Indiana Broken Down By Purdue's Matt Painter Before Rivalry Showdown

The Boilermaker head coach praised the Hoosiers and their shooting specialists prior to the rivalry matchup. Here's everything Painter said.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter watches the action Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, during a 2025 Indy Classic game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Auburn Tigers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana (13-7, 4-5 Big Ten) welcomes No. 12 Purdue (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday night (9 p.m. ET, Peacock) for the pair of programs’ first rivalry clash of the 2025-26 campaign. Indiana recently snapped its four-game losing streak with a 23-point blasting of Rutgers on the road while Purdue is riding a two-game skid (losses to UCLA and Illinois last week), after rattling off nine straight victories. 

Previewing the matchup, Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter talked in depth about the challenges the Hoosiers pose – specifically their elite shooters, and the plethora of ways Indiana head coach Darian DeVries allows them to thrive. 

Purdue's Matt Painter breaks down Indiana ahead of in-state showdown

Jan 7, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter reacts to a play during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

“Their two leading scorers [in Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries] are guys that can do it off the catch, they can do it off the bounce. They’re great in movement,” began Painter. 

“Indiana runs really good actions for them, in terms of flare screens, cuts off their flare screens, their slip ups, their pin downs, their staggers away, their staggers across the baseline, their ball-screen action into pins. They run a lot of really good stuff for their two best scorers,” continued the Boilermakers’ head man. 

In other words, the Hoosiers employ a variety of creative methods to get their gifted shooters open looks. At all times, and on any part of the floor, Indiana is in the process of freeing up Wilkerson or DeVries for an open look – although that doesn’t mean there aren’t other Hoosiers to be concerned about. 

“It doesn’t mean other people can’t do it. I think [Nick] Dorn, who started his first game the other day, had a really good game [against Rutgers]. I think he made six threes. He really adds another element to them, because now you have two lights-out shooters, scorers in Wilkerson and DeVries, and now you add Dorn in that mix,” Painter said to the media on Monday. 

That's 5️⃣ threes on the night for @IndianaMBB's Nick Dorn 💥

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/hjJ3NCXuCZ

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

“[Sam] Alexis had a really good game against Rutgers with six blocks. And so it gives them the spacing that they want with three guys like that that can really shoot the basketball. Not to say other players aren’t good, because they are.”

Indiana, to the naked, amateur eye, may be a mostly two-man show, but Painter has been in the business – and excelling in it – for far too long to overlook opponents. He’s taken stock of each and every Hoosier, including veteran guards Conor Enright and Tayton Conerway. 

“I think Enright’s a tough dude. [He] plays hard, but he’s smart. He’s been around the game, knows what’s going on, knows where the ball needs to be. You leave him alone, he’ll stick it. You give him too much space, he’ll drive in for layups. But he’s got winning ways about him,” Painter continued. 

“Conerway has been a very successful college player. [He] can break you down, has quickness. You leave him alone, he’ll stick it… they have a good mix of skill, and it really causes a lot of problems.”