What a beautiful night in Mackey Arena
Purdue hosted the highest-ranked opponent in Mackey Arena when it hosted #2 Alabama in Mackey last Friday. Not only did they host them, the Boilers put their name back on the map as a continued national powerhouse for this season.
Everyone says Purdue will be down, it was stated after Swanigan left, then Edwards, and now after the departure of Zach Edey.
Well, Purdue put the critics on notice after they upset an ultra-athletic #2 Alabama team.
60
The amount of points the Big Three scored for Purdue Friday Night, that is Trey Kaufmann-Renn, Branden Smith, and Fletcher Loyer. the number is also the total number of points that the starters scored, as both Will Berg and Gicarri Harris posted 0 points.
Bobby Ridell said it during the pregame show on 96.5, the trio that I previously mentioned is one of the most experienced in the country and Purdue will have to lean on them. Nate Oats after the game said he did not realize how good TKR is, well, now you know, Coach.
9
From 9:13 to 8:19 left in the 2nd half, C.J. Cox lit Macky on fire with a 9-0 run all by himself. Purdue trailed by two when he hit his first three and by the time Alabama scored their next point, they saw themselves in a seven-point hole in an arena that was going insane for the True Freshman.
His last three forced Nate Oats to call a timeout to settle his players down and try to get back in rhythm.
33
The total number of points, rebounds, and assists for Braden Smith, who is solidifying himself as one of the most consistent players in College Basketball. Smith flirts with triple-double numbers every single game and is a floor general when he is on the court.
Quite simply put, Smith outplayed Mark Sears in round two of this matchup.
16
The total number of rebounds between TKR and Cam Heide. Coach Painter played those two at Center and Power Forward for the majority of the second half, Heide is quietly carving a role out for this team, as a stretch 4 and a glass cleaner, when he and Renn are in at the 4 and 5, I believe Purdue has their most complete lineup, even though it may be undersized.