first time this season, Assembly Hall was at a fever pitch for most of the game.

And it helped propel the Hoosiers to a pivotal win.

It’s no secret that IU’s NCAA tournament resume needs work and earning a Quad 1 was a necessity even to begin dreaming about a March Madness bid.

Home court advantage is crucial in college basketball and Indiana fed off a crowd that was hungry for a rivalry win.

“I’m going to say the biggest key was that crowd out there,” Darian DeVries said of the atmosphere. “I mean, that was awesome. That’s what makes this place so special. When they’re making their run and our crowd kept willing us to keep fighting in every possession. So I want to thank this crowd for their efforts tonight, because that’s a huge deal in college basketball.

“When you’ve got a home court like we have, that’s a big advantage. And when that place is loud and rockin’ like that, that’s a big, big deal for us. So, thanks to everyone that came out and brought the noise themselves.”

Indiana is going to need similar turnouts the rest of the season. The Hoosiers still have five home games and protecting home court will be essential to securing the wins needed to stay in contention for the program’s first NCAA tournament bid since 2023.

See More: Five Takeaways, Nick Dorn, Purdue Boilermakers