Purdue @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 19, 2019 ) Purdue 48, Indiana 46

Purdue and Indiana find themselves in similar situations for Saturday's Big Ten rivalry matchup in Bloomington. Both teams are trying to string together enough wins to stay in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament berth and to remain in the upper half of the conference.

In Purdue's storied history, it has never beaten Indiana four consecutive times in Assembly Hall, but it could happen this year. The Boilermakers have won five straight overall against the Hoosiers and three in a row in the series. They stoked their engines Wednesday night in preparation for the trip to Indiana with a 104-68 steamrolling of No. 17 Iowa for the third win in their last four games. Enigmatic Indiana has lost three in a row after an upset win over No. 14 Michigan State on Jan. 23.

TV: 2 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT PURDUE (13-10, 6-6 Big Ten): The 36-point win over Iowa was the largest in school history against a ranked opponent, but the question will be whether Purdue can sustain that level and improve upon their 2-6 road record this season. In Wednesday's victory, Purdue made 19 3-pointers and shot 63.1 percent from the field, which is a key metric because the Boilermakers are 12-0 this season when shooting a higher percentage than their opponents. Purdue is better defensively than offensively this season and that's reflected in the statistics with only Trevion Williams (11.2 points per game) and Eric Hunter Jr. (10.3) averaging double figures.

ABOUT INDIANA (15-7, 5-6): The Hoosiers see an opportunity to get back on track in their next two games at home against Purdue and Iowa. Playing in Assembly Hall, where Indiana is 12-2 this season, gives the Hoosiers a better chance in Saturday's crucial game, which could go a long way in determining whether they remain a viable NCAA Tournament contender. The Hoosiers have had a chance to regroup after not playing a game since they lost 68-59 on Feb. 1 at Ohio State, where they shot well from the perimeter (45.2 percent from the field, 58.3 on 3-pointers) but were ineffective inside (zero second-chance points).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Purdue is shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range this season but made 19-of-34 against Iowa.

2. Purdue leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 60.7 points per game.

3. Freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis continues to lead Indiana in scoring, but managed only seven points against Ohio State to drop his average to 13.7 points, which is representative of the Hoosiers' recent scoring struggles (63 or fewer points in three of the last four games).

PREDICTION: Indiana 67, Purdue 59