Purdue-IU Hoops rivalry takes old-school twist | Mackey’s men face UI in TBT

If you were in Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday, depending on the moment, the shot, the shooter, it would be like being in Purdue basketball’s past.

Men of Mackey is the Purdue Alumni basketball team The Basketball Team. Features five former Boilermakers: Jon Octeus, Eric Hunter, Kelsey Barlow, David Jenkins Jr. and Sasha Stefanovic.

The Men of Mackey advanced in their first meeting, coming from behind to dominate the second half against the Fort Wayne Champs, 75-63.

Mackey’s men struggled early, not finding a rhythm offensively and giving up too many offensive rebounds. So former Boiler coach Lewis Jackson found a lineup that worked for him.

It involved playing most of his Boilers four of the five guards at a time, and for minutes it looked like Purdue’s offenses were old school, with Jenkins coming out, knocking down three points in the first half to keep Purdue in it and knocking down a fourth later in the game for good measure.

Current Purdue assistant coach and former player Sasha Stefanovic also reminisced about his playing days. He was in great shape, pulling out the hand and sinking a three-pointer from the top of the key late in the game. With fears of Stefanovic heating up, Men of Mackey drew a screen set for Stefanovic and Fort Wayne sent two guys at Stefanovic, leaving a large opening for a dunk at the rim.

Stefanovic finished that flurry by showing off, catching the ball more than 30 feet away from the rim and draining the deep three.

Before the Men of Mackey shooters started, Kelsey Barlow and Eric Hunter Jr. kept the team going by attacking the basket and being lead guards in the half court.

It was Hunter Jr. who dropped the game-winner, a step back from three points to reach the magic Elam Ending number as he returned to play at Hinkle Fieldhouse after transferring to Butler after spending his first four years at Purdue.

It was a balanced scoring effort, with four players in double figures.

The victory now sets up an entertaining clash between rivals after the Indiana alumni team beat The Cru (Valparaiso alumni team) 89-78.

IU alumni team Assembly Ball features even more Hoosiers with many names that will be familiar to Purdue fans: Devonte Green, Jordan Hulls, Juwan Morgan, Miller Kopp, Noah Vonleh, Race Thompson, Troy Williams and Yogi Ferrall .

Now the two schools will get a new look at college basketball’s greatest basketball rivalry, as both schools’ past faces off for the unique cash prize for the winner of the Basketball Tournament.

The game will be on the Butler campus in Hinkle Fieldhouse, almost directly between the two campuses.

When: 8pm EST
Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse
How to watch: FS1