February 26, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) looks at the referee during the first half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Image No. 8 Purdue and Ohio State are coming off losses, but still have goals left for Sunday’s game in Columbus, Ohio.
The Boilermakers (22-6, 12-5 Big Ten) are looking for a top-four finish heading into the conference tournament. But they are ranked No. 5 after losing 76-74 at home to No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday.
Nebraska and Michigan State are tied for second with conference records of 13-4, with Illinois (13-5) a half-game behind. The top four teams receive a triple bye into the tournament.
“The most disappointing thing for us is you’re jockeying for a triple bye, and now you’re playing fewer games,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Last year was the first year in 10 years that we did not reach our goal.
“That’s important ahead of the NCAA Tournament because you want to be a little more pure, like having three games in three days instead of four games in four days. It’s not the end of the world, but that’s what you’re competing for.”
Purdue will likely need to win, starting with a game against the Buckeyes (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten), who are in even more dire straits. Painter can certainly talk about the NCAA Tournament, but Ohio State is teetering on the bubble.
Wednesday’s 74-57 loss at Iowa marked the Buckeyes’ first two-game losing streak this season. They also have a 1-10 record against Quad 1 opponents.
Ohio State sits in ninth place in the Big Ten, one game behind Iowa (10-7) with a double bye going to teams seeded 5-8.
It will take a whole team effort for the Buckeyes to upset Purdue. Against Iowa, they played without center Christophe Tilly (ankle). His status for Sunday’s game is unknown. The Buckeyes didn’t get much out of Bruce Thornton.
Thornton did not score in the first half, during which Ohio State trailed 37-23 at the break. His first goal came with just over 12 minutes left in the game. He scored 10 points, half his season average.
“He’s got to be aggressive and he’s got to stay aggressive,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “We moved him around a little bit. I thought he missed a few opportunities to attack in the first half. He did a much better job of getting the ball into the paint in the second half.”
The Buckeyes are looking for consistency, but Dibler said this is difficult as players come in and out of the lineup due to injuries.
“We now have a little bit of time to get some good preparation for the next game and hopefully get some time to get fitter and practice the lineup we need to play,” he said.
With 1,004 total assists, Purdue’s Braden Smith needs four more to pass Long Island’s Jason Brickman for fourth all-time in the NCAA.
“(Smith) is a really great player. He’s amazing.” Painter said. “He put in a lot of time and made a lot of sacrifices. Basketball is an important part of his life. It’s an honor to coach him, he’s great and great for us and has done a lot for this university.”
–Field level media
