Indiana men's basketball at Purdue: Three things to know
Indiana heads to West Lafayette Friday Night to take on a new-look Purdue team that once again appears to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten.
The Boilermakers suffered some lumps in their non-conference, but appear to have figured things out and sit at 8-2 in Big Ten Play entering this matchup. Indiana, on the other hand, has lost four of its last five and now sits at 5-5 in conference play.
Purdue will be the favorite entering this matchup, though I’d have to imagine that’s been the case in each of Mike Woodson’s six games against Purdue as IU’s head coach. He sits at .500 in the series after being swept by Purdue last season.
Here are three things to know about this year’s matchup:
After spending two seasons as a reserve player and one redshirt year as a Zach Edey’s backup, Trey Kaufman-Renn has stepped up to be Purdue’s new go-to big man.
He’s not a true Edey replacement in that he plays most of his minutes at the four spot, but at 18.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, he leads Purdue in both categories. With only 7 3-point attempts on the season, he’s doing it almost all on the inside too.
Malik Reneau’s return to the starting lineup means he’ll likely be given this matchup, something that’s slightly concerning on paper. TKR has gotten the better of Reneau in past matchups and has a skillset that could test Reneau’s health, conditioning, and mobility.
Because Purdue also has the shooting and shooters to punish Indiana for over-committing to the interior, the Hoosiers will need to be careful in how they double Kaufman-Renn. This was something that really sunk the team defense against Maryland.
Braden Smith has emerged as one of the top point guards not just in the conference, but in the country. He’s averaging 15.4 points and a whopping 8.9 assists to go along with 2.4 steals per game right now.
Indiana will have a more athletic backcourt than it’s had in recent years, which challenged Smith as a freshman. Smith has matured since then though, and plays with the defensive tenacity that will punish Indiana if it plays carelessly with the basketball.
Simply put, he’s going to be a problem on both ends, with an ability to press Indiana at it’s weakest points - taking care of the ball, overcommitting to dribble penetration, losing shooters, and just plain coming out slow.
Kaufman-Renn may be Purdue’s leading scorer, but Smith should get the majority of attention in the scouting sessions for this game.
Purdue has only lost five games this year, including three to teams that are currently in the top 20 Kenpom rankings (Alabama, Marquette, Texas A&M). The Boilermakers also suffered a loss at Penn State, but most surprising was their recent home loss to Ohio State.
Comparing the box scores of the two conference losses reveals two different paths to beating Purdue. Penn State has some of the best on-ball defense in the conference and was able to contain Smith better than most teams while also forcing 24 Purdue turnovers.
Ohio State, on the other hand, forced just 10 turnovers while allowing Kaufman-Renn 26 points. Smith turned in 12 points in that game, but was cold from behind the arc, going just 2-11 from 3-point range. Fletcher Loyer shot well, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the upset.
The Buckeyes were able to win despite letting Purdue’s best players get hot because this is another Boilermakers team that struggles with consistent secondary scoring. Caleb Furst, Myles Colvin, and Camden Heide were all held scoreless in a one-possession game.
Purdue only has three players averaging double-digits in points this year, so if Indiana can really clamp down on the Boilermakers’ role players, there could be a path to an upset. That is, if Smith doesn’t shoot well.
