While there is no rivalry in B1G basketball as high stakes and as passionate as El Clasico (the name of the series between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona), the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers rivalry (which we call Crossroads Clasico) comes close.
Typically, the two teams are more than just regionally relevant, but nationally as well. IU hosts Purdue today, with tip-off just a few hours away now.
Indiana Hoosiers at Purdue Boilermakers FYIs
Saturday, February 4, 2023
[1] Purdue (22-1, 11-1) vs. [21] Indiana (15-7, 6-5)
Bloomington, Indiana | Simon-Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
TELEVISION: ESPN | RADIO:
ANNOUNCERS: Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Kris Budden
El Clasico is the matchup of the two sides that traditionally rule La Liga, Spain’s top futbol/football/soccer division. In recent years, Atletico Madrid have risen up and inserted themselves into the conversation, essentially breaking up the usual duopoly.
The first La Liga meeting this season saw Barcelona fall at Real Madrid on October 16, 3-1. The next edition, in the Supercopa de Espana, saw the Blaugranes best Los Blancos 3-1 on Jan 15. The league reverse fixture, in Catalonia, is March 19. The two sides will clash in a two-legged semifinal tie of the Copa Del Rey as well.
That means we’ll get five editions of El Clasico this season. Barca are currently top of the table, five points ahead of Real, another Spanish club consistently relevant and often near the top of the standings.
Surprisingly good side Real Sociedad are 11 points off the pace, in third. Real Madrid leads in wins in competitive matches with 101 while Barcelona leads in total match wins with 118. Barcelona leads the way in exhibition match victories with 20. There have been 288 matches in total; 34 exhibition, 251 competitive.
It’s a fierce rivalry, about as spirited as it gets. It’s seen more than its fair share of big moments, and passions run off-the-charts on both sides.
The same holds true with Indiana and Purdue.
The Mackey Arena game day experience is second to none, especially if you’re a neutral or a tourist making their first visit to the West Lafayette venue. No matter who the Boilers are playing that night, you will hear chants of “IU SUCKS!” from the gold and black faithful.
It’s very reminiscent of Fenway Park, where Boston fans will chant “YANKEES SUCK!” no matter who the Red Sox are playing that day.
Purdue leads the all-time series 124-90, and they also have the upper hand in B1G Tourney championships (1-0), All-Americans (46-42), B1G championships (24-22) and consensus first team All-Americans 26-15.
Mackey Arena, which seats 14,804 people, is one of the loudest arenas in America, reaching 122.3 decibels two years in 2015.
When fans wear black, and then use the BoilerBall Lights app on ITunes or Google Play, it creates a visually stunning display as part of the pregame light show during the Purdue intro video and starting lineups.
The 2016-17 B1G title, won by Purdue, put them ahead of their arch-rivals and it was actually clinched with a win over Indiana on Senior night, February 27th, 2017.
It was an electric atmosphere to say the least.
On the flip side, Indiana has the advantage in national championships (5-0), NCAA Tournament appearances (40-30) and B1G Player of the Year awards (6-4).
The series has seen a ton of huge moments, including Gene Keady’s 400th win, the 2002 “Duel in the Dome” before a crowd of 32,055, Kelvin Sampson’s finale at the end of the massive 2008 scandal, the 2005 double OT instant el clasico and the Bobby Knight tirade of 1991.
You also have the “sucker punch” and “jackass” incidents (like we said this is a series of severe acrimony), but the real signature moment is depicted in this post’s featured image.
We’re speaking, of course, of the Bobby Knight chair-throwing incident, February 28th, 1985 in Bloomington. Knight, whether you love him or hate him (and pretty much all opinions on him are very strong, but if you’re a decent person you most likely hate him) gave us the defining image of the crossroads el clasico.
Almost everybody who has worked in Big Ten sports or college basketball has a “Bobby Knight is a dick” story and here is the link to mine.
We call it crossroads el classico because it’s the battle for the “crossroads of America” state and the name crossroads classic is already taken.
Although the two sides do not battle for a trophy in men’s basketball, there are trophies at stake in several of the other sports.
Football battles for the Old Oaken Bucket. In women’s basketball, it’s the Barn Burner Trophy. In volleyball, the Monon Spike, and in women’s soccer, the Golden Boot.
The Crimson & Gold Cup is awarded points to the winning team in each of the schools’ 18 shared sports.
At the end of each academic year, the total points are tallied and the winning school is awarded this specific title.
Enjoy the Crossroads El Clasico!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.
Leave a Reply