With Indiana set to travel up to West Lafayette to take on Purdue in the first of two games in the conference’s greatest hoops rivalry, our friends over at our sister site in the SB Nation network, Hammer and Rails, stopped by to talk Boilermaker basketball.
Here’s what they had to say:
Q. I don’t think anybody expected Purdue to be bad or anything this year with Zach Edey departing. What were the expectations heading into the season and how have they changed now?
The expectations were high. Not as high as last year because losing a two time national player of the year is gonna hurt, but still high. A Big Ten title was an expectation for a lot of people given the return of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and TKR. I think a second weekend trip to the NCAA Tournament, where anything can happen was the feeling amongst the fans and I don’t think either of those thoughts have changed.
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Q. How different is Trey Kaufman-Renn this season? Is it the kind of thing where Edey was absorbing most of his possessions and he was always this capable or has he gotten noticeably better since last season?
I think you’ve hit it on the head. It’s hard to play behind an All-American. While TKR and Edey played together last year TKR clearly wasn’t the focus. When you’ve got a guy like Edey you make sure he touches the ball. TKR can now be more of a focus of the offense and with more opportunities comes more experience. He’s had a great season thus far. We’ve seen improvement in his ability to hit both a little floater and a hook shotesque look in the middle of the lane.
Q. Have their been any commonalities to Purdue’s losses this season? Something that comes up in each defeat?
There have been a couple things that I think are commonalities for all teams. Purdue loses when they don’t shoot the three very well and when they turn the ball over. This year the more egregious losses have happened when Purdue didn’t take care of the ball. Painter’s goal each game is to keep TOs under 10. That does not always happen. In the loss to Penn State Purdue turned it over 24 times. You just can’t give opponents that many extra chances.
Q. You can add any non-Edey Purdue center under Painter to this roster. Which one and why?
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That’s a tough question because it would have to be someone who could compliment TKR. I don’t want to take away from what he’s doing so well. Purdue could use a rim protector and somehow who can stretch defenses and step out to maybe hit a three every once in awhile. With that in mind I’ll take JaJuan Johnson but you really couldn’t go wrong with Isaac Hass, Matt Haarms, or any other 7-footer Purdue has had in recent years.
Q. Who are the non-Braden Smith and Kaufman-Renn players Indiana should be worried about?
Fletcher Loyer is Purdue’s best three point shooter so you’ve gotta focus on pushing him off the line and not allowing easy looks. Purdue’s also got CJ Cox a true freshman guard who has shown the ability to go off for 20+ on any particular day. He’s a good ball handler and an aggressive defender.
Q. Score prediction?
I’m taking Purdue and I think it won’t be close. When Braden Smith plays mad he’s hard to beat. I think he wants to stick it to IU for this one. He’s the type of player that just needs one thing to feel like a betrayal and you’re dead to him forever. I’m taking Purdue 84 – IU 65.
ELKHART, Ind. (WISH) — Multiple people were shooting in an incident that ended with one person dead and 11 others sent to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The Elkhart Police Department says they were called to the 300 block of W Garfield Avenue for a shots fired call at 1:11 a.m. Saturday. “At this point in the investigation, twelve (12) people have either arrived at or were transported to area hospitals with gunshot wounds,” Elkhart police officer Jessica McBrier wrote in a press release.
One of the 12 people has died. Police did not provide the conditions for the others except that some have already been treated and left the hospital.
EPD’s crime scene is a “large area” between the 200 and 400 block of W Garfield Avenue, and they’re collecting evidence from the surrounding area. The initial investigation found that multiple people were firing guns during the shootout.
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If you have any information into the shootings, you’re urged to call the Elkhart Police Department at574-295-7070 or Michiana Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP.
This story has been updated with new information from the Elkhart Police Department.
Kilty Cleary is a Los Angeles-based media and marketing pro with 18+ years of experience. He’s worked with top brands like Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, building key partnerships and creating engaging content. Follow him on X and IG @theonlykilty
Kilty Cleary
Contributing Sports Writer
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The New York Liberty, reigning WNBA champions, travel to Indiana to face the Fever in a Commissioner’s Cup matchup on Saturday, June 14.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever celebrates a basket during the second half of a game against the Las Vegas Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 13, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever celebrates a basket during the second half of a game against the Las Vegas Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 13, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
How to Watch New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever:
When: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Fubo (Try for free!)
The Liberty enters this game with a perfect 9-0 record, the best start in franchise history. They have outscored opponents by 171 points through nine games, the largest margin in WNBA history at this stage. New York leads the league in both offensive and defensive ratings, boasting a remarkable net rating of +23.4. Breanna Stewart leads the team in scoring with 19 per game, shooting a fantastic 53.8% from the field.
Indiana is looking to rebound after a 77-58 loss to the Atlanta Dream, with Natasha Howard leading the way, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The team has been without rookie sensation Caitlin Clark for five consecutive games due to a left quadriceps strain. Her last appearance was against the Liberty on May 24, when she recorded 18 points and 10 assists but also committed 10 turnovers in a narrow 90-88 defeat.
Clark will make her return on Saturday against the Liberty on Indiana’s home court.
This will be the second of four matchups between the Liberty and Fever, with the Liberty winning 90-88 in Indiana on May 24.
