3 Thoughts From No. 1 Purdue's 80-71 Win Over Memphis
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It was a little bit tougher than Purdue would have liked, but the top-ranked Boilermakers escaped the first day of the Baha Mar Championship with an 80-71 over Memphis. Matt Painter's team now advances to the championship game, where it will play either No. 15 Texas Tech or Wake Forest.
Memphis continued to throw punches throughout the night. It was a physical game with many questionable calls, but Purdue was able to pull through at the end.
Here are a few quick thoughts from Thursday night's victory.
Just keep shooting
Purdue's three-point shot must have been stuck in baggage claim on Thursday night, at least early in the game. The Boilermakers opened the contest shooting just 2-of-11 from long range, allowing Memphis to hang around. It was particularly noticeable with Fletcher Loyer, who got off to a rough start.
After halftime, though, Loyer got into a rhythm and finally knocked down some shots. After scoring a lowly two points in the first 20 minutes, the senior guard finished the night with a game-high 20 points.
The Boilers finished the game making 11-of-30 shots from distance, not bad considering how poorly they started. Some teams might be hesitant to pull the trigger after such an ugly first half, but Purdue showed why Painter trusts his team to take those shots.
CJ Cox made some big-time plays
Cox wasn't Purdue's leading scorer or top rebounder Thursday night, but he kept his team hanging around when the shots weren't falling. For a period of time, he was the only one consistently hitting shots, which included a couple of triples from the corners.
The sophomore guard ended the night with 18 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from downtown. He also came up with some key rebounds, especially on the offensive end.
In a game when Purdue's stars were struggling, Cox stepped up. He provided the Boilermakers with excellent production and was a big reason why they will play for another MTE title.
Keep your composure
Look, the officiating was poor across the board on Thursday night. There's really no way to sugar-coat that. But Purdue has to do a better job of composing itself in those moments, especially a star like Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Near the end of the first half, Kaufman-Renn picked up a foul and continued to argue about the call. That resulted in a technical, giving Memphis free points and sidelining the senior star with three fouls.
Kaufman-Renn is too important to this team to make mistakes like that. He has to find ways to stay relaxed in those moments.
Additionally, Purdue struggled with Memphis's pressure at times, especially when fouls weren't being called. It seemed like they were moving too fast at specific points in the game.
Frustrating things are going to happen throughout the course of a season. The whistle isn't always going to go Purdue's way. It has to learn to play through it.
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PURDUE-MEMPHIS GAME THREAD: No. 1 Purdue will take on Memphis on the first day of the Baha Mar Championship. Follow along with live updates throughout Thursday night's game. 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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