3 Thoughts from No. 2 Purdue's 97-79 Win Over Akron
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue's defense might have started a little sluggish on Sunday night against Akron, but eventually the second-ranked Boilermakers overpowered the Zips. After a strong close to the first half, the Boilers were able to cruise to a 97-79 victory at Mackey Arena, giving coach Matt Painter his 500th career victory.
Three different Boilermakers recorded a double-double in Thursday's win. Trey Kaufman-Renn led the way with 17 points and 15 rebounds, Oscar Cluff had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Braden Smith finished the night with 16 points and 10 assists. Fletcher Loyer also scored 16 points.
Here are three thoughts from Purdue's 18-point win over Akron on Sunday.
Omer Mayer has his first breakout game
Fitting in on a new team can take some time for a freshman, but Mayer looked extremely comfortable in Sunday's win over Akron. He had his best performance of the season, scoring 14 points, dishing out six assists, grabbing four rebounds, and recording two steals.
Mayer knocked down open shots and dished out some impressive passes. In the offseason, many compared Mayer's game to Smith's. We had seen that ability in glimpses through Purdue's first three games, but it was evident on Sunday against Akron.
As much as Purdue likes what Mayer brings off the bench, could we see him in a starting role alongside Smith and Loyer?
Can anyone keep TKR and Cluff off the glass?
Now that Kaufman-Renn has returned to the lineup, Purdue has been almost impossible to keep off the glass. The Boilermakers outrebounded Akron 45-26, just a few days after beating Alabama on the boards 52-28.
Kaufman-Renn and Cluff combined for 29 of Purdue's rebounds, and at one point had secured 24 of the team's 32 boards. Yes, the Zips are undersized — only one player is over 6-foot-8 who played — but the Boilermakers have had issues attacking the glass with ferocity.
The combination of Cluff and Kaufman-Renn seems almost impossible to keep away from the boards. It's only been two games with those two guys on the floor, but the job they've done collectively on the glass has been impressive.
The defense was sluggish to start
Who's ready for the one negative from Sunday night? Akron got off to a really hot start offensively, knocking down six of its first seven shots from the floor. The Zips also built a 14-11 lead early, as Purdue struggled to get back defensively, got lost in transition, and left shooters wide open, particularly Akron's Tavari Johnson.
Eventually, Akron wore out in the first half, and Purdue was able to put some space between itself and the Zips. In the second half, the Boilers were much more locked in defensively. Shooting 53% from the floor and 39% from three-point range certainly helps.
There will be teams that like to play similarly to Akron that Purdue will see down the road. We saw that the Boilers still have some work to do defensively, especially against teams that want to play fast.
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PAINTER GETS 500TH WIN: With a win over Akron on Sunday night at Mackey Arena, Purdue coach Matt Painter accomplished something that will put him among the best to ever coach. 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.
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