If you are a Purdue basketball fan, you couldn’t have drawn this up any better. This was a dream scenario all around. You witnessed the Boilermakers clinching at least a share of their Big Ten best 23rd conference title by beating their most hated of rivals, the Indiana Hoosiers, and doing so in convincing fashion, 86-75.
It also happened on Senior Night, making the victory all the more sweeter. Indiana hasn’t visited Mackey Arena in awhile, so the sold-out venue on John Wooden Drive was absolutely electric tonight. February 28th, 2017 added another chapter to the long illustrious book of Crossroads of America El Clasico.
Here is the link to the official team site’s photo gallery, and the link to their audio highlights.
“To be able to knock off your rival on your home court for a Big Ten championship is unbelievable,” said Vince Edwards.
Purdue basketball claimed their second regular-season league title in the last eight years and their first conference title clinched at Mackey Arena for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
#16 Purdue basketball is now 13-4 in the league (24-6 overall), holding a one-game lead over Wisconsin (11-5) with just two left to play. A Purdue win at Northwestern on Sunday (3:30 Central on CBS) or a Wisconsin loss in either of the Badgers next two games will give Purdue the outright league title. Purdue basketball has already wrapped up the #1 seed in next weekend’s Big Ten Tournament in Washington D.C..
Did we mention the joint was jumping tonight?
Even Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb was on hand to experience a raucously fun and delightfully acrimonious atmosphere as two rivals clashed.
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Many Purdue fans brought hilarious signs mocking IU, and supplemented their usual “IU Sucks!” chants with “N-I-T! N-I-T!”
When National Player of the Year candidate and B1G Player of the Year front-runner Caleb “Biggie” Swanigan took his turn to cut down the net during the postgame conference title celebration, his trademark “Biggie Biggie Biggie can’t you see…” (“Notorious B.I.G. “Hypnotize” blared over the stadium sound system.
Asked if he enjoyed the postgame ceremony and subsequent celebration, he responded: “Yeah, I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been fun.”
During his entire response though, he never even cracked a smile.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/836766367856660480
Since the start of of 2014-15, Purdue basketball now owns a league-best 24-3 mark against Big Ten opponents, achieving their third straight 8-1 record at home versus Big Ten foes.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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