By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The two winningest teams in the Big Ten over the past six seasons will meet in another epic showdown on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, when the 11th ranked Illini head to Mackey Arena to take the #4 Purdue Boilermakers. Both teams sit at 7-1 in conference play, and with this being the only meeting between the two squads the winner has a leg up in the conference title chase and a protected seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Illini have won 8 in a row, while the Boilers had their own 9 game winning streak broken on Tuesday by UCLA.

Here’s a look at the matchup.

Setting the Stage
#11 Illinois (16-3, 7-1 B1G) at #4/4 Purdue (17-2, 7-1 B1G)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 // 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) // West Lafayette, Ind. // Mackey Arena
TV: FOX – Kevin Kugler (Play-by-Play) & Miles Simon (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*No. 11 Illinois, riding an eight-game win streak, plays at No. 4 Purdue on Saturday afternoon in a ranked matchup featuring the Big Ten's winningest programs over the last seven seasons.

*Illinois is in search of its first road win over a top-5 team since a 76-53 victory at No. 2 Michigan on March 2, 2021.

*Illinois' current eight-game win streak is the longest of the Brad Underwood era, and the longest for the program since winning 12 straight to open the 2012-13 season. Owning an overall record of 16-3, Illinois is off to its best start since opening the 2008-09 season 17-3.

*Illinois is 7-1 in Big Ten play for the first time in the Underwood era. It is the Illini's best start to conference play since the 2004-05 squad won its first 15 league games as part of 29-straight wins to open the season. The 2005 Illini swept the Big Ten regular season and Tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four, finishing as the NCAA runner-up with a 37-2 overall record.

* Ninth-year Illini head coach Brad Underwood is one win away from his 100th Big Ten victory. He ranks third on the Illini all-time Big Ten wins list behind Lou Henson (214, 21 years) and Harry Combes (174, 20 years).

* The Fighting Illini and Boilermakers are tied for the most wins in Big Ten play since 2019-20 with 88 victories each. During that span, Illinois leads the conference with 38 road wins in league play. Including the conference tournament, Illinois and Purdue are also tied for the most total wins against Big Ten opponents since 2019-20 with 95, and have each secured a B1G-leading three championships.

*Illinois is 6-2 away from home this season, including 4-0 in true road games. The Illini are 4-0 on the road in Big Ten play for the first time since 2004-05, when they won their first seven league road games. The Illini are riding a five-game Big Ten road win streak dating back to last season, the program's longest run since winning six consecutive league road games from Feb. 27, 2021 through Jan. 11, 2022.

*Illinois is currently without the services of senior leader Kylan Boswell, who fractured a bone in right hand in practice on Monday. Boswell is expected to return to the lineup in February.

*Keaton Wagler's scoring average of 15.9 points is on pace to tie the Illini freshman season scoring record set by Kiwane Garris, who averaged 15.9 ppg in 1993-94.

*Andrej Stojakovic is the second active Illini to reach 1,000 points for his career, reaching the milestone last Saturday vs. Minnesota. Following his 30-point outing vs. Maryland on Wednesday, Stojakovic now has 1,030 career points to rank behind Kylan Boswell (1,195) in the 1,000-point club.

*Four Fighting Illini average at least 12 points per game, tied for second nationally: Keaton Wagler (15.9), Andrej Stojakovic (14.4), Kylan Boswell (14.3 ppg), and David Mirkovic (12.2). Illinois is tied for first nationally with six players averaging at least four rebounds: David Mirkovic (8.4 rpg), Keaon Wagler (5.2), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.1), Tomislav Ivisic (4.9), Andrej Stojakovic (4.6), and Kylan Boswell (4.2).

*Saturday's game is designated as the yearly Hammer Down Cancer game for the Boilermakers. Purdue will wear specially-designed jerseys accentuated by the Volt color used by the Purdue Center for Cancer Research to symbolize the celebration, recognition and honoring of everyone affected by cancer. The jerseys, shooting shirts and Nike Air Force 1's (designed by kids at Riley's Children Hospital) will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to both the Purdue Center for Cancer Research and Riley's Children Hospital (shoes).

*Purdue is coming off a 69-67 loss to UCLA on Tuesday, as the Bruins ended the game on an 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to complete the rally. It snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Boilermakers.

*Saturday's game features the two most-efficient offenses in the country via KenPom. Illinois is ranked No. 1 in offensive efficiency (129.6), while Purdue is second (129.3).

*Purdue is in the midst of a gauntlet of playing six games in an eight-game stretch away from Mackey Arena (road games vs. USC, UCLA, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Iowa). This marks the fourth game of a five-game stretch against a Quad-1 opponent (Iowa, USC, UCLA, Illinois, Indiana). The two home games in that stretch are against No. 11 Illinois and Oregon.

*Purdue's 15 wins in the first three quads are the second most nationally behind Michigan (16). Purdue has played just two quad-4 games and the Boilermakers' six quad-1 wins are tied for second nationally with Arizona and Nebraska (Duke has 8).

*A win on Saturday would give Purdue an 18-2 start (or better) for the third time in the last four seasons (2022-23, 2023-24, 2025-26). Purdue has started 18-2 or better four times in school history. • Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Purdue owns the nation's best winning percentage against teams ranked in the AP top 12, posting a 12-4 record (.750).

*Braden Smith needs 19 assists to move into the top 10 on the NCAA career assists list. In Big Ten play only, Braden Smith is averaging 18.0 points, 8.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, while shooting 55.0 percent (55-of-100) from the field and 51.4 percent (18-of-35) from 3-point range. • Braden Smith is currently one of six players in NCAA history to average 14.5 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in a season

* Fletcher Loyer made four 3-pointers in the win against Penn State. When he makes four or more 3-pointers in a game during his career, Purdue is 20-0. •Loyer is shooting 44.7 percent (130-of291) for his career in Mackey Arena from 3-point range. This year, he is 31-of-68 (.456) at home, but just 14-of-52 (.269) away from Mackey

*Oscar Cluff is shooting 75.6 percent from the field. The school record is 70.8 percent.

Keys to the Game

1. Slow Smith - You are not going to be able to stop Braden Smith, but you have to make it difficult for him. Make him shoot a poor percentage and limit his ability to find open shooters. Illinois has to use their length to tip passes and when Purdue struggles, Smith turns it over trying to force things. To wit, he had 6 turnovers against Iowa State and 4 against UCLA.
2. Transition Defense - Purdue has hurt Illinois in the past with transition 3’s off of turnovers or even just when they rebound and run. Loyer has been struggling from deep, but he can get hot when he gets open and once that happens he can hurt you. It also opens up bigs running the floor and getting deep post up opportunities.
3. Take Advantage of Matchups - Purdue will not switch small on big screens, which should leave Illinois with some pick and pop opportunities, but they will on small on small interchanges. That could allow Stojakovic and Wagler to get favorable matchups with the spacing that Davis can provide on the wing.

Prediction
The Illini matchup fairly well with Purdue, but the difficulty of playing without Boswell on defense and on the road at one of the toughest places to play makes this a tough game to predict a win. Expect Purdue to make some runs and the Illini to battle back but fall short 81-78.