Indiana Sports 2023 Recap: Greatest Victory for Men’s Basketball.

As part of our “Indiana Sports 2023 Rewind” series, we reflect on the year’s most noteworthy events for the Hoosiers. With 35 points from Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana defeated No. 5 Purdue 79-71 at Mackey Arena on February 25, 2023, to earn the title of best men’s basketball win and complete the season sweep.

Bloomington, Indiana: We’ll have to go back to the previous season to determine Indiana’s best 2023 victory as the Hoosiers lost to UConn, Auburn, and Kansas, thereby blowing three opportunities at big wins to begin the 2023–24 basketball season.

What a victory it was too. On February 25, the No. 17 Hoosiers defeated No. 5 Purdue 79-71 to finish the season with a sweep of their in-state rivals. Even though Purdue was the top-ranked team going into the first game at Assembly Hall, their victory inside the loud Mackey Arena enhanced the significance of the second leg of the sweep.

For the majority of the previous season, Trayce Jackson-Davis carried Indiana, but it was evident from the opening minutes that a different Hoosier would be needed to defeat the Boilermakers. Let’s introduce Jalen Hood-Schifino, the rookie whose poise and accurate shooting finally brought Mackey Arena to a complete blackout.

With mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper, Hood-Schifino tore apart Purdue’s drop-coverage defense, and the Boilermakers were killed by a million cuts after his 35-point performance. He shot 14 of 24 from the field, going 1 of 2 from beyond the arc and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Purdue attempted multiple defenders, but none were able to thwart the pick-and-roll strategy of Jackson-Davis and Hood-Schifino.