Sunday Funday Pt. III

Game:  Purdue @ Indiana
Spread:  Indiana - 5


Fifth place in the Big Ten is on the line.  Not quite the same stakes as the Michigan State / Ohio State game, but for Hoosier fans, this might as well be for the regular season championship considering where this team has come from in the past three years.  Indiana won by 17 in the previous match-up between these two teams AT Purdue.

Since then, Purdue has been on a roller coaster.  They suspended DJ Byrd and dismissed Kelsey Barlow right before what was their biggest game of the year at home against Michigan State.  What people thought was an emotional effort by the Boilermaker's, who challenged the Spartan's that game, turned out to be anything but a fluke.  Ryne Smith called the dismissal of Kelsey Barlow, "addition by subtraction."  Hindsight may be 20/20, but based on their performances since then, it's hard to argue with that statement.

After the Hoosier's convincing win against the fifth ranked Spartan's, you would think that a five point spread should be easy... it won't be.  It doesn't matter that IU is 17-1 at home with three wins against top five teams.  It doesn't matter that IU won by 17 at Mackey Arena.  It doesn't matter that the Hoosier crowd may be as hype for this game as any game this season.  This is Indiana / Purdue in the last game of the regular season.  Throw any stats you have out the window.  A win at Assembly Hall solidifies Purdue's tournament resume and assuming they can win at least one game in the B1G tournament, it all but guarantees them a spot in the Big Dance.  It won't be hard for either team to get up for this game I can promise you that.

Something that many people may not know:  Purdue leads the overall series with Indiana 112 to 86.  Indiana probably had the better team in terms of rankings and / or statistically speaking in many of those wins, but like I said above: It doesn't matter.

I'm not going to sit here and spew out stats, mainly because I would require a book deal to go into that much detail.  This is one of the best college basketball rivalries in the country and having grown up watching many classic battles I know what's going to happen come 6pm.  The basketball game that will ensue in Bloomington tomorrow will be the epitome of Big Ten basketball.  Bodies will be flying, elbows will be thrown and emotion will be high.  Indiana is 23-7, Purdue is 20-10 ... Indiana is over achieving, Purdue is under achieving ... but you know what?  It doesn't matter.  Tomorrow's match-up between the Hoosiers and Boilermaker's will be what college basketball is all about.

Pick:  Purdue +5