5 Thoughts From No. 2 Purdue's 87-80 win over No. 8 Alabama
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We're only two weeks into the college basketball season, and we may have just watched one of the best games of the year. No. 2 Purdue rolled into Tuscaloosa on Thursday night and took down No. 8 Alabama 87-80.
The Boilermakers notched their first big win of the season and improved to 3-0. Here are five quick thoughts from Thursday night's win.
Trey Kaufman-Renn makes a huge difference
Kaufman-Renn's return was noticeable as soon as the game tipped off in Tuscaloosa. The senior forward was a monster on the glass and unguardable in the post. He started the contest with 13 points, making each of his first six shots from the floor. He also collected six rebounds, several of which came on the offensive end.
By halftime, Kaufman-Renn had 17 points and was 8-of-10 from the floor, and had grabbed eight rebounds. He didn't pose as much of a scoring threat in the second half, scoring just two points in the last 20 minutes. But the senior continued to make an impact on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds.
Kaufman-Renn ended the night with 19 points and 15 rebounds. He also made an impact passing the ball, finding the open man when he was defended well by the Crimson Tide.
Daniel Jacobsen did a lot more than you think
Statistically, the 7-foot-4 center finished the game with nine points and five rebounds, but his impact was much bigger than what you'd see in the box score. Throughout the night, Alabama struggled to get shots at the rim because of Jacobsen's ability to use his length.
Jacobsen didn't finish the game with any blocked shots, but he certainly created problems for Alabama's offense when they got into the painted area. The sophomore also collected some critical rebounds late in the game.
It was exactly the type of effort Purdue needed from its backup center in a top-10 matchup on the road.
Braden Smith is college basketball's best player
We already knew Smith was in the conversation as the best player in college basketball, but I'm ready to anoint him just three games into the 2025-26 campaign. Taking over in the second half in a home game against Oakland is one thing; to do it on the road against a top-10 Alabama team is completely different.
Smith ended the night with 29 points, making five three-pointers in 34 minutes of action. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists. Even though Alabama swarmed him at times and forced him into three turnovers, he never lost his poise.
There aren't many players who can will their team to a victory on the road in that type of environment. That's exactly what Smith did Thursday night.
No big runs allowed
One of the biggest keys to Purdue's victory was the fact that it didn't allow an up-tempo, fast-paced, hot-shooting team to go on many runs. There was only one major run the Tide went on, and it came in the first half. When the Boilers led 18-11 early, the Crimson Tide went on a 9-0 run, aided by Aden Holloway, to take a 20-18 advantage.
That was it, though. Alabama scored on back-to-back possessions several times, and Purdue struggled to put the Crimson Tide away, but Nate Oats' team was never able to go on that double-digit run to pull away.
This is what we expected from a rebounding perspective
After struggling on the glass through the first two games, Purdue found its rhythm. The Boilermakers were dominant in that department, outrebounding the Crimson Tide 52-28. That included 19 offensive rebounds.
Having Kaufman-Renn back in the rotation certainly helped Purdue on the glass, as he accounted for 15 on the night. But the Boilers also got 11 from Oscar Cluff, seven from Smith, five from Jacobsen, and four from Gicarri Harris.
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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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