3 Thoughts From Purdue's 82-51 Win Over Evansville
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Top-ranked Purdue got its season off to a tremendous start on Tuesday night, posting an 82-51 win over Evansville in the season opener. It was particularly impressive, as the Boilermakers were without All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.
The Boilermakers were lethal from three-point range, knocking down 13-of-29 attempts from range. They also held Evansville to just 30% from the floor. Purdue did struggle on the defensive glass again, surrendering 20 offensive rebounds to the Purple Aces.
So, as dominant as the win was on Tuesday, there's still plenty of room for improvement. Here are three quick thoughts from Purdue's win over Evansville.
Jack Benter wasn't fazed by the moment
With Kaufman-Renn out of the lineup because of a hip pointer and sore back, Purdue turned to redshirt freshman Jack Benter to fill the starting role at the four spot. He was more than ready for his opportunity.
Benter was ready to go from the opening tipoff. By the first media timeout, he had three points, two rebounds, and a block. Coming out of halftime, he helped engineer an 8-0 run by knocking down back-to-back triples.
In his first game as a Boilermaker, Benter had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Filling in for an All-American player for the No. 1 team in the country isn't the easiest thing to ask a redshirt freshman to do. But Benter was ready for his opportunity and made the most of it.
Fletcher Loyer is ready to launch
Loyer told reporters in the offseason that he had conversations with coach Matt Painter about being more aggressive with his shot selection. That's not a message many players get, but the senior guard was more than willing to take advantage of the neon green light he's been given.
Loyer was on fire all night on Tuesday, knocking down 7-of-10 shots from long range, including multiple from another zip code. He finished the night with a game-high 30 points and shooting 72.7% from the floor.
It's only one game, but Loyer is already showing everyone that he's one of the best shooters in the country. Again.
Purdue's defense kept Evansville out of the paint
Early on, it looked like Purdue may have some trouble keeping the Purple Aces out of the painted area. They scored 10 of their first 14 points in the key, but the Boilermakers really shut the water off after that.
Evansville ultimately ended the game with 22 points in the paint, but most of those came after the outcome had been decided. Purdue also held star guard Keishon Porter to just two points on 1-of-11 shooting.
Painter harps on keeping opponents out of the paint and forcing them to take contested shots. Evansville settled for 34 three-pointers on Tuesday night, making just seven of them.
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PURDUE VS EVANSVILLE GAME THREAD: Purdue opens the college basketball season against Evansville Tuesday night. Follow along for live updates from Mackey Arena throughout the night. CLICK HERE
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.