Live Game Thread & Updates for No. 2 Purdue vs. Akron

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — We're closiong out the week inside Mackey Arena. On Sunday night, No. 2 Purdue will host Akron in West Lafayette, hoping to start the year 4-0.

The Boilermakers are coming off an impressive 87-80 road victory over No. 8 Alabama on Thursday, so their confidence level should be extremely high. You can follow along with our live game blog and updates as Purdue and Akron go head-to-head on Sunday night.

Refresh the page frequently for updates throughout the game.

Akron vs. #2 Purdue live game blog

2nd half

FINAL: Purdue 97, Akron 79. The Boilers were led by Trey Kaufman-Renn (17 points, 15 rebounds), Oscar Cluff (14 points, 14 rebounds), Fletcher Loyer (16 points), and Braden Smith (16 points, 10 assists).

1:13 — Purdue is emptying the bench. Aaron Fine, Jace Rayl and Jack Lusk enter the game to loud applause.

2:45 — Following a rebound, Daniel Jacobsen shoves an Akron defender to the floor. It was reviewed and the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Boilers lead the Zips 95-70 before the free throws.

3:57 — Purdue has blown this game wide open, leading Akron 91-70. Trey Kaufman-Renn, Oscar Cluff and Braden Smith all have double-doubles in this game. It's been an impressive showing all around for the Boilers tonight.

6:52 — We've reached the third media timeout of the second half and Purdue leads 82-62. Omer Mayer is having a great game off the bench, up to 11 points and 5 assists for the Boilers.

9:03 — Omer Mayer gets a steal and a breakaway dunk, just another impressive highlight from the freshman. Then Mayer gets the ball to Cluff for a dunk of his own. Purdue leads 80-55 and Akron takes a timeout. Cluff is up to 12 points and 13 rebounds, and is the second Boiler with a double-double, joining Trey Kaufman-Renn.

11:44 — We're at the second media timeout of the second half and Purdue owns a 72-51 advantage on Akron. Purdue is really flexing its muscle right now. The defense has really locked down, and the offense is still clicking at a high rate. Three Boilermakers are on double-double watch. Trey Kaufman-Renn already has one, but Oscar Cluff has 6 points and 12 rebounds, and Braden Smith is up to 14 points and 8 assists.

15:06 — We're at the first media timeout of the second half and Purdue leads 64-46. Three Boilermakers are now in double figures. Fletcher Loyer has 16, Trey Kaufman-Renn has 13, and Braden Smith has 12. Oscar Cluff has been a rebounding machine, with 12 boards.

16:16 — Akron takes a timeout as Purdue has busted this game open and leads 62-46 early in the second half. The Boilers have outscored the Zips 10-7 to build on their halftime lead.

17:36 — Trey Kaufman-Renn scores the first 6 points out of halftime and has already secured a second straight double-double. He has 11 points and 10 rebounds tonight. He had 19 points and 15 boards against Alabama on Thursday.

HALFTIME

Akron: Tavari Johnson scored 16 points in the first half for Akron. Bowen Hardman scored 6 and three different Zips scored 5 points — Shammah Scott, Amani Lyles, and Eric Mahaffey. Akon shot 41.7% from the floor and 41.2% from three. The Zips had 14 rebounds and 9 assists.

Purdue: The Boilermakers were led by Fletcher Loyer, who scored 16 points in the first half. Omer Mayer had 9, Braden Smith had 8 points and 6 assists. Trey Kaufman-Renn ended the half with 9 rebounds and 5 points. Oscar Cluff had 6 points and 6 rebounds. As a team, Purdue shot 51.6% from the floor and 66.7% from three-point range. The Boilers had 21 rebounds and 10 assists.

1st half

HALF: Purdue 52, Akron 39. Braden Smith dished off a nice pass to Oscar Cluff in the post for an easy dunk. A Shammah Scott three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark. After struggling early on, the Boilermakers have really been able to extend their lead late in the first half.

