How to Watch No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 11 Illinois With TV Info, Key Stats and Preview
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The temperatures may be plummeting across the country, but the race for a Big Ten title is just starting to heat up. A big game is on the docket on Saturday, as No. 11 Illinois travels to West Lafayette to play No. 4 Purdue.
Both teams are in the thick of the race for a Big Ten championship, and both could improve their resumé with a win on Saturday. This is a game that features two of the best offenses in the country and should be an entertaining matchup.
Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's clash between the Boilermakers and Fighting Illini.
#4 Purdue (17-2, 7-1) vs. #11 Illinois (16-3, 7-1)
- What: Big Ten Conference game
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026
- Tipoff time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
- TV: FOX
- App: FOX Sports
- Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Miles Simon (analyst)
- Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); Sirius XM 85; View all listings: CLICK HERE
- Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
- Live stats: Purdue.StatBroadcast.com
- All-time series: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Illinois 107-91
- ESPN Matchup Predictor: Purdue has a 64.2% chance to defeat Illinois
Rankings
Purdue Boilermakers
- Associated Press — Purdue is ranked No. 4
- Coaches — Purdue is ranked No. 4
- KenPom — Purdue is ranked No. 7
- NCAA NET — Purdue is ranked No. 5
Illinois Fighting Illini
- Associated Press — Illinois is ranked No. 11
- Coaches — Illinois is ranked No. 11
- KenPom — Illinois is ranked No. 8
- NCAA NET — Illinois is ranked No. 9
Team Stats
Stats (per game) | #4 Purdue | #11 Illinois |
|---|---|---|
Scoring | 84.1 ppg | 85.3 ppg |
Points allowed | 68.1 ppg | 67.6 ppg |
FG% | 51.0% | 47.1% |
3FG% | 38.4% | 35.2% |
Rebounds | 37.3 rpg | 42.1 rpg |
Assists | 20.5 apg | 14.8 apg |
Steals | 6.1 spg | 3.9 spg |
Blocks | 3.2 bpg | 5.2 bpg |
Turnovers | 9.6 topg | 9.7 topg |
Key Players
Purdue Boilermakers
- Braden Smith, G — Smith is well known for his ability to pass, recently becoming the Big Ten's all-time assist leader. However, he's also been on a scoring tear recently, averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game to go along with 9.1 assists per contest. He was particularly good in the Boilermakers' win over Penn State on Jan. 10, scoring 26 points and dishing out 14 assists.
- Fletcher Loyer, G — Loyer's three-point percentage has dropped in recent weeks, but he's still considered one of the best shooters in college basketball. He's hitting at a 37.5% clip and is averaging 13.0 points per game. He's been on a bit of a roller coaster over the last seven games, but Loyer is capable of shooting the lights out of the ball at any given moment.
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, F — Kaufman-Renn continues to make a big impact for the Boilermakers in both the scoring and rebounding departments. He struggled in last Saturday's win over USC, finishing that game with just five points and three rebounds, but he's still a force in the post. For the year, the senior forward is averaging 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest.
- Oscar Cluff, C — Cluff is probably the player who has made the biggest leap for Purdue this season. The Boilers knew he could produce at a high level, but he got off to a bit of a rocky start. But 19 games into the season, Cluff is averaging 11.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He's one of the most efficient offensive players in college basketball and is shooting at a 75.6% clip.
Illinois Fighting Illini
- Keaton Wagler, G — Wagler has played like the Big Ten Freshman of the Year this season, avearging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. As a 6-foot-6 guard, his size makes him tough defend, especially since he can take opponents off the dribble and also knock down catch-and-shoot threes. In Wednesday's win over Maryland, he nearly recorded a triple-double, scoring 13 points, dishing out eight assists, and grabbing seven boards.
- Andrej Stojakovic, G — A transfer from Cal, Stajakovic has added even more size to Illinois' guard position. He's currently the team's second-best scorer, averaging 14.4 points per contest. Stojakovic has battled consistency at time, but has demonstrated the ability to fill up the stat sheet. He scored 30 points against Maryland, and has hit the 20-point mark five times this season.
