Why Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn is Carrying an Edge Into Matchup vs. No. 1 Michigan
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Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has something to prove as the seventh-ranked Boilermakers host No. 1 Michigan on Tuesday night. Believe it or not, the senior forward doesn't believe he played to his standards in his team's two losses to the Wolverines last year.
Tuesday night's game has plenty of stakes. Purdue is chasing Michigan in the Big Ten standings as they both push for a conference championship. Both teams are also trying to grab a No. 1 seed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, giving themselves the best opportunities to make a long March Madness run.
Those goals certainly add to Kaufman-Renn's motivation, but he also wants to prove he can play well against Michigan, even though he performed at a pretty high level in all three games a year ago.
"Me, personally, yeah. Because, I felt like the last two times I played them, I messed up a lot of my performance," Kaufman-Renn said. "I didn't think it was anything that they did, I just felt like I played bad. Anytime you play a really good team, you want to be able to give your best performance."
Purdue played Michigan three times last year. The Boilermakers won the game in Mackey Arena 91-64, but lost in Ann Arbor 75-73 and again in the Big Ten Tournament 86-68.
By the numbers, Kaufman-Renn performed at a high level. He had 22 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in the loss in Anm Arbor. In the Big Ten Tournament defeat, he had 24 points and nine boards.
In the three games Purdue played against Michigan during the 2024-25 season, Kaufman-Renn averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Those aren't bad numbers by any stretch.
But the most important number was 1-2. That was Purdue's record against Michigan last season. Ultimately, that's the only one that matters.
Kaufman-Renn rebounded at a high level last week
Purdue needed to pick up two big road wins last week, playing then-No. 7 Nebraska and Iowa away from Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers won both games, with Kaufman-Renn playing a huge role in both.
The senior forward secured 19 rebounds and scored six points in the 80-77 overtime win over Nebrsaka. Thanks to his effort, the Boilermakers outrebounded the Huskers 54-37. Just a few days later, he had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, helping Purdue to a 78-57 win over Iowa.
Kaufman-Renn told reporters after the game that he's been watching Dennis Rodman highlights before games to get into that type of mindset.
"Players have been making fun of me, I try to watch Dennis Rodman highlights before the game, almost like an actor to try and get in that mindset," Kaufman-Renn said in a video posted by GoldandBlack.com. "I'm just trying to do everything I can to have that sort of energy because that's what the team needs."
Last year, Kaufman-Renn was Purdue's top scorer, averaging more than 20 points per game. This year, he's improved tremendously as a rebounder, collecting 9.0 boards per contest.
Kaufman-Renn has proved he's willing to do whatever it takes to get his team a win. He's ready for the challenge again Tuesday night vs. Michigan.
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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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