Mike Carmin

Journal & Courier

The Boilermakers lead the all-time series against the Hoosiers 117-89

Purdue won both meetings last season

The Boilermakers have won three straight against Indiana at Mackey Arena

Big Ten Joint Group Meeting is Monday and Tuesday at the conference office

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – When Big Ten men’s basketball schedules are announced, Purdue and Indiana fans look to see if the two programs will face off twice in the regular season.

When the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers play only once, the mood turns sour.

The situation could change, and for the better.

Purdue first-year athletic director Mike Bobinski is prepared to tackle the issue of protecting the in-state rivalry to allow the schools to play twice during the Big Ten season instead of relying on the league’s scheduling rotation. Matt Painter has been vocal about the idea and Bobinski is in lockstep with his veteran coach.

It’s one of several topics scheduled to be addressed at next week’s Big Ten Joint Group Meetings at the conference office.

“IU wants it. We want it,” Bobinski said. “It makes perfect sense from your fan perspective. It makes great sense regionally because there’s great interest in those games. Why wouldn’t you play them twice? There’s going to be television interest in those games more often than not.

“To have them happen when they happen in the rotation doesn’t seem like we’re putting our best foot forward as a league. I don’t know if across the league there’s wide spread interest among others that have what they believe is a natural rival. If there are, I would be all for that too.”

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This isn’t a new topic, but it’s new to Bobinski and his desire to make this happen is real. In his first year at Purdue, Bobinski experienced the rivalry at Mackey Arena and Assembly Hall.

He’s not looking forward to the regular season when the teams meet only once in the regular season. That could come as early as the upcoming season.

“This year, we played them twice and it was great,” Bobinski said. “Playing only once doesn’t feel right. In this state with the history of the two programs, why wouldn’t you play twice?”

Painter has been at the forefront of the two programs playing twice every season. Painter also understands the complexities of creating a conference schedule that remains fair for all teams in determining the regular season champion.

Painter brought up the topic of protective rivalries earlier this week at a meeting of the league’s coaches, Bobinski said.

“Matt is a big proponent of this,” Bobinski said. “He brought it to commissioner (Jim Delany) a couple of months ago. We want to put this on the agenda.”

Painter declined an interview request by the Journal & Courier until the athletic directors and Big Ten administrators hold their discussions.

Bobinski was told the topic “came through the coaches group with full support.” If the athletic directors would sign off on a new scheduling rotation, it would move through the Big Ten approval process.

Under the current scheduling model, the league's men's basketball programs play five teams twice and face eight teams once (four home, four away) during the 18-game season. This past season was the last of a three-year scheduling rotation.

While Michigan-Michigan State, Northwestern-Illinois, Wisconsin-Minnesota and Nebraska-Iowa make sense on the basketball court, what do you do with Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers and Maryland?

Not every men’s basketball program has a natural rival and finding a full consensus among other athletic directors probably won’t happen. Bobinski's main concern to see Purdue and Indiana square off twice every season.

“If you don’t have (a rivalry) and you’re happy with the rotation, fine. Those of us that do have one, can the scheduling folks tell us they can work that into the model and not impair anybody else’s schedule unfairly?” Bobinski said.

Need a blueprint? The Atlantic Coast Conference schedules North Carolina and Duke to play twice every season.

“It’s not like it can’t be done. It’s happening in other leagues,” Bobinski said.

Reach Journal and Courier Purdue football and women's basketball reporter Mike Carmin at mcarmin@gannett.com