Purdue's Dominant Performance vs. Auburn Still Not Enough For Trey Kaufman-Renn
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INDIANAPOLIS — You could say Purdue's 18-point loss to Auburn last season left a bad taste in the mouth of forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. The senior forward may have moved on from last year's defeat at the hands of the Tigers, but he certainly didn't forget it.
Kaufman-Renn was a force for the sixth-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday in the Indy Classic, scoring 18 points on 9-of-13 from the floor and grabbing six rebounds in an 88-60 drubbing of No. 21 Auburn. But the 28-point beatdown wasn't enough for Purdue's star forward.
"I was glad we won this game," Kaufman-Renn said in the postgame press conference. "This is a game that I definitely circled on my calendar coming into the year. I really wanted to beat this team. I wish we had won by 50 points instead of what we did."
Talk about having no sympathy.
Purdue was stellar in every way in the Indy Classic. The Boilers shot 56% from the floor and 46% from three-point range. They outrebounded the Tigers 36-25 and dominated in the paint 40-20. Defensively, the Boilers held Auburn to just 36% shooting, and they connected on only 7-of-25 attempts from long distance.
It was one of the most complete games Purdue has played this season. And yet, if it were up to Kaufman-Renn, the Boilermakers would have continued to punish Auburn.
That's the attitude of a player on a mission to make a statement.
Five Boilers score in double figures
What made Purdue's 28-point win over Auburn so impressive was the balance throughout the game. Five different players scored at least 11 points in Saturday evening's victory.
Kaufman-Renn led the way with 18 points, CJ Cox scored 14, and Gicarri Harris chipped in 12. Both Braden Smith and Jack Beter ended the game with 11 points.
Oscar Cluff only scored six points, but had seven rebounds. Daniel Jacobsen had four points, but was responsible for three blocks on the defensive end. Even on a night when he went 2-of-10 from the floor, Fletcher Loyer still managed to get eight points.
Saturday night's game was an example of Purdue's depth paying dividends. Yes, the team's brightest stars — Kaufman-Renn and Smith — were fantastic, but everyone chipped in when Cluff and Loyer struggled to find points.
That's what makes Purdue such a dangerous team when March rolls around. On Saturday night, we saw the Boilers are a true Final Four contender.
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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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