3:30 — Final media timeout of the half and Purdue leads 40-35. The Boilermakers led by as many as 11 points, but Akron has carved into that lead. Tavari Johnson has been really good so far, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Boilers have also given up 6 offensive rebounds which has led to 10 second chance points.

7:38 — We've reached the third media timeout and the Boilers lead the Zips 32-24. Purdue is getting some excellent minutes from Omer Mayer today. He's scored 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist. He's made some really solid passes tonight. Fletcher Loyer (11), Braden Smith (8), and Mayer (6) have accounted for 25 of Purdue's 32 points.

11:16 — Akron takes a timeout after Purdue takes a 25-19 advantage. A lot happened in about three minutes. Fletcher Loyer buried a circus three-point shot, Gicarri Harris got an easy bucket off of a steal, and Omer Mayer and Daniel Jacobsen knock down back-to-back triples. The Boilers are 5-of-7 from three-point range. Akron is still shooting at a high clip, making 57.1% of its shots.

14:44 — There's a scrum for the ball after an Akron missed shot. Trey Kaufman-Renn gets possession and calls timeout. The Boilermakers are still struggling on the defensive end. Akron has made 6-of-10 shots from the floor, but converted 6 of their first seven before three consecutive misses.

15:58 — First substitutions for Purdue out of the break, as Gicarri Harris and Daniel Jacobsen check in for CJ Cox and Oscar Cluff.

15:58 — Akron leads Purdue 12-11 at the first media timeout. Fletcher Loyer has gotten going early, scoring 8 of the first 11 points for the Boilermakers. Purdue has gotten lost a few times on the defensive end, leading to some open looks for the Zips. Tavari Johnson has 7 points to lead the way for Akron.

Pregame

Akron's starters

#1 Shammah Scott, G
#4 Eric Mahaffey, G
#5 Tavar Johnson, G
#12 Evan Mahaffey, G
#0 Amani Lyles, F

Purdue's starters

#0 CJ Cox, G
#2 Fletcher Loyer, G
#3 Braden Smith, G
#4 Trey Kaufman-Renn, F
#45 Oscar Cluff, C

Purdue forward Liam Murphy will miss Sunday night's game vs. Akron due to an injury.

How to watch Akron vs. #2 Purdue

What: Non-conference game
Date: Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025
Tipoff time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
TV: Big Ten Network
App: Fox Sports App
TV announcers: Jack Kizer (play-by-play), Rapheal Davis (analyst)
Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); Sirius XM 84; View all listings: CLICK HERE
Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
Live stats: Purdue.StatBroadcast.com
Series history: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Akron 2-0.
Last meeting: Purdue defeated Akron 98-67 on Dec. 27, 2000, in West Lafayette.

Preview

Don't be fooled by the name on the front of the jersey; Akron is a team that is capable of giving Purdue a run for its money, even inside Mackey Arena. The Zips rank No. 77 in KenPom and are averaging 99.3 points per game, scoring over 100 in each of their last two contests.

Groce's squad is also an effective rebounding team, especially for a squad that doesn't possess a lot of size. Both Evan and Eric Mahaffey are good rebounding guards at 6-foot-6, and Lyles has been effective on the glass at 6-foot-9. Purdue is going to have to be prepared for a physical battle, especially on the boards.

Much like Thursday's game against Alabama, Purdue is going to have a major advantage in the post, especially with Kaufman-Renn in the post. Between Kaufman-Renn, Cluff, and Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue's primary big men accounted for 38 points and 31 rebounds. They have to bring that same tenacity to the floor on Sunday.

But the real question is whether or not Akron has anyone who can disrupt Smith at the guard position. The answer is no, although they can use size to try and rattle him around the perimeter. As long as the Boilermakers protect the basketball — and they're only averaging 7.3 turnovers per game — they should be able to leave Mackey Arena with a 4-0 record before heading to the Bahamas.