'I Came Fired Up': Jaden Ivey Shows Chip On His Shoulder In Win Over Nebraska
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Everyone in the country knows just how dangerous Jaden Ivey is when he has the ball in his hands, barrelling down the court in transition looking to make a play at the rim.
But all Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg could do was call a timeout after watching Purdue's sophomore guard snatch a rebound, make his way up the floor and drill a stepback 3-pointer in the face of his defender.
It was 17-2 with 14:29 to play in the first half, and the Boilermakers started to pile it on the struggling Cornhuskers early. When Ivey comes to play with a chip on his shoulder, good things happen for the No. 7-ranked Purdue basketball program.
“I’m not going to lie, I came fired up for this game,” Ivey said after the team's 92-65 win at Mackey Arena. “I felt — looking back at the games we lost — the disrespect from everyone. All the outsiders talking about our team, we can’t do this; we can’t do that. We don’t show up in big games. I came fired up, and I was just tired of it.”
Purdue, after suffering losses to Rutgers on the road and against Wisconsin at home, sat at 2-2 in Big Ten play entering Friday night's matchup. The team may rank among the nation's best, but it still trails the likes of Illinois and Michigan State, among others, in the conference standings.
The Boilermakers are looking to string together a third straight Big Ten victory when they go on the road to face the No. 25-ranked Fighting Illini on Monday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
“Part of it is you stumble a little bit and lose a couple of games, it’s part of getting off the canvas and fighting. It’s competition,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “There’s always somebody out there better than you. There’s always a team out there that’s better than you. There’s always a coach out there that’s better than you.
“Just keep it going, but also understand it’s process based. Do your job, play hard and have fun with it and just learn from things and be honest with yourself. When you do those types of things, good things are going to happen.”
Ivey came to work and performed at a high level not just on offense, but on the defensive end of the court, too. He notched 14 of his 17 total points in the first half, leading the team up 48-33 in the first 20 minutes of play.
He also turned the ball over just one time, registered one steal and helped keep Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowens to just nine points in 33 minutes on the floor.
“If I come into the game and focus on defending, the offense will come,” Ivey said. “That’s been my mindset since the Penn State game. That’s trying to get more stops and that leads to better offense.”
Ivey was confident in both his ability to score and get the ball to his teammates, as he led the Boilermakers with five assists. The team will likely need Ivey to play with that same edge come Monday.
A road victory against Illinois — which owns a 6-0 mark in the Big Ten — would issue a statement to the rest of the conference. And if Purdue wants to reach the same heights and earn the national acclaim it did in the first month of the season, winning on the road against a ranked team in the conference is pivotal.
"They've got a great team. I've got to keep that chip in my shoulder, whether that's offensively or defensively," Ivey said. "I've just gotta keep that chip on my shoulder and keep lifting my teammates up, finding them. Defense is going to win that game. They've got great offensive talent on that team. So we've got to just bring it. We've got to be high and tight, and we've got to be energetic for sure."
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- FAST START PROPELS PURDUE IN WIN OVER NEBRASKA: The No. 7-ranked Purdue basketball team scored 28 points on 17 Nebraska turnovers leading to a 27-point rout Friday Mackey Arena. Sophomore center Zach Edey led the way with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE, NEBRASKA LIVE BLOG: No. 7 Purdue basketball earned its second straight victory in a matchup against Nebraska on Friday at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers are now a perfect 8-0 against the Cornhuskers at home. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE'S ALL-TIME 1,000 POINT SCORERS: Since 1896, Purdue basketball has had 54 different players score 1,000 points in their college careers. The program has produced more than 30 NBA players, including two No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft. Current Purdue center Trevion Williams joined the club on Nov. 16. Here is the complete list of Boilermakers who have scored 1,000 points or more. CLICK HERE
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