BOZICH | Purdue has Zach Edey, 87-66 win; Indiana has issues | Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WDRB) — At halftime, winning was no longer the mission for the Indiana University men’s basketball team.

Not getting embarrassed was the objective. Not losing to Purdue by 30 would also be nice.

The Boilermakers stormed into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Tuesday night and turned it into their personal practice gym.

Zach Edey dunks. Zach Edey hooks. Zach Edey banks. Zach Edey pivots. Zach Edey from the line. Zach Edey blots out the sun, the moon, the stars, the universe.

Zach Edey fouls out Mackenzie Mgbako, Ke’Lel Ware, Gabe Cupps, Calbert Cheaney, Jordan Hulls, Mike Woodson and 17 members of the IU football team.

"We got smacked in the first half," said Woodson, the Hoosiers' coach. "Have to give them credit. They were tougher ... they set the tone."

Like Muhammad Ali smacked a heavy bag. Like Lawrence Taylor smacked a halfback.

Edey, Purdue’s mammoth 7-foot, 4-inch center, hammered the Hoosiers with 18 points as the Boilermakers surged to a 51-29 halftime lead. Then he rolled to 15 more points in the second half as No. 2 Purdue thumped IU, 87-66.

Believe it or not, this Purdue team lost to Nebraska by 16 points a week ago.

Believe it or not, Indiana has been outscored by an average of 23 points in losses to UConn, Auburn and Purdue, three of the best teams on its schedule.

Edey actually did send Mgbako and Ware to the bench with two fouls less than seven minutes into the game. They were not prepared for Edey's overpowering presence. Edey drew two more fouls in the next two minutes.

Who does this guy think he is, the Player of the Year?

"This was my last chance to get a win here," Edey said, talking like a guy who grew up in Kokomo, not Canada.

Purdue scored 35 points in the first half here last season. IU won by 5.

Purdue scored 28 points in the first half here two years ago. IU won by 3.

This time Purdue flexed for 51. Good thing Bob Knight was not here to see that.

Edey was not prepared to close his college career with three consecutive road losses in this rivalry game. Indiana no longer has inside players with the quickness and bounce of Trayce Jackson-Davis or the strength of Race Thompson.

"We couldn't get on Edey quick enough," Woodson said. "Once he has the angle, it's tough to get there ... I've got to get my two big guys a little more tougher."

Edey showed the Hoosiers — and America — why he is firmly in position to become the first player in 41 years (Ralph Sampson of Virginia in 1982 and 1983) to win the John Wooden Award in consecutive seasons as the most outstanding player in the men’s game.

He made 11 of 23 shots. He made 11 of 12 free throws. He swallowed 14 rebounds. He blocked one shot.

Edey also showed the world why Indiana isn't going anywhere in the Big Ten or the NCAA Tournament this season.

Ware is 7 feet tall. He averages 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds. Against Edey, Ware looked like he belonged in the jockey's room at Churchill Downs. He scored 5 points. He grabbed 6 rebounds. He was not a factor.

Malik Reneau, the Hoosiers' power forward and leading scorer at 16.3 per game, labored to score 8. He was also not a factor.

Instead of the usual 31 points the Hoosiers get from their front court, IU got 13. Mike Woodson has not assembled the necessary pieces around the perimeter for the Hoosiers to succeed when they are unable to dominate inside.

Trey Galloway led IU with 17. Mgbako scored IU's first seven points in only three minutes. He added 8 points the rest of the night.

"I thought in the first half we got some good looks," Woodson said. "I charted, there were eight or nine open shots that we just didn't make. Those empty possessions that you leave on the table."

Xavier Johnson, IU's sixth-year point guard, delivered another troubling dud. In 19 minutes, Johnson missed all five of his shots, turning the ball over twice without an assist.

He also contributed to a 5-point Purdue play, drawing a flagrant one foul for pushing a Purdue player as a Boilermaker three-point shot went it. This was only a week after Johnson was ejected from IU's game at Rutgers for hitting an opposing player in the groin, a repulsive move that inspired former IU star Brian Evans to suggest Johnson be removed from the team.

"In the first half, we had some dumb fouls," said Galloway, a senior who shares the responsibility of being a team captain with Johnson.

"There's a difference in playing hard and not playing smart."

Galloway did not have to say where Johnson's flagrant foul falls on that line of behavior.

When Indiana started the game sizzling, Edey burned even brighter.

When the Hoosiers cut the halftime deficit from 22 to 9, Edey was there to remind the Hoosiers that a miracle comeback was out of the question.

Edey scored to put Purdue ahead by double figures. Within minutes the Boilermakers’ advantage swelled back to 19 points.

"We didn't have that next gear to keep going and cutting into the lead," Galloway said.

Purdue improved to 5-2 in the Big Ten, flashing the dominant play that figures to make Matt Painter’s team a top seed on Selection Sunday.

Indiana slumped to 4-3 in the Big Ten and 12-6 overall. After the game, Ken Pomeroy's analytics web site dropped IU from No. 91 to 95, pegging their final records at 16-15 and 8-12. The Hoosiers lack a signature victory and should not expect any exciting news on Selection Sunday unless they ramp up their performance over the next seven weeks.

The toughest stretch in the Indiana schedule will continue with a pair road games. The Hoosiers visit Wisconsin Friday and then enjoy an eight-day break before the play at Illinois Jan. 27.

Remember: It is Wisconsin, not Purdue, that sits in first place in the Big Ten. Indiana last won at the Kohl Center in Madison in 1998, two years before Knight was forced out as the Hoosiers' coach.

"In big games like this, you have to find ways to fight and be tough," Galloway said.

We'll see if Indiana can find them soon.