Purdue basketball’s fourth game against a ranked SEC opponent in the past five weeks fell apart quickly Saturday.
No. 2 Auburn rolled to a 87-69 rout of the Boilermakers in the Battle in Birmingham. The Tigers stifled Purdue defensively and, with star Johni Broome starting after his recent shoulder injury, pulled away from a 15-poiint halftime lead.
(*denotes Man of the Match)
STARTERS
∎ Braden Smith: 5/10
Spent too much of the night forcing up late shot-clock 3s while entangled in a stagnant offense. A lot rides on him due to his role. Not much help for him right now, though, and the other ballhandlers have not emerged with consistent play.
∎ Fletcher Loyer: 4/10
Seemed like all 12 of his field goal attempts were tough ones. Not really a comment on him — more a reflection of the lack of offensive rhythm all over the floor. Even the model of efficiency could not crack through Auburn’s defensive brick wall.
∎ Myles Colvin: 3/10
We may have officially swung too far in the “not playing through his shot” conversation. Against opponents such as Auburn, there’s no guarantee multiple fast-break opportunities will pop up for him to close out.
∎ Camden Heide: 5/10
Had some good looks from 3 that rimmed out. As with Colvin, the ability to thrive in transition with his athleticism is always there. Saturday, though, it never really showed up in half-court offense.
∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn: 6/10*
Obviously not trying to miss free throws, and not suffering from a lack of attention to the issue. But half of this offense runs through him and when he’s 1-of-7, like he was at half, it undercuts the entire offense’s efficiency. Still went for 15 points and eight rebounds, but with three turnovers.
RESERVES
∎ Raleigh Burgess: 3/10
First big off the bench for a quick stint. Chipped in five points late. The opportunity is clearly there to assert his way to a bigger role.
∎ C.J. Cox: 5/10
Too hesitant offensively early on — especially since his reputation as a shot-maker really appeared to be taking off at one point. Snuck in that corner 3 before half to cut the deficit to a slightly less embarrassing 15. Scored 16 points and made 3 of 5 from 3 and was 7-of-7 from the line.
∎ Caleb Furst: 4/10
Had one of the only baskets in the first 35 minutes which wasn’t scored by the three returning starters. Still needs to play with more authority.
∎ Gicarri Harris: 4/10
Probably needs to play more to help defensively, but isn’t helping much offensively.
∎ Will Berg: N/A
∎ Brian Waddell: N/A
