3 Things to Watch in Purdue's Exhibition Game vs. UIndy
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On Wednesday night, No. 1 Purdue will play its final exhibition game of the season. The Boilermakers will host the University of Indianapolis to close out preseason play. Then, on Nov. 4, the regular season tips off at Mackey Arena.
Purdue already has one exhibition game under its belt, playing No. 9 Kentucky in Lexington. The Boilermakers dropped that game 78-65, struggling to make shots, getting beaten on the glass, and having some defensive issues throughout the game. Don't expect to see that happen on Wednesday against UIndy.
There probably won't be much to learn from Wednesday's exhibition game, but here are a few things to keep an eye on when Purdue hits the floor at Mackey Arena against UIndy.
Expect more bench minutes
Painter wasn't hesitant to substitute during the exhibition game against Kentucky on Friday, but Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer both logged more than 31 minutes, and Trey Kaufman-Renn was on the floor for 28. Something tells me we won't see that same volume of minutes for those three players against UIndy.
Assuming Purdue jumps out to a big lead early in this one, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Daniel Jacobsen, Omer Mayer, Antione West Jr., Jack Benter, and Liam Murphy on the floor a lot in the second half. That combination of players probably won't be on the floor together at the same time — at least not often — but it does allow Painter to tinker with some things.
Yes, I left Gicarri Harris out of this conversation because I believe he's essentially Purude's sixth starter. He's a player who will see a lot of time on the court this year, alongside CJ Cox.
The offense with TKR and Cluff
Is it fair to say Purdue's offense looked clunky at times with Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff on the floor? That's just an adjustment that TKR will have to make, especially as he plays alongside another big.
Last year, Kaufman-Renn didn't have to worry about another big taking up space in the post. Cluff can certainly move around the court, but the two are still getting used to sharing the floor together. It's probably going to take a little time for both guys to get comfortable.
Kaufman-Renn finished the game shooting 7-of-15, missing a number of shots he normally makes. Cluff attempted just one field goal and finished the game with one point. Once those two develop chemistry, I'd expect more efficiency from Kaufman-Renn and more shot attempts for Cluff.
Clean the glass
It's hard to label anything as a "concern" after an exhibition game, but Purdue struggled to rebound the basketball against Kentucky. The Wildcats won that battle 42-30, which included a 10-7 advantage on the offensive glass. A lot of that differential is due to the Boilermakers' poor shooting performance, but it still needed to be better.
Improving on the glass was the primary reason Purdue brought Cluff to West Lafayette. Not only does he do a good job grabbing defensive rebounds, he was also among the top offensive rebounders in college basketball last season.
But Purdue's rebounding doesn't solely depend on Cluff. Kaufman-Renn has to clean things up, and Smith, Cox, and Harris are all more than capable of swooping in to collect a rebound and push the tempo. We should see more of that against an undersized UIndy team on Wednesday.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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