3 Instant Takeaways as Indiana Basketball Upsets Purdue

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Arms flexed and mouth agape, Lamar Wilkerson’s yell was surely loud, but indistinguishable in a building with over 17,000 matching his energy.

Moments prior, the sixth-year senior guard whipped a pass to the left wing, where fifth-year senior forward Tucker DeVries buried a 3-pointer to give Indiana men’s basketball a 27–23 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half — and force Purdue coach Matt Painter to call timeout.

Less than three minutes later, Painter had to call timeout again. DeVries' triple wasn't merely the end of an 8-0 run. It was the middle point of a 13-0 run that seized momentum and control en route to a 40-29 halftime lead.

The Boilermakers fought tooth and nail, but Indiana (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) held serve to earn a 72-67 win and give No. 12 Purdue (17-4, 7-3 Big Ten) its third consecutive loss Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Here are three takeaways from Indiana's upset victory.

IU nabs first marquee win of DeVries era

Indiana entered Tuesday night still searching for its first Quadrant 1 victory after six unfruitful tries. The Hoosiers, metrics-wise, began the week firmly in NCAA Tournament contention. But their resume lacked a marquee win, or any victory that may push them overtop on Selection Sunday.

Indiana coach Darian DeVries noted Monday he doesn't exhaust time thinking about NCAA Tournament resumes or bracket projections. He's more focused on game-planning for the Hoosiers' next opponent and trying to stack wins.

But Tuesday mattered. For momentum, for proof of what DeVries is building, and, of course, for the tournament. The Hoosiers have the shining star atop the resume. They have their marquee win. They have their first big-time win under DeVries.

And Indiana did it all against its biggest rival.

Complete team effort fuels upset win

The Hoosiers were led by their usual faces, as Wilkerson scored a team-high 19 points, emerging standout Nick Dorn recorded 18 points in his second consecutive start and Tucker DeVries added 9 points.

But Indiana didn't win Tuesday solely because of a few standout performances. The Hoosiers played perhaps their most balanced, most well-rounded, game of the season.

Junior guard Jasai Miles, who hadn't scored since Nov. 29 against Bethune-Cookman, notched 5 points off the bench. Miles played hard and made an impact on the glass, culminating in his best 15 minutes as a Hoosier.

Indiana's post players performed admirably, too. Purdue has a significant size advantage on paper, owning two players taller than the Hoosiers and a third, senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who earned All-Big Ten honors last season.

Though the stat sheet my not reflect it, the Hoosiers' bigs held their own. Senior forward Reed Bailey recorded 9 points and two rebounds, while fellow senior forward Sam Alexis added 2 points and pulled down one board.

Indiana needed everybody. It received contributions from everybody. The result? The season's biggest win.

Darian DeVries gets statement win

For all Tuesday night meant to Bloomington, to the players who committed to a vision and to Indiana basketball at large, perhaps no person benefits more from the Hoosiers' victory than Darian DeVries.

The Hoosiers' first-year coach has lived through an unprecedented season of football success, one that's largely directed attention away from one of college basketball's most iconic programs. Between the result and the crowd's energy, DeVries proved Tuesday night he's capable of leading Indiana back to great heights.

For DeVries, this is a tone-setter, tenure-building victory. Indiana needed a marquee win. So did DeVries. The opponent didn't inherently matter, but it coming against Purdue only adds to the significance of the moment.