Live stream New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever on Fubo: Start your subscription now!
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INDIANAPOLIS — There’s a phrase that’s ubiquitous in Indiana. You see it on chalkboard signs outside of bars. You hear it from fans, coaches and players. It was emblazoned on T-shirts at Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It’s even the slogan for the state’s basketball Hall of Fame.
In 49 other states, it’s just basketball. But this is Indiana.
It was in 1925, after all, that the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, watched a state high school tournament and declared Indiana “the center of the sport.”
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Now, 100 years later, between a stunning Indiana Pacers run to the finals and the exploding popularity of the Indiana Fever, Naismith’s observation has never been more true.
“I realized that basketball was really special when I took my official visit here,” said Pacers center Thomas Bryant, who played two years at Indiana University before entering the NBA in 2017. “It just felt right. You felt the energy, you felt the tenacity, you felt the love of the game, and the passion that everybody brought. That’s what made me fall in love with Indiana.”
“Basketball is king,” said actor Drew Powell, a native of the town of Lebanon whose recent credits include the medical drama “The Pitt.” “It’s everywhere. The entire state buys in. Like Brazilians are born with soccer, Hoosiers are born with basketball.”
“I’ve been here for a few years now,” Fever guard Lexie Hull explained. “And getting to go to high schools and see just even at that level, people are so passionate, excited and supportive of women’s and men’s basketball. I don’t think you find that everywhere.”
Hoosier Hysteria dates back well into the early 1900s. The state’s love of basketball in particular grew out of the single-class high school system, which pitted every school in the state against one another in one massive basketball tournament that whipped fans into a frenzy — and impressed Naismith.
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In 1954, the Milan High School Indians, with an enrollment of only 161 students, won the state tournament, which served as the inspiration for the 1986 film “Hoosiers.” In 1955, Sports Illustrated wrote about what it deemed the “statewide mania” of basketball in a story headlined “The Hoosier Madness.”
Since then, Indiana has produced well over 100 professional players, most notably Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who, after stints as the head coach and the president of basketball operations, is an adviser for the Pacers.
Thomas Bryant of the Indiana Pacers celebrates against the New York Knicks on May 31 in Indianapolis.Justin Casterline / Getty Images
And now, Indiana is home to both another underdog story in the Pacers, who are on the cusp of their first NBA championship, and the ascending Fever, who employ the biggest star in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark.
“As someone who grew up in the state of Indiana … it’s such a fun time to be in the city,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said. “I was here the last time the Pacers were in the finals. I remember being in the building and feeling the energy. There’s no better place.”
The simultaneous success of the men’s and women’s professional teams gives Indiana a real chance to become the first state to have an NBA and a WNBA champion in the same year since 2002, when the Lakers and Sparks won for Los Angeles. (The Fever may not be title favorites, but then again, neither were the Pacers.)
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The teams have also shown up for each other, with players from both sides often attending the other’s games this spring. (Through Game 3 of the finals, the Pacers were 8-0 in playoff games attended by Clark.)
“It’s been real fun,” said Fever forward Natasha Howard, who has attended multiple postseason games. “To see our guys come from being 10-15 to being in the NBA Finals, anything is possible. I’m extremely proud of what they overcame.”
“It’s electric,” added Hull, who attended Game 3 with Howard and Clark. “They’re selling out Gainbridge [Fieldhouse], we’re selling out Gainbridge. We love to support them and they love to support us.”
The Pacers and the Fever are not only successful, they’re capturing fans in a unique way.
Since drafting Clark last year, the Fever have routinely broken attendance and viewership records. Powell described the atmosphere at their home games as something closer to a concert because of the fanaticism.
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The team even sold so much merchandise after drafting Clark that it was reportedly audited.
The Pacers, meanwhile, aren’t quite as much of an underdog as Milan was in ’54, but they are putting together their own run worthy of a Hollywood script.
The Pacers had the 17th-best title odds before the season, worse than some teams that didn’t even make the playoffs. They were five games under .500 over a quarter of the way into the season. And during the playoffs, they pulled off a string of comebacks en route to the finals, the chances of which were 1 in 10 million. Literally.
And the Pacers have done all of this despite their limited avenues to building a contender.
Even with the state being a hotbed for basketball, Indiana has not been a major player for free agents. The Pacers also largely refuse to tank for top draft picks. The result is a finals team very few saw coming — one that’s giving the Oklahoma City Thunder and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all they can handle.
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The sport of basketball has followed Powell, who flew in from Los Angeles for Game 4, around his entire life. He was offered a chance to be in “Hoosiers” as an extra when he was in grade school, but he declined when he found out he would be required to cut his hair for the role. (He regrets it.)
He went to college in Indiana, at DePauw University in Greencastle, where he was fraternity brothers with future Butler University head coach (and current Boston Celtics general manager) Brad Stevens.
He knows how meaningful the Pacers winning it all would be for his home state.
“It puts you on the map,” Powell said about what an NBA title would do for Indiana. “For a long time, being a small-market team, there are ways in which we’re always at odds with the league. If the Pacers win, it would be the ultimate team award.
“There’s a quote in ‘Hoosiers,’ ‘Let’s win this one for all the small schools that never had a chance to be here,’ you know? I could see the Pacers saying that exact type of thing in the huddle.”