Purdue finally got the first win it was hunting, and now the Boilermakers get a quick chance to see if that performance was a launch point or just a one-night spike.
Fresh off a 76-59 win over Illinois State on Monday, Purdue returns home Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind., for a non-conference meeting with unbeaten Ohio. The Boilermakers are 1-2, but the win over the Redbirds gave them something they had been missing: clean shot-making and control on the glass.
Daniel Jacobsen led the way with 20 points on only eight field-goal attempts, and Purdue finished with a 30-17 rebounding edge. Coach Matt Painter also highlighted the impact of a couple lineup tweaks, including the move to start Jack Benter at forward. Benter responded with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
"His ability to pass, his ability to stretch the defense ... I would say more than anything that our two best passers are him and Antione (West),"
West was also in the starting group and delivered 17 points, hitting 7 of 11 shots and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Purdue as a whole shot 26-for-46 from the field and connected on 8 of 19 attempts from deep.
Ohio arrives with a clean record and a little momentum of its own. The Bobcats are 2-0 after opening with an 86-77 road win over South Alabama on Nov. 2 and an 80-70 home victory over North Carolina A&T last Saturday.
Against the Aggies, Javan Simmons and reserve Che Brogan each scored 18 points. Ohio shot 50.9% from the floor, controlled the boards 42-29 and still survived 15 turnovers.
"It was fun to get out there and get a win," Simmons said. "We're just going to keep stacking.
We came out a little sluggish, but we figured out a way to get the win. That's what it's about -- finding a way to win."
The Bobcats were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference, and guard Jackson Paveletzke has been their early engine. He is averaging 15 points to lead six Ohio players in double figures, and he also averages 6.5 assists.
In Other News...
Purdue Faces Travel Chaos Before Tough Iowa Test
A routine trip turned into an unexpected road test for Purdue on Friday, as the Boilermakers had to scrap their flight plans and head to Iowa City by bus for their matchup with No. 15 Iowa. The change came after a nationwide FAA flight stoppage began at 3:45 p.m. ET, leaving the team stuck on the tarmac for more than 75 minutes before the decision was made to switch gears.
Now the Boilermakers will arrive for a late kickoff already having dealt with a little extra turbulence before facing one of the Big Tens tougher road environments. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and Purdue will be hoping the travel headache does not carry over once the ball is kicked off. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Heads To Iowa With One Huge Test For Barry Odom
Barry Odom has put himself in the middle of Purdues biggest defensive decision of the season, taking over play-calling duties after firing defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. Now the Boilermakers head into Iowa City with a daunting assignment against a 16th-ranked Hawkeyes team that remains very much in the College Football Playoff conversation under Kirk Ferentz.
For Purdue, the path to making this trip competitive starts up front. The Boilermakers need their offensive line to hold up well enough to keep the game manageable, while the defense has to find a way to slow Iowas rushing attack and make the Hawkeyes work in obvious passing situations. It is the kind of test that can expose a lot, and it will say plenty about how Odoms hands-on approach looks when the opponent is built to squeeze every mistake. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Painter Sees One Big Hurdle For Purdues New 2027 Duo
Purdues 2027 recruiting class already has a promising look to it with the addition of center Isaiah Hill of Indiana and point guard Kevin Savage of Georgia, a pair of four-star prospects who also landed on the Naismith Trophy Watch List. For a program that has built its identity around developing frontcourt talent and steady guard play, landing both a big man and a lead guard in the same cycle gives Matt Painter a foundation to work with well before either player arrives on campus.
Painter has been open about liking what each brings to the table, but the bigger question is how the two fit together once they get to Purdue. Hills size and interior presence and Savages ability to run the offense give the Boilermakers a potentially balanced pairing, yet the challenge now is turning that early promise into a seamless on-court connection. For Purdue, the talent is obvious. The next step is making sure the pieces complement each other in the way Painter envisions. [Read more 🡒]