3 Thoughts From Purdue's 104-71 Win vs. Queens to Start NCAA Tournament
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ST. LOUIS — Purdue got off to a great start in the NCAA Tournament. The second-seeded Boilermakers had no trouble with No. 15 seed Queens, winning 104-71 to advance to the second round.
It was a complete team effort for Purdue, with four players scoring in double figures. The Boilermakers were dominant on the glass, winning that battle 41-19, as well.
Queens provided some resistance early in the contest, but by halftime, Purdue was in complete control. Here are a few quick thoughts from a dominant performance in St. Louis.
Dominating the "middle eight"
Matt Painter talks a lot about winning those "middle eight" minutes — closing the first half strong and getting off to a good start in the second half. It was the difference for Purdue on Friday night.
With just under three minutes to play, Queens' Maban Jabriel got a bucket to cut Purdue's lead down to 35-30. But the Boilers really got things rolling after that. They went on a 10-run, anchored by sophomore C.J. Cox. The guard made two three pointers and made a pair of free throws, accounting for eight points in that stretch.
Out of halftime, the Boilers continued their run of dominance, outscoring the Royals 13-5 by the time the first media timeout was reached in St. Louis. Fletcher Loyer drilled a three-pointer to put Purdue ahead 58-38, which ultimately served as the "kill shot" less than five minutes into the half.
Production in the post
Purdue had the upper hand in the post in this one, outsizing Queens in the frontcourt. The Boilermakers exploited Trey Kaufman-Renn's matchup all night long, and both he and Oscar Cluff did the dirty work on the glass.
Kaufman-Renn finished the game with 25 points and nine rebounds. Cluff scored nine points and collected 11 rebounds. At one point late in the second half, Kaufman-Renn and Cluff had combined for 20 rebounds compared to Queens' 19. It was an utterly dominant performance in the post.
The Boiler bigs played particularly well last week in Chicago, allowing them to play from the inside and work outward. The same was the case against Queens. When Purdue can establish itself down low, it's one of the best teams in the country.
Braden Smith doing Braden Smith things
The All-American guard was on a mission to do more than break Bobby Hurley's assist record, which he did early in the first half Friday night. He came out of the gate looking to score and set the tone, shooting four times in the first five minutes.
It was a sign of things to come, as Smith ended the contest with a game-high 26 points. He needed just 15 shots to hit that total, going 10-of-15 from the floor. He also had eight assists and three rebounds.
Smith looked like he was on a mission on Friday night and played like one of the best players in the country. This was a night the senior guard will remember because of breaking the NCAA's assist record, but Smith also played like this was the first step of a long March journey.
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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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