Indiana defeated Purdue 72-67 at Assembly Hall to earn Darian DeVries his first signature victory as Indiana's head coach and secure a crucial quad-one win for the Hoosiers' NCAA tournament resume.

With the national championship football team honored before the game, Indiana jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead behind balanced scoring and relentless defense on Braden Smith, then survived a second-half offensive drought and several missed free throws to hold off Purdue's late charge and improve to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in Big Ten play.

Jerod Morris, Andy Bottoms, Ryan Phillips, and Bob Moats break down the massive victory and what it means for the program:

• Connor Enright's 40-minute defensive masterpiece on Braden Smith (holding the All-American to 14 points on 14 shots with five assists and four turnovers) and his ice-cold three-pointer at 65-63 that ended a crucial offensive drought
• How Indiana won the first half with physicality, defensive intensity, and a 21-6 run over the final eight minutes featuring clutch buckets from Reed Bailey, Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries, and Josiah Miles
• Nick Dorn's breakout continued with 18 points including eight straight in a critical second-half stretch, plus key drives that showed he's more than just a shooter
• Why Indiana's ability to avoid fouling (only 15 team fouls, nobody with more than three) while forcing Purdue into 10 turnovers was the defensive blueprint they've needed all season
• The second-half offensive struggles when Indiana went too conservative too early, missing three front-ends of one-and-ones while trying to run clock with five minutes left
• What this win means for the program's trajectory—not just making the tournament this year, but showing what DeVries can do with the right roster construction as a strong 2026 recruiting class takes shape
• Tucker DeVries's toughness leading the game with 10 rebounds despite being held scoreless in the second half, and the critical contributions from role players like Miles, Sicily, and Bailey

Plus, as always: the big moments you might have missed, stats that stood out, and our game ball and hustle award.

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