EVANSTON-They did it again. Northwestern hosted No. 1 Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena and upset the Boilermakers, 92-88. This time, the Wildcats did it in overtime.

Boo Buie played like an All-American with 31 points, nine assists and zero turnovers. He was joined in his backcourt excellence by Ty Berry with 21 and Ryan Langborg with 20.

"I'm a little bit at a loss for words because of what a war that game was," head coach Chris Collins said. "I've been very fortunate to be part of college basketball for four years as a player and now upwards of 25 as a coach.

"That game ranks right up there in terms of the highest level games I've been a part of. Two really good teams throwing haymakers and both teams kept responding."

Purdue leapt out to a 29-16 in the game's first 12 minutes, but Collins and his squad kept the faith and kept whittling away and whittling away until they retook a 48-47 lead with 14:54 to go.

No team would lead by more than four the rest of the way, including overtime.

Reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey led Purdue with 35 points and 14 rebounds, and the game-tying shot to send it to overtime. Despite his heroics, Edey couldn't secure a win over the Wildcats for the second-straight season.

"I'm not really sure what you can do with Edey," Collins said. "He's as dominant a player on the college as I've seen."

An elated Buie told Big Ten Network after the game that he thought tonight was a matchup of the two best players in college basketball.

"Humble," Collins said with a laugh when informed of Buie's remarks, before turning effusive in his praise of his star guard.

"Boo thrives on it. It's one of the reasons as a fifth-year senior, you know, why do you come back? It's for moments like this, to continue to win and to continue to add to your legacy."

The last time Northwestern beat Purdue, it was a 64-58 slugfest fueled by a late run. This time it was a 45-minute long exchange of two great teams going back-and-forth, lighting up the scoreboard.

Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's second win over No. 1 Purdue in 2023:

Boo Buie played like an All-American: Buie's line bears repeating: 31 points, nine assists and zero turnovers. And those 31 came on an efficient 10-for-20 from the field, 2-for-5 from three and 9-for-10 at the line. 40-50-90 on the dot.

"He just relishes these games, he loves the big moments," Collins said. "I like that he's on my team. Whether he's the best player [in the country] or not, I wouldn't trade him for anybody. He and I have developed an amazing relationship. There's trust there."

That trust was manifest when, rather than calling timeout, Collins let Buie create when the Wildcats got the ball back with 30 seconds left. Buie hit a floater with three seconds left, extending the lead to 76-74.

Back-to-back Hail Mary passes to Edey yielded a game-tying layup to send it to overtime, but Buie's heroics didn't stop at regulation. He scored seven points, as did Berry, in the extension, a Herculean effort as he played 43 of 45 possible minutes.

He finished the game a +8.

Buie's game announced his place on the national stage this season. Scoring 31 points on the No. 1 team in the nation is not a quiet feat. He proved that when he's at his best, Northwestern is at its best, and the Wildcats can play and beat anyone in the country.

Northwestern's turnover success shored up rebounding, free throw woes: The Wildcats were outrebounded 52-27. That's not a typo. Purdue almost made as many free throws (31) as Northwestern took (32).

The Wildcats made up those margins with smart decision making, combined with ferocity and patience on defense. They turned Purdue over 17 times, and turned it over just three times in their own right.

The three big men tasked with slowing down Edey: Matt Nicholson, Blake Preston and Luke Hunger, all fouled out or finished with four fouls. The Wildcats played the long game, forcing Edey to beat them at the line while their haranguing scheme of traps kept him from getting comfortable and controlling the game from the field.

Purdue's supporting cast once again wilted around the decorated big man. The last field goal from a player other than Edey came from Mason Gillis, with 1:41 left in the second half, on a second-chance opportunity.

Luke Hunger played key minutes at center: It was a big night for Canadian centers. While Edey lit up the stat sheet for the Boilermakers, Hunger provided crucial minutes for the Wildcats defensively and even in spurts on offense.

The sophomore big man finished with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes before fouling out, but that belies his impact.

As the traditional starter, 7-footer Nicholson was wracked with foul trouble, Hunger stepped up with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes, just 12 short of the number he played this season coming into Friday night's game.

Hunger was a +0 in 14 minutes and that should be hung on a banner at the NU practice facility. The sophomore held Purdue and the reigning National Player of the Year to dead even basketball when called upon.

Collins lauded his exceptional performance.

"I love Luke," he said. "Last year with a broken foot, not only did he not play but he couldn't practice. So for all intents and purposes, he's a freshman...

"He's really been working hard. He's been watching film and waiting for this opportunity. These last couple games, he's gaining more and more equity with his teammates and coaches."

Hunger knew he would have to step up, and Collins knew it would take a village to limit Edey and beat Purdue.

"We talked to all three of them," Collins said about his centers. "You come in and the minute you are out there, you battle... We talked about the three-headed monster of Matt, Luke and Blake."

Backcourt backed up Buie: Buie logged one of the best performances in program history, but received ample support from two of his fellow guards: Berry and Langborg. They poured in 41 points combined and kept Purdue from being able to swarm Buie completely.

Collins has been Berry's No. 1 fan since time immemorial, but he said that Langborg has been an absolutely key addition to this year's team as a grad transfer.

"I don't know if there's a record for calling someone when they hit the portal, but if someone called someone faster than I called Ryan, I'd like to see it," Collins joked. "We just knew he was a fit...

"He's better off the bounce than people give him credit for and he can get to his mid range. I've talked about it since preseason, those four perimeter guys, Boo, Ty, Ryan, Brooks, a lot of what we do is based around them. In order for us to be good, we need their production."

Produce they did, and down No. 1 Purdue went. Again.