5 Thoughts From Purdue's 82-74 Loss to Ohio State
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Purdue might be in some trouble heading into the final stretch of the season. The Boilermakers have now lost three of their last four games after falling 82-74 to Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus. It was one of the poorer performances of the year.
Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. and Bruce Thornton were too difficult for Purdue defend and the Boilermakers struggled for too many stretches on both ends of the floor to escape with a win.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Purdue's loss to Ohio State on Sunday.
Another poor defensive outing
Forget what the KenPom numbers say, Purdue's defense is a big problem right now. The Boilermakers allowed Ohio State to shoot 51% from the floor and 38% from three-point range. The Buckeyes also ended the contest with just seven turnovers.
Purdue also fouled entirely too often on Sunday, as the Buckeyes shot 32 free throws and made 25. John Mobley Jr. ended with 21 points and Bruce Thornton scored 20. The Boilermakers had no answer for those two all afternoon long.
No impact from the center position
There's no sugar-coating this one; Purdue's play at the center position was nonexistent. Between Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen, the Boilermakers got two points, six rebounds and seven fouls. That's not good enough, especially against a team that has been susceptible in the paint all season.
Cluff got into early foul trouble, which kept him sidelined for a good chunk of the game. Jacobsen didn't look ready for the physicality and only gave Purdue four minutes off the bench. As a result, Matt Painter was forced to move to a small-ball lineup, which helped Ohio State on the glass.
The center spot was supposed to be a strength for Purdue this season. It was a major problem on Sunday.
Ohio State wins the rebounding battle
Purdue should have dominated the glass against Ohio State on Sunday, but the lack of production from the center spot allowed the Buckeyes to win the rebounding battle 36-29. Again, this should have been an advantage for the Boilermakers.
With Cluff and Jacobsen stapled to the bench, Devin Royal was able to live on the glass, collecting nine rebounds for the game. Christoph Tilly, Amare Bynum and Bruce Thornton all had five. Ivan Njegovan came off the bench and pulled down six boards.
Ohio State's 10 offensive rebounds resulted in 19 second-chance points.
Trey Kaufman-Renn's big second half
Without Kaufman-Renn, Purdue would not have had any life in the second half. After scoring just two points in the first 20 minutes, the senior forward really turned it on after halftime, ending the contest with 19 points and nine rebounds.
For most of the second half, it felt like Kaufman-Renn was carrying the offensive and rebounding weight for the Boilermakers. He wasn't getting much help from anyone else on the glass and his strength on the inside was tough for Ohio State to handle.
Kaufman-Renn just needed a lot more help from his supporting cast.
No bench production
I've mentioned multiple advantages Purdue should have had in this game, and depth was another. However, the Boilermakers got next to nothing from their bench in Columbus. Jack Benter scored three and Gicarri Harris had two points. That was the extent of the production Purdue got.
That group ended the game wit five points, seven rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. In a game like this, Purdue should have gotten a lot more from its rotational players. It just didn't happen.
Purdue got 20 points and seven assists from Braden Smith, 15 points from Fletcher Loyer,13 points from CJ Cox and the big day from Kaufman-Renn. The Boilers needed more help from the bench.
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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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