The new college basketball season has already given Purdue fans a first look at how the Boilermakers who moved on are fitting in at their new stops, and the opening-night results were a mixed bag.
Will Berg delivered the loudest debut of the group. The former Purdue center powered Wichita State past Cal State Northridge, 79-67, with 26 points and 16 rebounds in 28 minutes.
Berg shot 11 of 16 from the floor and added two blocks, giving the Shockers exactly the kind of interior presence you’d expect from a player who was last year’s AAC Sixth Man of the Year. He averaged 8.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game off the bench a season ago, but this was a much bigger statement.
He already looks like a player who has made tremendous improvement.
Camden Heide also made a strong first impression in his new home. In his first season at South Carolina after transferring from Texas, he earned a starting role and helped the Gamecocks roll past Stetson, 81-55.
Heide scored 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting and added two rebounds. At Texas, he started regularly but averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
His athleticism and ability to stretch the floor should be a benefit for the Gamecocks this year.
Trey Kaufman-Renn’s first game in a Kansas uniform looked a little strange after five seasons in black and gold, but he still gave the Jayhawks useful minutes off the bench in a 95-65 win over Fordham. The former All-American scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out two assists in 23 minutes.
He hit 4 of 5 shots from the field and made his only three-point try. It will be interesting to see if he works his way into the starting lineup in the coming weeks.
Myles Colvin opened his Cincinnati career with a starting nod as well, though his box score was quieter. In the Bearcats’ 79-53 win over American, the former Purdue wing scored three points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Colvin spent most nights coming off the bench at Wake Forest last season, though he did have some big games for the Demon Deacons. The question now is whether a permanent starting role at Cincinnati can help him find more consistency.
Aaron Fine was the lone former Boilermaker from Purdue’s 2025-26 roster to transfer out, and he got his first start at Ball State earlier this week. The guard’s debut in Muncie was a tough one, as the Cardinals fell 67-55 to Georgia Southern.
Fine did not score on two shot attempts, but he did finish with two assists and a rebound. Even in a rough opener, he got meaningful minutes at his new home.
In Other News...
Purdue Returns Home With One Early Chance To Settle Things Down
Purdue gets its first home look of the season Friday night at Mackey Arena, a quick chance to move past the disappointment of an opening loss to Gonzaga and settle into the rhythm of a long schedule. The No. 24 Boilermakers are back in West Lafayette to face Valparaiso, which arrives with some early confidence after beating Western Illinois in its first game.
For Purdue, this is the kind of early November game that can matter beyond the result, offering a chance to clean up details in front of a home crowd before the calendar starts to tighten. The matchup also comes with the usual season-opening backdrop around the program, from the broadcast setup to the full 2026-27 slate that is beginning to take shape, but the immediate focus is simply on getting the home opener right. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Biggest Defensive Problem Is Getting Harder To Ignore
Purdues defense spent much of the Penn State game under pressure, and the issues in the front seven were hard to miss. The Boilermakers had trouble holding up against the run, with the defensive line getting pushed around and the linebackers and cornerbacks producing a mixed night of results. Snap counts and tackle totals told part of the story, but the broader picture was even clearer in the film review, where Kyle and Drew broke down which individual defenders held up and which ones struggled to make their presence felt.
The concern for Purdue is not just what happened in one game, but how it fit into a pattern that is becoming tougher to brush aside. There were some encouraging individual moments in the grading, and a few players flashed in specific roles, but the overall unit still looked vulnerable when Penn State leaned into its ground game. For a defense trying to establish some consistency, the next step is figuring out whether those problems are fixable with personnel tweaks and better execution, or whether the same issues are going to keep surfacing every week. [Read more 🡒]