After a couple of home blowout wins tonight is a huge game. Really, tonight’s game is the key to the rest of the season. If Purdue wants any shot at winning the Big Ten it likely has to navigate this very difficult stretch of four road games in five (with the home date against a very good Northwestern team) at around 4-1. It just feels like a win tonight erases the nasty road loss at Iowa, whereas a loss further magnifies that defeat in terms of the overall Big Ten race.
The truth is, Wisconsin and Maryland, the two teams Purdue is chasing in the conference race, don’t have a similar five game stretch like this.