No. 21 Indiana sent a statement that'll reverberate throughout the Big Ten and the greater college basketball landscape on Saturday as the Hoosiers toppled No. 1 Purdue inside Assembly Hall 79-74 for their first win over a No. 1-ranked team in more than a decade.
Indiana (16-7, 7-5 Big Ten) led by as many as 16 points before fighting off a furious Purdue run in the stretch run of the second half that cut the lead to as little as two points and took the air out of the building. However, the Hoosiers flexed their mettle in riding a massive 25-point performance from star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis pitted against player of the year frontrunner Zach Edey in their biggest win of the Mike Woodson era.
"I thought we played extremely well the first half," Woodson said. "I thought we got a little stagnant the second half. We didn't have a lot of answers for big Edey. He's a big load for any team, but for the most part I thought we battled him."
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS BABYYYYYY 🗣
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 4, 2023
Back-to-back slams 🔥 @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/9uID4il9LH
Foul trouble slowed Edey from asserting himself in the first half but his production despite that did not wane. He led all scorers with 33 points and added 18 rebounds, his 19th double-double on the season and fifth 30-plus point outing on the season.
Indiana's victory is its first over an AP-ranked No. 1 team since nearly a decade ago to the day when it took down then-No. 1 Michigan under Tom Crean inside Assembly Hall on Feb. 2, 2013.
"This team has had its ups and downs," Woodson said postgame. "But when we've been in ball games, we've been able to deliver."
Here are three takeaways from the Hoosiers' victory vs. the Boliermakers
Purdue still projected No. 1 overall seed
Purdue (22-2, 11-2) has been ranked No. 1 in the polls for six weeks this season including a recent streak of two weeks after briefly dropping to No. 3 following its first loss of the season in early January. It may again take a slight fall in the rankings come Monday, but its stature as a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament remains very much alive. Only one team has as many or more Quad 1 wins than do the Boilermakers. Their resume has been good enough to project as the No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm's bracket, and a close road loss to a ranked and surging Indiana team isn't likely to change that.
2. Jackson-Davis coming alive
The list of players operating at a higher level in the last month in college basketball than Trayce Jackson-Davis is probably only one -- and it was the one he faced in Zach Edey. Jackson-Davis had 25 points and seven boards on 9-of-19 shooting in willing IU to a massive win. It was the ninth time in the last month he has turned in 18 points or more and his fifth 25-plus point outing in that same window.
"Everybody knows that Trayce is our best player. The ball is going to go to him," Woodson said. "But the supporting cast has to be able to do their part, and I thought they did that tonight too."
3. Edey continues dominant run
Despite dealing with foul trouble early, Purdue's big man continued his dominant run with 33 points and 18 boards in the loss. Edey finished 15-of-19 shooting on the night to finish with his sixth 30-plus point double-double on the season. He's averaging 23 points and just over 11 rebounds per game since the 2023 calendar year and is now averaging over 23 points and 13 rebounds per game on the season, ranking first and second, respectively, among all power conference players.
