Purdue's Senior Leadership Shines on Final Offensive Play vs. Nebraska
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Purdue showed why senior leadership and experience are still critical pieces to success in college basketball. With time winding down in overtime and trailing No. 7 Nebraska 77-76 with less than 30 seconds to play, the 13th-ranked Boilermakers made two of the biggest plays of the night.
After Sam Hoiberg missed a potential game-sealing three for the Huskers, Trey Kaufman-Renn pulled down the rebound to give Purdue a chance to win the game in overtime. Fletcher Loyer missed a three-point attempt of his own, but Braden Smith swooped in to collect the offensive baord.
The ball got into the hands of Loyer again, who tried to drive to the basket before getting cut off by Braden Frager at the free-throw line. The senior guard stayed composed, got the ball into Oscar Cluff, who made a shot at the rim and drew contact.
Purdue escaped Lincoln with an 80-77 win thanks to poise and playmaking at a pivotal moment.
"He got stuck. The ball got reversed to him, he drove and he didn't have a shot. He couldn't get to his pull-up or get to the rim," Painter said. "But he played on two feet and he's under control. Oscar got the post-up, he got the ball to him and obviously got fouled."
What made those plays even more significant is that they came late in a game in which Purdue led by 22 points in the second half. Nebraska scratched and clawed its way back into the contest, eventually forcing overtime.
Teams that lack Purdue's veteran leadership and experience may have crumbled in that situation. Instead, its core group banded together and made a key play at a critical point.
"I honestly thought he was going to shoot it. Knowing Fletch, I thought it was going up," Smith said with a smile. "But he played off two [feet], and our bigs' job is to hold that and seal that, and then we're going to get it to him and go score. Big-time play for Oscar."
As a result, Purdue improved to 20-4 on the season and 10-3 in the Big Ten, keeping its hopes for a conference title alive.
What Cluff saw on Purdue's final possession
Although he's played a lot of basketball, Cluff has still only played with this group of seniors at Purdue for one season. But the senior center knew exactly what to do after Smith pulled down that critical offensive board.
When the ball got reversed to Loyer and the senior guard got stuck, Cluff got down on the low block, sealed off his defender, and scored the go-ahead bucket while drawing contact.
"We work on that one a bit. Once I saw Fletch get stuck, I knew what his first thought is," Cluff said. "He also had a kickout to CJ, but his first thought was always to go to me. I was ready for that. He threw me the pass, all I had to do was catch it and go up. That's what I did."
It was a fitting end for Purdue, which had relied so heavily on Cluff all evening long. The center was a terror in the post and on the glass, finishing the game with 12 points and 14 rebounds. It was his first double-double since a 12-point, 11-rebound performance against Wisconsin on Jan. 3.
Cluff has struggled in recent games, something he admitted following Tuesday night's win over Nebraska. But when Purdue needed him most, he pulled through in a clutch moment.
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WHAT PAINTER SAID: No. 13 Purdue needed overtime to beat No. 7 Nebraska on Tuesday night. Here's what coach Matt Painter had to say after the thrilling victory in Lincoln. CLICK HERE
5 THOUGHTS ON PURDUE'S WIN OVER NEBRASKA: No. 13 Purdue picked up a hard-fought 80-77 win over No. 7 Nebraska in Lincoln Tuesday night. Here are a few thoughts from this epic Big Ten clash. 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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