Live Game Thread & Updates for No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 11 Illinois

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The race for a Big Ten championship is heating up, and No. 4 Purdue and No. 11 are both in the thick of the hunt. The two teams are scheduled to go head-to-head at 3 p.m. ET from Mackey Arena.

Purdue is coming off a 69-67 loss to UCLA and Illinois is riding an eight-game winning streak. Both teams need a win to stay near the top of the conference standings as January winds down.

Follow along as Purdue Boilermakers on SI provides live updates throughout Saturday's game. You can refresh this page frequently for the latest news, updates and analysis.

#4 Purdue vs. #11 Illinois live blog

2nd half

18:08 — Illinois goes on a 7-0 run out of half and takes the lead at 46-43. Poor start to the second half for the Boilermakers. Matt Painter takes a timeout.

Highlights

Wanna see @BoilerBall star Braden Smith's latest highlight play? 🙃

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/aRzGDnHg9F
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

This Braden Smith fadeaway was smooth 🔥

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/JXSkq4DHVo
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

Keaton Wagler 🔥

The star freshman scored No. 11 @IlliniMBB's first 1️⃣4️⃣ points at No. 4 Purdue.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/bnL8R4XBBU
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 24, 2026

Smith ↗️ Jacobsen

No. 4 @BoilerBall extends its early lead over No. 11 Illinois on this pretty alley-oop.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/IYrts0fqE9
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

1st half

HALF — Purdue 43, Illinois 39. Despite multiple double-digit leads, the Boilermakers couldn't create much separation at the end of the half. Keaton Wagler has been unbelievable for Illinois, scoring 24 points on 9 shots. No other player for Illinois has more than four points. Tomislav Ivisic had seven rebounds.

Purdue has been incredibly balanced this half. Braden Smith has eight points and seven assists, and Trey Kaufman-Renn has eight points, as well. Fletcher Loyer and Omer Mayer both have six points. Everyone who has played for the Boilermakers has scored.

2:16 — Braden Smith gets a steal then makes an unreal play, making a behind-the-back pass to CJ Cox, who lays it up for a bucket. That was one of the highlights of the afternoon so far.

2:30 — Purdue leads 37-33 at the final media timeout of the half. Purdue was up 35-24, but the Illini have gone on a 9-2 run to cut into the deficit. Illinois leads the rebounding battle 14-8, which includes a 7-0 advantage on the offensive glass. Keaton Wagler is up to 21 points for the Illini. Purdue's Braden Smith has eight points and five assists.

5:12 — Illinois got multiple offensive rebounds and Jack Davis was able to knock down a triple to cut into this Purdue lead. The Illini have cleaned up on the glass, leading 12-7. That includes seven offensive boards.

6:52 — Immediately out of the timeout, Purdue gets a miss, pushes tempo and gets the ball to Oscar Cluff in the paint. He gets an and-one opportunity, giving Purdue a 35-24 lead.

7:27 — Illinois takes a timeout after back-to-back buckets from Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith to give Purdue a 32-24 lead. Gicarri Harris made one heck of a defensive play on Andrej Stojakovic, stealing the basketball and getting the ball into the hands of Smith to increase the Purdue lead.

11:16 — Purdue is shooting 9-of-11 from the floor to start. Braden Smith has had some beautiful lobs to Daniel Jacobsen early. The Boilers are getting some buckets right at the rim early today.

11:16 — Keaton Wagler is just destroying Purdue right now. He has 14 of Illinois 16 points at the under-12 timeout. Purdue leads 22-16. He hit a pair of huge triples on back-to-back plays after Oscar Cluff switched onto him around the perimeter. The Boilermakers have been incredibly efficient on offense, though.

15:53 — Right now, Illinois is shooting just 1-of-6 from three but has had a lot of open looks. Purdue needs to defend that better.

15:53 — As early as it is, Fletcher Loyer nearly brought the house down at Mackey Arena. After getting out into transition, Braden Smith kicked it out to his senior teammate, who attempted a three and was fouled by Jake Davis. The shot just missed and Loyer will have three free throws out of the break. Purdue leads 8-5.

17:10 — Purdue has gotten off to a good start offensively, especially getting out in transition. But the Boilers are allowing Illinois to get several quality looks, the Illini are just missing them. It's 6-2 Purdue early.

Starting lineups

Purdue — #0 CJ Cox, #2 Fletcher Loyer, #3 Braden Smith, #4 Trey Kaufman-Renn, #45 Oscar Cluff (C).
Illinois — #2 Andrej Stojakovic (G), #23 Keaton Wagler (G), #0 David Mirkovic (F), #15 Jake Davis (F), #13 Tomislav Ivisic (C).

Availability report

Purdue — OUT: None. QUESTIONABLE: None

Illinois — OUT: Kylan Boswell, Ty Rodgers, Jason Jakstys. QUESTIONABLE: David Mirkovic

No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 11 Illinois is scheduled for a 3 p.m. ET tipoff. The game will air on FOX.

How to watch Purdue vs. Illinois

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

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