Boilermakers Country

Boiler Banter: 10 Favorite Moments From Purdue's 2024-25 Basketball Season

CJ Cox goes off vs. Alabama, Braden Smith breaking the assist record and Trey Kaufman-Renn's game winner vs. Indiana are just a few of Purdue's memorable moments from the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Dustin Schutte|
Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) celebrates after a play
Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) celebrates after a play | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

In this story:

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue's 2024-25 basketball season was filled with ups and downs, complete with plenty of memorable moments and exciting plays. So, even though the Boilermakers' season has come to an end, let's remember some of the top moments from the year.

Here are 10 of my favorite moments from throughout Purdue's 2024-25 campaign.

CJ Cox's breakout game vs. Alabama

In the biggest game of his young career, CJ Cox showed off his ability to light up an opponent in Purdue's 87-78 win over Alabama. The freshman scored nine points in 52 seconds at a pivotal juncture in the game, taking the Boilers from a 65-63 deficit to a 72-65 lead late in the second half.

Myles Colvin beats the buzzer

Purdue was able to claim another MTE championship during the nonconference portion of its schedule, and Myles Colvin was a big part of that success. The sophomore scored 20 points in an 80-78 victory over Ole Miss in the Rady Children's Invitational Championship Game over Thanksgiving weekend. That included a game-winning putback with time expiring.

Three career 1,000-point scorers

Watching three different players on the same team reach the 1,000-point club in the same season doesn't happen very frequently, especially for players that have spent their entire careers at one school. But Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn all eclipsed that mark during the 2024-25 campaign.

Sure, these are career achievements, but it was still cool to witness. By the end of the season, Smith had 1,375 points, Loyer had 1,281 and Kaufman-Renn scored 1,131.

Matt Painter's Xs and Os explanation goes viral

A lot can be learned from Matt Painter just by sitting in a room and listening to him talk basketball. Fans everywhere got a lesson in defensive strategy after Purdue's late-season win over UCLA when Painter got into the nitty-gritty details of the Xs and Os, prompted by a great question from Joe Jackson of Boilers in the Stands. Even if you've seen this clip 100 times, it's worth another watch.

The standing ovation for Caleb Furst on Senior Day

Caleb Furst's journey at Purdue has been documented well. His time in West Lafayette was an adventure, going from bench contributor to starter and back to a role player in his first three seasons. In January, the forward worked his way back into the starting lineup and became a key piece to the Boilermakers' success. On Senior Day against Rutgers, the lone graduating player on the roster received a standing ovation and plenty of love from the Mackey Arena crowd.

The run in January

So, technically, Purdue's run of 11 wins in 12 games began on Dec. 29 with a win over Toledo and ran through Feb. 7 with a victory against USC, but January is where a bulk of the Boilers' success happened during that stretch.

Purdue racked up five Big Ten road victories in that stretch and climbed all the way to the top of the Big Ten standings, thanks in large part to success on the defensive end of the court. During that time, the Boilers were forcing teams into more than 15 turnovers per game and Braden Smith put up an incredible stat line, averaging 17.6 points, 9.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game.

Trey Kaufman-Renn beats Indiana

Kaufman-Renn had several memorable moments throughout a stellar junior season in West Lafayette, but the one that sticks out above the rest was his performance against Indiana on Jan. 31. He finished the game with 23 points and knocked down a game-winning jump-hook to propel the Boilers past their in-state rivals from Bloomington.

Whatever this video is ...

Somehow, Purdue's Sam King stumbled upon a digital camera and created a basketball version of America's Funniest Home Videos during the NCAA Tournament. This doesn't include anything from the hardwood, but it's full of funny comments and moments.

Camden Heide gets first career double-double in March Madness

Early in the season, Camden Heide talked about some battles with confidence. Those seemed to be wiped away in the NCAA Tournament, when he recorded the first double-double of his career, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in Purdue's opening round win over High Point. The sophomore played a huge role in the team's success in March.

Braden Smith breaks Purdue's assist record

A record that stood for nearly 50 years was broken by Smith this season, passing Bruce Parkinson to become the program's all-time leading assist man. The mark was set by Parkinson at 690 assists (1972-77). Smith broke the record in Purdue's win over UCLA on Feb. 28. He closed out his junior season with 758 assists, needing 242 to reach 1,000 for his career.

Purdue 2024-25 recap

  • 24-12 overall record
  • 13-7 Big Ten record (T-4th)
  • Rady Children's Invitational champions
  • No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament
  • Reached Sweet 16 round of NCAA Tournament
  • Braden Smith named Big Ten Player of the Year
  • Braden Smith named first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten
  • Trey Kaufman-Renn named first-team All-Big Ten

Related stories on Purdue basketball

PURDUE BASKETBALL ROSTER TRACKER: Keeping track of the retuning players, incoming recruits and the transfer situation for Purdue basketball for the 2025-26 college basketball season. CLICK HERE

BERG SAYS THANK YOU: Purdue center Will Berg took to social media to thank fans and the program after entering his name into the NCAA transfer portal just a few days ago. CLICK HERE

Published
Dustin Schutte
DUSTIN SCHUTTE

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.

Share on XFollow SchutteDustin
Home/Basketball