Indiana basketball can be a very intense matter, especially at Indiana University and Purdue University. The rivalry between the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers started in 1901. At the beginning of it all, Purdue took the lead, winning 51 out of the first 62 games. But, as time went on, IU began to push over and take the lead. 

“The rivalry runs bone and blood deep,” English teacher Grace Scott said. “You can not be a Purdue fan and ever cheer for IU and vice versa. You always want to see your team win, and with this season, the rivalry stings for sure. It hurts to lose to them twice. I thought for sure we would get IU at Mackey.”

The Purdue Boilermakers are from West Lafayette. Matt Painter coaches them in basketball. Painter has been the

coach of the Boilermakers for 18 years and had an overall winning record of 408-196 in his career before the game on Saturday

“I feel that when it comes down to it, Purdue is the better team,” freshman Maeda Bradbury said. “But, each team brings different things to the table. We have the height and range to shoot. But, they have a lockdown defense. When it comes to players, I strongly believe we have better players. But coaching-wise, IU has a more knowledgeable coach that knows what he’s doing.”

Mike Woodson coaches the Indiana Hoosiers from Bloomington. Woodson has been the head coach for around two years. He was hired in March.  28, 2021.

“I feel IU has the better coaching staff,” sophomore Emma Brown said. “I am an IU fan, but even if I wasn’t I would still say them. You can just see how he treats those boys like family and like they are his own sons. Yes, some might say that he is hard on those boys, but he is because he knows they can do great things.”

Both teams played last on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Purdue. Early on in the game, Purdue was up by four at the end of the second half, but as the game progressed to the end, IU took the win by eight points with an end score of 79-71.

“The game was bad in the first half,” sophomore Emilia Rozzi said. “We were definitely lacking in the first half, but during the second half, we came back, and it obviously ended up turning out good for us”

The school is pretty split when it comes to the rivalry, not only between students.

“I feel that if we look completely over it all, IU is better, but in the last few years, Purdue has been the better team,” sophomore Tate Strong said. “I think that the IU versus Purdue rivalry is one of the best rivalries in college sports, especially in basketball over the last ten years. I think Purdue has gotten better over that time.” 

Both of the schools are two of the largest colleges in Indiana. Both schools have many education options as well as sports. As some students think it’s more important to choose a school for a sports scholarship, many students think they need to have a  good education program over sports.

“Both IU and Purdue are very high on the academic end, so if you’re going just for academics either school would be a good school to go to,” Bradbury said. “I think if you’re looking to go to play collegiately for a nursing or medical science of any sort, you should go to IU. But if you’re wanting to study engineering, agriculture, veterinary, or psychology of any type, Purdue is the place to go.”

When it comes down to the root of the rivalry, so many students have different reasons why they follow a specific team. For most, it’s kids following in their parent’s footsteps.

“IU has always been in my family,” Rozzi said. “My mom went there, and now my sister goes there, and I have always looked into going to IU. I just feel like it has always been in my family, so I was kind of just born into it.” 

The rivalry is such a big part of Indiana. From the students to the athletes to the teachers and the school corporation as a whole, it is a subject Hoosiers will always be passionate about.

“It’s a very intense rivalry,” Rozzi said. “Having two schools and Purdue is next to me and I have family there but also with IU I have family that goes there so it is definitely intense having two schools right next to each other that are big ten schools in the same state.”