Five Thoughts From Purdue's 80-77 OT Win Over Nebraska
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It doesn't always matter how you got the win, it's that you get it at all. That was certainly the case on Tuesday night in Lincoln, as No. 13 Purdue escaped Pinnacle Bank Arena with an 80-77 win over No. 7 Nebraska, keeping itself alive in the race for a Big Ten title.
Everyone contributed in the win, something that will be addressed in just a few moments. Oscar Cluff was the star of the night, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the win. Trey Kaufman-Renn had six points and 19 boards and Fletcher Loyer led Purdue's scoring with 18 points.
Braden Smith had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, as well as eight rebounds. Here are a few thoughts from Purdue's big road win over Nebraska.
Complete team effort
Purdue needed everyone to come together to get a win in Lincoln on Tuesday night, and that's exactly what happened. Everyone who stepped on the floor for the Boilermakers contributed in some way. It was particularly noticeable on the defensive end and on the glass.
Cluff and Kaufman-Renn set the tone early on the offensive glass, outrebounding the Huskers 12-3 in the first eight minutes of the game. That was just a sampling of what was to come, as Purdue won that battle 54-37, making a huge difference in the game.
Yes, Nebraska was able to get back into a rhythm offensively in the final 10 minutes, but for the first 30, Purdue was able to keep Pryce Sandfort in check. He was held scoreless in the first half and Nebraska made just 4-of-16 attempts from behind the three-point line. Matt Painter's team could have been better defensively for a full 40 minutes, but it played well for a majority of the game.
Everyone who played in the game scored at least three points. All five starters had at least two assists and two rebounds. That's the definition of a team win.
Loyer gets hot early
The senior guard really set the tone early, splashing home a couple of quick three-pointers to help Purdue jump out to a 14-1 lead on the road. In the blink of an eye, he had 11 points and appeared to be the best offensive weapon of the game for the Boilermakers.
Loyer cooled off in the second half and finished the game shooting just 5-of-20 from the floor and 4-of-17 from three. No, those aren't ideal numbers, but the way Purdue rebounded the basketball, he gave Kaufman-Renn and Cluff opportunities for second-chance points.
Even though he didn't shoot a high percentage, Loyer's willingness to pull the trigger helped Purdue's offense.
Cluff and Kaufman-Renn crashed the glass
This one has already been mentioned, but it's going to get discussed again. Kaufman-Renn and Cluff combined for 33 rebounds, nearly outrebounded Nebraska's entire team. Purdue's effort on the glass in recent weeks hasn't been there, and those two looked like they had been challenged to attack loose balls for a complete 40 minutes.
Not only did Cluff and Kaufman-Renn move bodies to collect rebounds, they set the tone for the entire team. Loyer came up with a big rebound at the end of regulation. Cox fought for a board off of Cluff's missed free throw in overtime. Jack Benter chased down loose balls all night.
Rebounding and effort are contagious. Cluff and Kaufman-Renn wouldn't be denied the basketball and everyone on the team followed suit.
Free throw concerns
The free-throw line nearly cost Purdue the win, both at the end of regulation and overtime. Yes, we can talk about how the defense struggled late in the second half and the offense became stagnant, but the Boilermakers wouldn't have had much worry late in the game if they could just knock down a few more from the charity stripe.
Purdue ended the game 11-of-20 from the free throw line. The Boilermakers were 4-of-10 in the second half, which included Smith missing the front end of a 1-and-1, Loyer going 1-of-2 and Cox going 0-of-2 at the end of regulation.
In order to win championships, you have to be able to knock down shots at the free throw line late in games. Purdue is very fortunate that didn't bite it in the backside against Nebraska.
Confidence-building win
Once again, Purdue allowed another big lead to slip away. The Boilermakers led by as many as 22 points in the second half, only to watch Nebraska crawl all the way back, even taking a lead in overtime. Without question, this team has to be better at putting opponents away when it has the chance.
However, Purdue's three-game losing streak was a result of losing late leads and showing little resiliency to fight back. The Boilermakers kept fighting late against Nebraska, even on the road in a loud, hostile environment. They needed this type of win to get some confidence.
With the stretch that's coming up, a tough, grind-it-out victory may have been exactly what this team needed. It should make for an interesting stretch, in which Purdue still has Iowa, No. 2 Michigan, Indiana and No. 10 Michigan State on the schedule.
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PURDUE-NEBRASKA GAME BLOG: An up-to-date recap of Tuesday night's Big Ten clash between No. 13 Purdue and No. 7 Nebraska from Pinnacle Bank Arena. 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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