Purdue @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Indiana 55, Purdue 70

Surging Purdue heads to Indiana on Tuesday night in a dogfight for first place in the Big Ten with Michigan and Michigan State as the regular season enters its final three weeks. Meanwhile, Indiana's season has spun out of control, but one way the Hoosiers could pull out of their tailspin is with a win against their in-state rival.

After the 13th-ranked Boilermakers lost four non-conference games, it appeared they might not be a contender in the Big Ten this year, but instead are tied for the lead in the loss column with the Wolverines and Spartans after winning nine of their last 10 games. All three of their conference losses have come on the road and so they'll be guarding against an upset in Bloomington. Indiana is the polar opposite of Purdue, losing 10 of their last 11 after a 12-2 start. The Hoosiers were humbled in their latest loss, an 84-63 rout Saturday at Minnesota.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT PURDUE (18-7, 11-3 Big Ten): Junior guard Carsen Edwards ranks seventh nationally and first in the Big Ten in scoring at 24.4 points per game. Senior guard Ryan Cline is the only other starter in double figures at 12.2 points as Purdue sometimes struggles to get offensive production from anyone other than Edwards. Purdue split two games last week, with a loss at Maryland in which the Boilermakers made 6-of-36 shots from the field and 1-of-16 from 3-point range in the second half.

ABOUT INDIANA (13-12, 4-10): The Hoosiers desperately need a win to sustain any NCAA Tournament hopes with only six conference games remaining before the Big Ten tournament. Freshman Romeo Langford maintains his status as Indiana's scoring leader (17.2 points per game), but managed only four points in the first matchup with Purdue in January and had 10 in Saturday's loss at Minnesota. Senior Juwan Morgan is averaging 15.3 points and 8.0 rebounds after finishing with 14 and eight along with four blocks and three steals against Minnesota, but Indiana's depth is a major problem and the bench provided only nine points in that game.

TIP-INS

1. Edwards made 8-of-27 shots from the floor and 3-of-13 3-pointers in Purdue's loss to Maryland last week before committing seven turnovers while the team struggled against Penn State's three-quarters court trap in a 76-64 victory Saturday in West Lafayette.

2. Purdue has dominated the series, winning four straight and seven of the last eight meetings after last month's 70-55 victory in West Lafayette.

3. Indiana's lone victory since Jan. 3 was an overtime upset at No. 11 Michigan State on Feb. 2, but the Hoosiers couldn't gain any momentum from that game and have lost their last three, including two at home.

PREDICTION: Purdue 74, Indiana 70