Frustration Mounts as Purdue Drops Fourth Game at Mackey Arena

Frustration is mounting for Purdue's seniors after suffering another loss at home, this time dropping a 76-74 decision to Michigan State.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) holds his knee. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Mackey Arena has typically resembled a haunted house for most teams in the Big Ten. This year, that fear has vanished, and Purdue hasn't been untouchable on its home floor like it has been in the past.

The eighth-ranked Boilermakers suffered a 76-74 loss to No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday night, the first win for Tom Izzo's Spartans in West Lafayette since 2014. More significantly, it marked the fourth time Purdue has lost a game on Keady Court during the 2025-26 campaign.

After the game, seniors Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn were visibly frustrated by allowing another game to slip away at home.

"It sucks," Kaufman-Renn said. "It always sucks to lose a game."

What might be the most maddening part of these home losses is that Purdue was the beneficiary of a favorable schedule this year. The Boilermakers had the opportunity to play the Big Ten's top teams — Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State — at Mackey Arena. Heading into the season, that was an added reason why this team was expected to compete for a conference championship.

Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) passes the ball to guard Braden Smith (3). | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Purdue lost all three of those games, though. Rewind to December, and the Boilermakers also suffered an 81-58 loss at the hands of Iowa State. They have played four ranked opponents on Keady Court, and all four resulted in losses.

"Obviously we want to win games," Smith said. "At home, we gotta win every one we play. It sucks."

Purdue did a lot of the right things on Thursday night, but not enough. Perhaps that was the most frustrating part of the loss to Michigan State. In late February, this is a team that is still finding a way to play a complete 40 minutes before March Madness arrives.

For a team that entered the year with national championship aspirations, it's something that must get figured out in the remaining days until the postseason begins.

"We try to go out there and win every game that we play, whether that's home or away," Smith said. "We are where we are because we're not playing to the best of our ability for a full 40. We've got to get to that point for a full 40 minutes we can be really good. We're not there yet."

Purdue had four home losses in last three years

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) looks to a teammate. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The teams that have beaten Purdue on its home floor this year have been really good. All four are ranked in the top 13 nationally. It's not as if the Boilermakers have dropped these games to teams in the Quad 3 category.

Losing this many times at home is still a foreign concept to Purdue, no matter how skilled the opponent. The Boilermakers have lost four times at home. They lost four games across the previous three seasons (2022-23 through 2024-25).

Yes, the competition Purdue has welcomed to its home court has been fierce. Still, this doesn't happen in Mackey Arena. It's been one of the unlikely storylines of this season.

In case it wasn't obvious, it's not exactly how the seniors envisioned their final season playing out at Mackey, either.

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