Indiana is set to take on rival Purdue in Assembly Hall for the Barn Burner trophy.
Indiana women’s basketball is set to welcome rival Purdue to Assembly Hall on Saturday for the annual Barn Burner trophy matchup.
The Barn Burner trophy is one of a series of trophy games Indiana’s athletics department has with in-state rival Purdue. Among them are:
- The Old Oaken Bucket for football, currently held by Indiana
- The Monon Spike for volleyball, currently held by Purdue
- The Golden Boot for women’s soccer, currently held by Indiana.
The Barn Burner trophy has been held by Indiana for a number of years now. Coming off of a disappointing road loss to Michigan, Indiana will look to keep it that way.
Here’s three things to know:
Purdue’s poor statistical profile
On paper, the Boilers look pretty poor this season.
The program is in its fourth year under head coach Katie Gearlds, a Boilermaker alum like Indiana’s Teri Moren. The Boilers have had some issues with departures through the transfer portal and look like a worse team than they were last year.
Which reflects in the stats.
Per the Big Ten’s website, Purdue is dead last in the conference in points per game with 63.6 (Indiana is 13th with 69.6) and allows the second most opposing points per game with 73.8 (Indiana comes in at 11th with 63.3).
Purdue is 9-15 overall.
Players to watch
The primary two concerns for Indiana’s defense are Destini Lombard and Rashunda Jones.
Lombard is the Boilers’ leading scorer and sole player who averages double-digit points per game with 10.5. Jones is the team’s leader in assists per game with 3.5.
Both are guards who are relatively undersized compared to the typical Indiana lineups. Look for Chloe Moore-McNeil to draw that assignment and do solid work.
Could this be it for Katie Gearlds?
Gearlds is far, far below .500 in year four with the Boilermakers. It’s a program with a national championship to its name and was an NCAA Tournament mainstay not all that long ago.
Could her status as a beloved alum buy her more time or could this be Gearlds’ final go around in West Lafayette?