3 Thoughts From Purdue's 74-58 Win Over Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament
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CHICAGO — Purdue is headed to the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The seventh-seeded Boilermakers defeated No. 2 seed Nebraska 74-58 and will play the winner of the Michigan State-UCLA game on Saturday.
The Boilermakers were dominant from start to finish, jumping out to an early 13-3 lead and never relinquishing the advantage. Fletcher Loyer and C.J. Cox both made some big-time plays, Braden Smith dished out 10 more assists, and Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn were solid in the post.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Purdue's win over Nebraska in the quarterfinals.
Fletcher Loyer continues to do everything
If it hasn't been stated yet, Loyer is playing his best basketball at exactly the right time. The senior guard scored 19 points, grabbed four rebounds and had two steals for the Boilermakers in Friday night's win over Nebraska.
Loyer set the tone early by making a couple of triples, alongside C.J. Cox. The Boilers were able to jump out to a 13-3 lead and never looked back.
Most of Loyer's production came in the first half, scoring 13 points in the first 20 minutes. But it wasn't just his hot shooting that was beneficial for Purdue. The senior was also active on the glass, diving for loose balls and was frequently in the right spot on the defensive end.
Right now, Loyer is playing like a man on a mission. That's exactly what the Boilers need this time of year.
Points off turnovers was a huge advantage
If you had looked at the halftime stats, you may have thought Nebraska had a significant advantage at the break. The Huskers had 6-of-12 shots from three and were winning the rebounding battle. The difference at that point? The Boilermakers had 17 points off eight Huskers' turnovers.
That wasn't a major factor for the Boilermakers the rest of the way, as Nebraska had just two turnovers in the second half. Purdue had no additional points off turnovers in that span.
However, the tone had been set by that point. Purdue's defense was frustrating Nebraska on the offensive end. The Boilermakers were able to take advantage of those mistakes and it made a huge difference in the game.
Never allowed Nebraska to make a run
In the first meeting between the two teams, Purdue built a 22-point advantage in the second half. It felt like the Boilermakers might cruise to a victory. But the Huskers started making shots and made a run to force overtime.
That didn't happen on Friday night. Purdue built an early double-digit lead and never really looked back. Nebraska was able to make a few shots and had a couple of 6-0 runs to keep the score respectable, but the Huskers never got within striking distance.
Purdue is a team that, at times this season, has squandered big leads, especially in the first half. The Boilers' ability to keep their foot on the gas was a positive sign.
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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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