Thoughts Following Purdue's 78-65 Exhibition Loss to Kentucky
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No. 1 Purdue was punched in the mouth in its exhibition game on Friday night, falling 78-65 to No. 9 Kentucky. It's a game that doesn't count, but one that gives the Boilermakers plenty of lessons to learn if they hope to chase a national title this coming season.
That's exactly what Matt Painter wanted.
Here are five quick thoughts from Purdue's loss to Kentucky at Rupp Arena. And, remember, this is a game that the Boilermakers didn't scout ahead of time, so Friday's game may not tell the whole story in regards to Painter's squad.
Gicarri Harris was a bright spot
The sophomore guard played just 15 minutes and scored only five points, but he was a difference-maker when he was on the floor. He wasn't afraid to attack the rim in traffic and pushed the ball up the court at times in the game.
Where Harris made the biggest impact, though, was on the defensive end. There was one moment when his effort forced Kentucky star Otega Oweh into a missed layup. In another moment, he recovered from a defensive lapse that eliminated an easy Wildcats bucket. Those plays don't show up on the stat sheet, but they're critically important.
The transition defense was a step (or two) behind
One of the biggest concerns about Purdue's team was its athleticism and ability to defend in transition this season. There may be more questions than answers in that department following Friday night's loss.
When Kentucky was able to push the tempo, the Boilermakers really had no answer offensively. The Wildcats were able to get the ball into transition and create easy scoring opportunities at the basket or kick it out for open three-point attempts.
Transition defense was an issue enter Friday's exhibition game, and it remains a concern moving forward.
Frequent rotations change everything
After the first five minutes of the first half, Painter started to switch up lineups frequently. It allowed everyone 11 Boilermakers to see playing time, though it certainly affected Purdue's rhythm.
Daniel Jacobsen and Harris were the first players off the bench, coming in for Oscar Cluff and CJ Cox, respectively. The next two into the game were Jack Benter and Omer Mayer, who checked in for Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith. Those nine players saw a majority of the minutes, with Antione West Jr. and Liam Murphy both playing fewer than three minutes.
It's hard to maintain a rhythm and stay consistent with so many changes, so many lineups. When Purdue has a more strict rotation, things will look much better.
Rebounding wasn't a strength
Again, credit this to Purdue's frequent rotations, but the rebounding wasn't a strength for the Boilermakers Friday night. Obviously, shooting 38.6% from the floor doesn't help. Kentucky won the battle on the glass 42-30, but the bigger concern was UK grabbing 10 offensive boards compared to Purdue's seven.
This probably won't be a long-term issue, because the Boilermakers aren't going to shoot that poorly very often. But Cluff's best attribute is on the glass, and he grabbed just five boards in 22 minutes of action, none of which were offensive.
There is still a lot of learning to do between Cluff and Kaufman-Renn, but the work on the glass could have been a little better.
Jack Benter looks like the backup four
When it came to replacing Kaufman-Renn at the four spot, Benter gobbled up almost all the minutes. Most expected that to be the case entering the exhibition game, but there was still some question as to how much Murphy might play in that role.
Benter logged 10 minutes off the bench, finishing the game with just two shot attempts and two rebounds. Murphy didn't play until the end of the second half.
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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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