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No. 1 Purdue Upset by Northwestern; Wildcats' 1st Ever Win vs. Top-Ranked CBB Team
February 12, 2023
It was a historic afternoon for the Northwestern basketball program Sunday after the Wildcats beat No. 1 Purdue 64-58 for the school's first-ever victory over a top-ranked opponent.
It was an incredible scene at Welsh Ryan Arena as the home crowd stormed the floor following the final buzzer.
It's been a poor run of form lately for the Boilermakers (23-3, 12-3 Big Ten), who have lost two of their last three games and are now sure to fall out of the top-ranked spot. They first fell to No. 18 Indiana on Feb. 4 before the loss to the Wildcats (18-7, 9-5).
Northwestern, who was previously 0-19 against No. 1 teams, was led by the duo of Boo Buie and Chase Audige, the two seniors combined for 41 points in perhaps the biggest win of their college careers.
They did so in dramatic fashion as well.
After Purdue's Zach Edey, who had a team-high 24 points, hit a hook shot with 3:52 to go, the Boilermakers went up 55-47.
However, it was a 17-3 run by the Wildcats to close the game that decided things.
Audige gave Northwestern the lead that it would never surrender when he knocked down a three-pointer with 1:43 left in the game.
In addition to Buie and Audige's impressive offensive performances, what might be even more impressive was what coach Chris Collins' team managed to do on the defensive end of the floor.
Purdue shot just 6-for-21 from the field in the second half and they turned it over 16 times for the game. Coming into the matchup, the Boilermakers ranked top 50 in limiting their turnovers per game.
Three of those turnovers came in the final minute of the game, which helped the Wildcats seal the win.
Despite being unranked, Northwestern now sits second in the Big Ten standings, just 2.5 games behind Purdue.
The Wildcats will look to carry that momentum into the postseason while the Boilermakers may have to go back to the drawing board after their recent struggles.