Purdue Has Made Life Miserable for Michigan State at Mackey Arena for a Decade
In this story:
Michigan State has regularly been one of the top teams in the Big Ten during Tom Izzo's run as head coach. Yet, over the last decade, Purdue has made life miserable for the Spartans every time they have stepped on the floor at Mackey Arena.
This week, Michigan State will make the 250-mile trek from the Breslin Center to Mackey Arena for Thursday night's top-15 clash. While the Spartans are always a threat to pick up a road win in any venue, the Boilermakers have won seven straight games on their home floor over Izzo's squad.
What's even more surprising? Five of those Purdue wins have come by double figures.
"Winning on the road there — it's one of the most difficult places to play," Izzo told reporters this week. "The arena is among the toughest we play in, in conference or non-conference."
Michigan State hasn't won a game at Mackey Arena since the 2013-14 season, a 94-79 victory over Purdue. Since then, the Spartans have left West Lafayette with a tally in the loss column.
Purdue's average margin of victory in those last seven home games is an impressive 12.7 points per game. The Boilermakers' largest victory in that stretch came in the 2019-20 season, defeating Michigan State 71-42.
The only two times Michigan State has suffered a single-digit loss came in 2024 (80-74) and in 2016 (82-81 in OT).
Izzo reiterated how tough the environment is in West Lafayette, giving plenty of credit to Purdue's fans and students. But he also acknowledged that a big part of the Boilers' success against the Spartans is because of the teams Matt Painter has put on the floor.
"They've got a good home-court advantage like we do," Izzo said. "Their crowd is great. Basketball in Indiana is basketball in Indiana. The student section is awesome. Part of it is the size of it and the way the arena is. A big part of it is the teams they've had. They've always been good. When they're not good, which is only a few times, they're always competitive."
Mackey Arena has been one of the toughest venues for Izzo to get wins over the course of his career at Michigan state. Heading into Thursday night's game, he is just 8-16 in games played in West Lafayette.
Purdue vs. Michigan State at Mackey Arena (Since 2015-16)
Everyone knows Mackey Arena is one of the best home-court advantages in college basketball. But as good as it is, winning seven straight games against one of the regular powers is an impressive accomplishment.
Here's a quick rundown of how Purdue has made life miserable for Izzo and the Spartans over the last decade.
- March 2, 2024 — Purdue 80, Michigan State 74
- Jan. 29, 2023 — Purdue 77, Michigan State 61
- Feb. 16, 2021 — Purdue 75. Michigan State 65
- Jan. 12, 2020 — Purdue 71, Michigan State 42
- Jan. 27, 2019 — Purdue 73, Michigan State 63
- Feb. 18, 2017 — Purdue 80, Michigan State 63
- Feb. 9, 2016 — Purdue 82, Michigan State 81 (OT)
Purdue's success in this matchup hasn't just been limited to home games, either. The Boilermakers have actually won nine of the last 11 meetings against Michigan State. Can they make it 10-of-12 on Thursday night?
Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!
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.
Follow SchutteDustin