- Tomislav Ivisic, C — Ivisic is a mobile big man who stetch out opposing teams and help Illinois space the floor on the offensive end. He's not a great rebounder for his 7-foot-1 size, but he's still pulling down nearly five boards per game. His ability to score from multiple areas on the floor makes him a difficult player to defend.
- David Mirkovic, F — Much like Wagler, Mirkovic is a big-bodied freshman capable of doing everything on the basketball court. He's averaging a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game, as well as 12.2 points and 2.6 assists per contest. Everyone on Illinois' team is capable of rebounding, but he takes a lot of pride in that part of his game. In a November win over Colgate, Mirkovic finished the contest with an incredible 27 points and 21 rebounds.
The Coaches
Matt Painter, Purdue
Painter is in his 21st season at Purdue and his 22nd year overall with the Boilermakers. In that time, he's led the program to five Big Ten regular season championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, and a trip to the National Championship Game in 2024.
A lot of Purdue's success has come in the last decade, with the Boilers adding four Big Ten championships to their collection since the start of the 2016-17 season. Painter has had four different players win the Big Ten Player of the Year Award five times: JaJuan Johnson (2010), Caleb Swanigan (2017), Zach Edey (2023, 2024), and Braden Smith (2025).
Painter is a Purdue alum, playing under legendary coach Gene Keady from 1989-93. After his playing career ended, he jumped right into coaching, working as an assistant at Washington & Jefferson (Division III) and Barton (Division II) before getting a job at Eastern Illinois (1995 to 1998). Painter then joined former Purdue assistant coach Bruce Weber at Southern Illinois as an assistant from 1998 through 2003. Painter then became head coach of the Salukis for the 2003-04 season.
In 2004, Painter returned to Purdue as the associate head coach alongside Keady before taking over the program for the 2005-06 season. In a win over Akron on Nov. 16, 2025, Painter won his 500th career game as a head coach.
- Overall record: 513-222
- Record at Purdue: 488-217
Brad Underwood, Illinois
Underwood is in his 13th season overall and his ninth year at Illinois. He got his start at the community college level, coaching Dodge City CC from 1988 through 1992 and Daytona Beach CC from 2003 until 2006. He spent the 11 years in between at Western Illinois as an assistant coach.
Following his time at Daytona Beach, Underwood was an assistant coach under Frank Martin and eventually followed Martin to South Carolina for the 2012-13 season. After that, Underwood got his first Division I head coaching opportunity at Stephen F. Austin.
The Lumberjacks won three Southland Conference titles and three conference tournament championships when Underwood coached the program from 2013 through 2016. The team made the NCAA Tournament every year and went 89-14 with a 53-1 conference record.
After spending the 2016-17 season at Oklahoma State, Underwood accepted the job at Illinois. In nine seasons with the Fighting Illini, he's led the program to two Big Ten Tournament titles (2021, 2024) and regular-season conference championship (2022). Illinois has made five straight trips to March Madness.
- Overall record: 290-131
- Record at Illinois: 181-104
Preview
If you love efficient offense, you'll want to be tuned in for Saturday's matchup between Purdue and Illinois. The game features the two most efficient offenses in the country via KenPom, with the Fighting Illini currently No. 1 and the Boilermakers at No. 2.
As good as Purdue has been offensively, it was held below 70 points in back-to-back games against USC and UCLA. Additionally, the Boilers dropped their first Big Ten game of the season, losing a heartbreaker to the Bruins.
Meanwhile, Illinois comes into the game riding an eight-game winning streak, and has scored 75 points or more in all but one game this year.
Illinois shoots more than 30 three-pointers per game and is comfortable shooting those at a high volume. The Fighting Illini also have a team full of quality rebounders, averaging more than 42 boards per game. The glass has been a strength for Purdue, but that has been dominated by Cluff, Kaufman-Renn and Daniel Jacobsen. It's going to take a total team effort from the Boilermakers on Saturday on the boards.
This sounds simplistic, but Saturday's game may come down to shot-making. If Purdue can hit the three-ball at a high clip, it will be in great shape to improve to 8-1. But if the Boilers struggle from the perimeter, Illinois is capable of stealing a game in Mackey Arena.
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5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ILLINOIS: No. 4 Purdue will host No. 11 Illinois at Mackey Arena on Saturday afternoon. What do the Fighting Illini bring to the court and how can they cause problems? CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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