Purdue came into Rupp Arena as the #1 team in the country set to play a hungry, big Kentucky team with something to prove. Kentucky proved worthy of its top-ten placing in the polls and brought it to the visiting
title favorite Boilermakers, winning 78-65.. It’s a familar place for Matt Painter and his Purdue Boilermakers. For the last two seasons, Painter took his team on the road in the exhibition season to play a heavy weight. Doesn’t get much heavier than the Kentucky Wildcats, whose size swarmed Purdue early and helped keep Purdue in check on the glass and from three. Purdue never got its shot going, start the game 3 of 15 from three while also losing the possession battle to Kentucky.
Purdue won the turnover battle, 7-9, but was out rebounded by Kentucky 42-30.
Player of the year favorite, Braden Smith, got to the line five times and had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists but was just 3 of 9 from the floor, and as Purdue adjusted to its new pieces, the offense never got going.
Nowhere was that more indicative than with returning All-American, Trey Kaufman-Renn, who led the Boilers in scoring with 19 points, but also led the team with three turnovers.
Purdue’s two new pieces had uneven days. Oscar Cluff did little offensively, but got to 5 boards while Omer Mayer’s defense remains a struggle and he never consistently affected the offense with 4 points to 2 assists.
Even sharp shooting Fletcher Loyer couldn’t find it from three despite a lot of clean looks. Loyer was 2 of 8 from three as Purdue as a team shot just 3 of 17 from three.
Purdue didn’t look like the best team in the country on Friday against a sold out crowd. That was the point. Matt Painter said he doesn’t scout for teams in the exhibition and has stated he likes when his team gets hit in the mouth when the games don’t matter. Kentucky did just that. Its length and physicality bothered Purdue all night.
Purdue will get a chance again next week in its final exhibition game before the season.
