Purdue's Big Ten Tournament Hopes in Jeopardy After Loss to Oregon
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue's opportunity to play in the Big Ten Tournament next week comes down to the final game. After suffering a 71-65 loss to Oregon on Senior Night on Wednesday, the Boilermakers are now on the outside looking in on the 15-team event.
Turnovers were the big issue for Purdue on Wednesday night, once again playing without senior leader Madison Layden-Zay due to a knee injury. The Boilermakers struggled with Oregon's pressure defense, ending the contest with 21 turnovers. The Ducks made the most of those opportunities, scoring 31 points off of Purdue's offensive woes.
Purdue found itself in a favorable position at the end of the first quarter, with the game tied 17-17. But the Ducks stole the second quarter, outscoring the Boilermakers 22-11 to take a 39-28 advantage into half.
The Boilermakers outscored Oregon in both the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.
Lana McCarty had a big afternoon for the Boilers. scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Nya Smith led the way with 20 and Tara Day had 15 points and nine rebounds.
Oregon was led by Katie Fiso, who scored 19 points and dished out four assists. Ehis Etute had 17 points and eight rebounds and Sofia Bell scored nine points.
With the loss, Purdue is now 4-13 in Big Ten play. They are tied with Penn State in the conference standings, but the Nittany Lions own the head-to-head with an 85-82 overtime victory at Mackey Arena on Feb. 4.
What's the situation for Purdue?
First and foremost, Purdue must beat Northwestern on Sunday in Evanston. If the Boilermakers lose, their season will come to an end. If they win, they'll put themselves in a good position to make the 15-team field.
A win would put Purdue at 5-13 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers need one of two things to happen in addition to winning on Sunday. They also need Indiana (5-12) to defeat Penn State (4-13), or they need Iowa to defeat Wisconsin (5-12).
If Purdue wins and Penn State loses, it will own the 15th spot outright. If the Nittany Lions defeat the Hoosiers and Iowa beats Wisconsin, there will be a four-way tie from 13th through 16th between Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin and Penn State.
In that scenario, Wisconsin would be the team left out, as it would have a 1-2 record against the other three teams in the mix, the lowest winning percentage of the group.
The only way Purdue would be left out of the field if it wins is if Penn State beats Indiana and Wisconsin beats Iowa. So, the Boilermakers don't completely control their own destiny, but a win puts them in pretty good shape to make the trip down to Indianapolis next week.
In other words, Purdue's postseason begins on Sunday in Evanston.
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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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