5 Thoughts From Purdue's 88-82 Loss to Illinois
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Fourth-ranked Purdue has now dropped two straight Big Ten games, falling 88-82 to No. 11 Illinois at Mackey Arena on Saturday. It was a high-level basketball game, but one the Boilermakers were not able to pull out on their home court.
Illinois' Keaton Wagler was the story of the day, dropping 46 points, a new Mackey Arena record for an opponent. More on him in a minute. Here are five thoughts from Purdue's loss to the Fighting Illini.
No defense for Wagler
Wagler had a record-breaking day at Mackey Arena, setting a new scoring high for an opposing player. He ended the contest scoring 46 points on 17 shots. He was 13-of-17 from the floor and went 9-of-11 from three-point range.
The freshman was creating for himself, taking defenders off the dribble and generating enough separation for open looks behind the arc. He took advantage of mismatches with Oscar Cluff defending him around the perimeter earlier, but it didn't matter who guarded him.
Purdue threw Fletcher Loyer, CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris, Omer Mayer, and Smith on the guard, but nobody could slow him down. He was just having one of those days.
Purdue was crushed on the glass
The bigger issue for Purdue on Saturday was its inability to collect rebounds. Because Illinois shoots such a high volume from the three-point line — it was 18-of-38 for the game — it creates longer rebound chances, making it more difficult for the defensive to collect those boards.
Still, Illinois was dominant on the glass, outrebounding Purdue 33-19. The Illini were effective on the offensive end, getting 13 boards which resulted in 18 second-chance points. The Boilermakers had just two points on second-chance opportunities.
No Purdue player had more than four rebounds in the game.
Limited minutes for Loyer
Loyer was sidelined for most of the second half against Illinois. He played only five minutes and ended the game with six points. The senior guard was just 1-of-5 from the floor and converted just one triple. He also struggled on the defensive end, which probably contributed to him being sidelined for a majority of the second half.
Purdue decided to utilize Mayer, Harris, and Cox more in the final 20 minutes in an attempt to keep Wagler in check. Obviously, it didn't work, but you can understand Matt Painter's thinking, trying to counter Illinois' offense with better perimeter defenders.
Another sub-.400 three-point shooting night
Early in the game, Purdue was able to establish itself in the painted area, especially with Kaufman-Renn, Cluff, and Daniel Jacobsen. The Boilermakers attempted just eight threes in the first half, making three.
As Illinois' offense heated up, Purdue needed to attempt more perimeter shots to remain within striking distance. But the Boilermakers ended the game making just 7-of-19 shots from behind the arc.
This is now the third straight game in which Purdue has shot below 40% from long range.
Purdue had chances in the first half
When Illinois was struggling to keep pace, Purdue was able to pull away in the first half. At one point, the Boilermakers owned a 35-24 advantage. After Brad Underwood called a timeout, the Illini bounced back and closed the gap to 37-33 at the final media timeout.
Then, Purdue responded by taking a 43-33 lead with one minute to play. But the Boilers couldn't close the door, as Tomislav Ivisic and Wagler made triples on back-to-back possessions to make the score 43-39 at halftime.
Purdue's inability to increase its lead in those moments proved costly in the second half.
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PURDUE-ILLINOIS GAME BLOG: No. 4 Purdue played No. 11 Illinois on Saturday in an important Big Ten contest. Here's a recap of what happened throughout the game, as well as highlights. 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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