Teams don’t walk into Mackey Arena and blow Purdue off its own floor. That rule had held for years, until Saturday, when Iowa State tore it to pieces. The Cyclones completely dismantled the top-ranked Boilermakers, owning the entire second half on their way to a stunning 81–58 victory.

The scale of the collapse was historic. Purdue’s defeat now stands as the second-worst home loss ever suffered by an AP No. 1 team, a mark topped only by Connecticut’s drubbing at Villanova back in 1995. And because Purdue wasn’t even facing a conference opponent, this one officially becomes the most lopsided non-conference home loss ever dealt to a No. 1 team.

By those standards, of course, this 23-point loss against Iowa State is the heaviest defeat for the Boilers at the Mackey Arena. This marked Purdue’s first non-conference home defeat since it lost to Texas in November 2019, snapping a 36-game strong streak and making Iowa’s away record against them 2-0 in the process.

Iowa State opened the game with far sharper shooting, knocking down 48 percent of its attempts while limiting Purdue to just 37 percent before halftime. The Boilermakers’ primary scoring options never found a rhythm early.

Fletcher Loyer saw just one of his five attempts fall, and Trey Kaufman-Renn endured a long drought, going 1-of-8, coming up empty on his first six looks. He didn’t get his first basket until the final minute and change before halftime.

Still, Purdue was within striking distance, ending the first half 31-35. However, they couldn’t stop the Cyclones, who came out firing with an 11–0 burst that pushed the margin to 48–33 with just over 17 minutes remaining, capped by back-to-back-to-back threes from Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic, and Keshon Toure.

From there, the Cyclones only widened the gap. The lead ballooned to 27 as Iowa State shot a sharp 54 percent from the field, while Purdue managed just 41 percent. The Boilermakers also coughed up 15 turnovers, three more than Iowa State.

Purdue’s shooting woes stretched beyond ball security. They connected on only 4 of 18 attempts from deep and struggled at the foul line, converting just 6 of 14 free throws.

“It was an avalanche,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We had way too many turnovers in the second half, and more than anything, I feel they just stole our spirit. You have to give Iowa State credit. They were the reason for our frustration level. They took us to the woodshed.”

This defeat marks the end of Purdue’s impressive unbeaten run this season, after both teams entered this game with a strong 8-0 record. Also, as per journalist Alec Busse, this is the first time the Cyclones have beaten a No. 1 team on the road in program history.

And, at the heart of this defeat was Milan Momcilovic, who caught fire after the break.

Milan Momcilovic ran the show for Iowa State in a blowout win over Purdue

Momcilovic scored 13 of his 20 points after halftime, recording his third straight 20-point game and fifth of the season on 8-for-17 shooting.

The power forward has an exceptional middle game as he goes against modern analytics with his movement, footwork to get into the clean. He is easily one of the most improved players in the college basketball scene. That confidence shows in his game and also in his postgame interviews.

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“It just shows we’re one of the best teams in the country, and you got to be scared to play us,” Momcilovic said after the win over Purdue.

“I am just proud of Milan and how he continues to work and embrace everything that our team needs him to do,” HC Otzelberger said about Momcilovic after the win. “The confidence and the swagger that he has are a big part of our team and program. So we will just challenge him to continue to do that.”

Otzelberger has been able to extract the best performances from the 21-year-old, and now he is showing what he can do in his third season with the Cyclones. He has improved significantly since last year, when he was averaging only 11.5 points per game while shooting 42.9% from the floor and only 32.9% from the three. This year, he is averaging 18.1 points with a FG% of 55.6.

With the form Momcilovic is in, he is expected to reach greater heights this season with the Cyclones. How far do you think he will guide Iowa State? Comment your views below.