In the two hour drive it took to get from West Lafayette to the United Center, Casey and I discussed all the things that were right and going wrong with this team. It was a great conversation. One thing we both agreed on was that while the regular season was a disappointment there were no outcomes in the NCAA Tournament that would surprise us. We both know what this team is capable of and they just haven’t shown it of late. Heading into the Big Ten Tournament was an opportunity to wipe the slate
clean and show the nation who this team could be.
John Wooden Memorial Player of the Game (JWMPOTG): Gotta go to Braden Smith here who did an absolutely wonderful job controlling the game and the Purdue offense with 16 assists in 36 minutes. Smith needed a big game and he delivered. He only added 5 points of his own, but that isn’t the most important thing. Oscar Cluff is an honorable mention here as he finished with 19 points and 10 boards.
When these two teams met 8 days ago it was a struggle for Purdue on both ends of the floor. There was no reason to expect that things would be so drastically different. Sure, Northwestern had an injury but they had an injury in the first meeting between these two. Of course, Purdue was mired in their 2026 slump at that time. Maybe today was enough to get them out of it? Well at least the first 20 minutes. Purdue played maybe their best 20 minutes of basketball in…months? You could maybe convince me that the first 20 against Nebraska was better but I’m not sure. Just look at what Purdue was able to do over the first 20 minutes.
- Outrebounded Northwestern 20-10 including 8-2 on the offensive glass.
- Braden Smith got an incredible 9 assists to move into second place all-time.
- Purdue shot 41% from three.
- Purdue held Northwestern to just 21 points including an amazing 0% from three.
- Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff exploited the lack of size from the Wildcats to go 9-11 for for a combined 20 points and 7 rebounds.
Everyone on the team was out there moving their feet on defense, taking smart shots on offense, and looking like the well put together we saw in the non-conference season. I received a number of encouraging texts from my Purdue friends who had been sad and dejected for much of 2026. Was it a sign that Purdue was #back?
Also, special shoutout to this hustle play, and ultimately an assist, from Braden Smith, not sure I’ve ever seen one like it before.
Just 20 more minutes separated Purdue from their first complete game in a long long time. Could they do it against a Northwestern team that was shorthanded and on their third game in three days? Before that though, let’s take one more look at Braden Smith’s first half.
The second 20 minutes weren’t quite as pretty for the Boilermakers, on either end, but this is survive and advance time. You don’t have to win pretty, you just have to win. After holding Northwestern to that amazing 0% shooting from three in the first half, the Boilermakers allows the Wildcats to go 6-8 from deep in the second half. It was an incredible shooting performance that allowed the Wildcats to stay in a game that was never really that close. On the plus side, after coming out of the game at around the 9+ minute mark Braden Smith came back in the game and was able to grab a few more assists. He would walk out of Chicago the new Big Ten Tournament assists leader and second all time in NCAA history. Today alone he had 16 assists in a game in which he largely controlled the game. It was a a beauty.
This was a team victory with eight Boilermakers getting points including 19 points from the bench. Here’s some quick observations:
- Gicarri Harris continues to shoot better away from Mackey Arena as he was 2-2 from deep today.
- Oscar Cluff had a great game with 19 and 10 for a very impressive double-double.
- Purdue turned the ball over just 7 times in this one.
- Purdue was just 3-11 from deep in the second half which contributed to Northwestern’s ability to claw back.
- If folks had converted the easy ones tonight Smith would have had at least 20 assists.
- Purdue had 38 points in the paint.
Would I have liked it a bit more if Braden Smith didn’t have to play 36 minutes in this one on a day where they’ve gotta turn around and play again tomorrow? Absolutely, but you’ve gotta win the one in front of you. Purdue now will have another matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers tomorrow evening again at 6:30 ET. We will have more post-game info on this one to come as Casey heads to the locker room.
