Point spreads are determined by a variety of things — none of which are actually something as subjective as “respect.” That acknowledged, Purdue being a 2.5-point underdog at home on Friday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, felt disrespectful considering the Boilermakers are back-to-back Big Ten champs who entered with a 21-game winning streak at home.
(I said as much on Friday morning’s Eye On College Basketball Podcast.)
Final score: Purdue 87, Alabama 78.
Behind a 26-point performance from Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue improved to 4-0 on the season while extending their winning streak inside Mackey Arena to 22 games. Braden Smith added 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Fletcher Loyer chipped in with 17 points and two assists.
Collectively, they reminded the sport — on a big stage against a 2024 Final Four participant led by CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year Mark Sears — that even in the absence of two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey, they’re still among the elite.
“[Alabama has] a team that can win it all,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter. “So to be able to have that statement, and to be able to get the win in the fashion that we did, proud of our guys.”
Entering the game, rebounding was the main area of concern for the Boilermakers, in part because Edey, last season’s 7-foot-4 center, is now in the NBA, and Daniel Jacobsen, this season’s 7-4 center, is sidelined with a fractured tibia. As a result, Braden Smith, Purdue’s 6-0 point guard, was Purdue’s leading rebounder through the first three games. But against Alabama, Kaufman-Renn, a 6-9 forward, and Camden Heide, a 6-7 forward, each grabbed a team-high eight boards. They showed improvement at a time when it was needed.
“We did better,” Painter said. “We’re not there yet. But we did better.”
Purdue is up to No. 8 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Kansas remains No. 1 for the 13th consecutive day to start this season. Alabama is down to No. 9. The biggest shakeup in the Top 25 And 1 was caused by Wisconsin’s 103-88 upset of Arizona that compelled me to move the 4-0 Badgers from unranked to No. 17. That development, combined with others, caused Texas, Creighton, Florida, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Ole Miss and St. John’s to all be pushed down, no fault of their own. Rick Pitino’s Red Storm are now the de facto No. 27. VCU would be No. 28.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
10
Wisconsin
9
Ohio State
