How to Watch: Illinois Basketball vs. Purdue (Game 31)

Last season's Big Ten regular-season and tournament champions clash Friday in Champaign

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) drives the ball past Iowa Hawkeyes forward Ladji Dembele (13) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

How to Watch

Illinois (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten) vs. Purdue (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten)

Day and time: Friday (March 7) at 7 p.m. CT
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
TV: FOX
Stream: N/A
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM App 372

Odds and Ends

Illinois vs. Purdue all time: Purdue leads the series 107-90
Streak: Purdue has won five in a row against Illinois
Last meeting: Purdue 77, Illinois 71 (March 5, 2024, Champaign)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Kasparas Jakucionis
G Kylan Boswell

G Tre White
F Will Riley
C Tomislav Ivisic

🔸🔶 Hail to the Orange 🔸🔶 pic.twitter.com/z70RICsJNu

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 2, 2025

Smart-Fan Stuff

Key stat: 38.9 percent

The top perimeter-shooting squad in the Big Ten, Purdue hits 8.4 threes per game at a rate (38.9 percent) that ranks eighth in Division I.

Lead guard Braden Smith has knocked down 73 triples on the season while shooting 40.6 percent from that range. Although that’s noteworthy, the Boilermakers' true flamethrower is Fletcher Loyer (67 threes), who is shooting a mind-boggling 48.2 precent from deep despite getting run off the line by opponents in every outing. The Illini, and more specifically, Kylan Boswell, must prevent Smith from getting into the paint and kicking to open shooters, or it will be a long night in Champaign.

Quick tips:

• Braden Smith has a legitimate case for being the best point guard in college basketball. A true table-setter and pick-and-roll maestro, he carves defenses up almost at will, averaging 8.7 assists per game (second in the NCAA). Although he facilitates as well as anyone in the game, Smith also averages 16.3 points as a dangerous three-level scorer.

• Smith is undeniably the engine that makes Purdue go, but big man Trey Kaufman-Renn is the Boilermakers' leading scorer (19.4 points per game) and rebounder (6.1), and is a dominant inside presence who forces opposing defenses to choose between collapsing to help and leaving Purdue shooters with wide-open outside looks.

Illinois on SI Prediction

The Boilermakers, last season's regular-season Big Ten champs, went through a recent rough patch (four straight losses), but they seem to have weathered the storm by bouncing back with a 76-66 win over UCLA and a dominant 100-71 victory against Rutgers.

Meanwhile, the Illini, who won last season's conference tournament, are picking up their own momentum at the most opportune of times. They are coming off two 20-point Big Ten wins, including last Sunday’s 93-73 thrashing of then-No. 15 Michigan.

Purdue's duo of Smith and Kaufman-Renn seems spells trouble for Illinois' defense – especially in pick-and-roll situations. Although the Illini have recently made successful adjustments to their ball-screen coverages, they have struggled at times to account for downhill-driving guards and rolling big men.

Any shortcomings on the defensive end for the Illini, however, can likely be made up for with their rebounding. Facing an undersized Purdue squad (even Kaufman-Renn stands only 6-foot-9), Illinois should feast on the boards – even with Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) still on the shelf. With both sides featuring potent offensive attacks, Friday night figures to be a high-scoring affair that will ultimately be decided by which team can make stops down the stretch. It would be naive to think a (nearly) fully healthy lineup and home-court advantage don't give Illinois the edge there.

Illinois 89, Purdue 84

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Former Illini Meyers Leonard Retires After a Decade in the NBA

ESPN's Joe Lunardi Lifts Illinois Basketball in Latest Bracketology Seeding

Illinois Basketball Breaks Series Road Record in Win Over Michigan