The Illini are currently riding a seven-game losing streak, and they’ll be looking to snap this streak during their rematch tonight versus the Purdue Boilermakers. These two teams met earlier in the season when Purdue came out victorious 89-67 on Jan. 20th at the State Farm Center.

Illinois’ most recent game was on Monday at home versus No. 18 Ohio State, where they lost 67-86. That loss put the Illini at 6-15 (1-9 in the Big Ten) on the year, but there were positives to take away from the game against the Buckeyes.

Sophomore guard Aayliah Nye scored a career-high 25 points for Illinois, and Kendall Bostic dropped a double-double for the Illini. However 22 points from Jacy Sheldon and 17 from Rikki Harris were enough to see the Buckeyes win comfortably. 

On the other hand, the Purdue Boilermakers enter this matchup with a 14-11 record (5-9 in the Big Ten). They started off the season 9-2 in non-conference play, including a win against a ranked Florida State team early on. But when Big Ten play began, Purdue struggled to keep up with some of the conference’s best schools.

The Boilermakers are led by sophomore guard Madison Layden (12.0 points per game), and junior guard Jeanae Terry pulls down 6.5 rebounds per game.

Thursday’s meeting between Purdue and Illinois marks the 83rd time these two teams have met, with Illinois trailing in the all time series 19-63. Illinois’ last win on the road versus Purdue came on Feb. 21st, 2015, where they won 47-46.

Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CST in West Lafayette, as the game will be streamed live on BIG+. Mike Koon will also call the action from the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM)

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