5 Thoughts From No. 1 Purdue's 81-58 Loss to No. 10 Iowa State
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Who saw that coming? On Saturday, everyone expected to see high-level basketball between No. 1 Purdue and No. 10 Iowa State at Mackey Arena. Instead, the Cyclones ran the Boilermakers out of their own gym.
Here are five thoughts from Purdue's 81-58 blowout loss to Iowa State on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette.
Couldn't shoot from anywhere
There was a lid on the basket for Purdue's offense all game long. It didn't matter where the Boilermakers took their shots from; they simply weren't falling.
Purdue finished the game shooting 41% from the floor, 22% from the three-point range, and 43% from the free-throw line. Iowa State's defense was stifling for a full 40 minutes, but the Boilermakers were even missing freebies from the floor.
Seniors Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer particularly struggled, shooting a combined 3-of-16 from the floor and combining for nine total points. Purdue might have a deep team, but it needs better production from its senior leaders to win these high-level games.
The defense looked lost
You could sense Purdue was in trouble in the first half when Iowa State had several open looks, even though they didn't fall frequently. The Cyclones' ball movement was outstanding, and they had a number of good attempts in the first half that just didn't drop. As a result, Iowa State only had a four-point lead headed into the locker room.
That changed drastically immediately out of halftime. Iowa State splashed shots left and right early in the second half, going on a 15-4 run to take a 50-35 advantage. The game essentially ended in that moment.
Purdue's perimeter defenders were beaten off the dribble frequently, Iowa State was able to get into the painted area, the Cyclones found openings on cuts, and three-point shooters were left all alone.
This was, by far, the worst Purdue's defense has looked this season.
Jacobsen wasn't as effective in the second half
With his 7-foot-4 length, Jacobsen was causing some serious problems for Iowa State in the first half, catching multiple lobs and getting Purdue a lot of easy dunks. It was the most prolific aspect of the Boilermakers' offense at times in the first half.
Eight of his points came in the first half, and he appeared to be causing some serious problems for Iowa State's defense. He wasn't nearly as effective in the second 20 minutes, though, scoring just two points on a pair of free throws.
Credit Iowa State for taking him out of the game, but Purdue also began playing much sloppier in the second half and Jacobsen didn't get those same opportunities at the rim.
Iowa State was able to speed up Purdue
With so much experience on Purdue's roster, it's hard to force the Boilermakers to panic. That's exactly what Iowa State was able to do, though. The defensive pressure forced Braden Smith, Omer Mayer, and others to make quick, bad decisions, which resulted in 15 turnovers.
Additionally, the Cyclones' defensive pressure didn't allow the Boilermakers to get into an offensive rhythm, which left they scrambling throughout the game. There was no point in Saturday's game when Purdue looked comfortable.
Iowa State stole Purdue's will
This isn't something that I do often, but I believe it was warranted after Saturday's loss to Iowa State. There came a point in the second half when Purdue lost all of its juice and looked like it was ready to wave the white flag. That's a major credit to TJ Otzelberger's team.
Early on, the Boilers looked like they had energy, but after Iowa State went on that 15-4 run in the second half, Purdue looked a step slow. The Cyclones chased down loose balls, were better on the defensive end, and seemed to be more locked in.
Obviously, Purdue was probably in a state of shock, trailing by as many as 27 points on its home court. But that effort in the second half was far from the best we've seen from this Boilermaker squad.
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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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