Purdue Looks to Keep Momentum Rolling Against Marquette After Statement Win
After a dominant second-half surge against Minnesota, sixth-ranked Purdue is back in rhythm-and just in time. The Boilermakers return home to West Lafayette this Saturday to host Marquette in a nonconference matchup, looking to build on a bounce-back win that reminded everyone why this team was ranked No. 1 not long ago.
Purdue (9-1) dismantled Minnesota 85-57 on Wednesday night, using a second-half explosion to put the game out of reach. It was the kind of response head coach Matt Painter wanted to see after an 81-58 loss to then-No. 10 Iowa State on Dec. 6-their first defeat of the season and one that knocked them from the top spot in the polls.
Painter didn’t sugarcoat the Iowa State loss. “I walked away from the Iowa State game saying we got our ass kicked and how could I have stopped that?”
he said postgame. That kind of blunt honesty has long been part of Painter’s coaching DNA-and clearly, his team got the message.
Against Minnesota, Purdue came out of the locker room and ripped off a 21-0 run to open the second half. That’s not just a hot streak-that’s a defensive lockdown paired with offensive execution at the highest level. It marked the Boilermakers’ third 20-0 or longer run this season, a testament to their ability to flip a switch and take over a game.
“Obviously you can't go on runs like that unless you get stops,” Painter said. “I thought our attention to detail defensively was pretty good.”
That attention to detail was on full display, especially from the trio of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Oscar Cluff-each of whom posted a double-double in the win.
Smith continues to be the engine behind Purdue’s offense. He stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, five steals, and two blocks.
That’s not just a productive night-it’s a complete performance from one of the most well-rounded guards in college basketball. His 8.8 assists per game ranks second in the nation, and he’s doing it while also being a disruptive force on the defensive end.
Kaufman-Renn added his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards, while Cluff recorded his third with 14 points and 11 rebounds. It’s become a pattern for Purdue: dominate the glass, share the ball, and let the frontcourt go to work.
The Boilermakers average 85.2 points per game while holding opponents to 67.9-a nearly 18-point margin. They’re also bullying teams on the boards, outrebounding opponents by over 10 per game. That physicality is a big part of their identity.
Fletcher Loyer leads Purdue in scoring at 14.0 points per game, with Kaufman-Renn (13.9 points, 10.6 rebounds), Cluff (11.4 points, 9.1 rebounds), and Smith (13.3 points) rounding out a balanced attack that doesn’t rely on one star to carry the load. This team can beat you in a lot of ways-and they usually do.
Marquette, meanwhile, comes into Saturday’s matchup looking for consistency. The Golden Eagles (5-5) have dropped four of their last six, including a 96-76 loss to in-state rival Wisconsin. In that game, they struggled mightily out of the gate, hitting just one of their first 13 shots and one of their first 12 from deep.
That shooting funk isn’t new. In their previous game, a narrow 75-72 overtime win over Valparaiso, Marquette also opened 1-for-13 from beyond the arc.
They needed eight of their 10 overtime points to come from the free-throw line just to escape with the win. The inconsistency from long range-and at the stripe-is becoming a theme.
Against Wisconsin, the Golden Eagles shot just 9-of-19 from the free-throw line. For a team that averages 80.9 points per game, those missed opportunities are costly-especially when they’re allowing 76.4 points on the other end.
Head coach Shaka Smart isn’t panicking, but he knows the shooting has to improve. “I thought we got a lot of good shots that did not go in,” Smart said after the Wisconsin loss.
“So far the story of our season. So we've got to get better at making those, and we will.”
Chase Ross has been a bright spot, averaging 19.5 points per game. Freshman Nigel James Jr. is adding 12.2 points, and Ben Gold contributes 9.5 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds. But this group is still trying to find its identity-and its rhythm.
Marquette is shooting just 42.5% from the field and 31.1% from three this season. In three of their five losses, they’ve shot under 38.5%. That’s a tough way to win, especially against a Purdue team that defends, rebounds, and executes at a high level.
Still, there’s some recent history here. Marquette beat Purdue 76-58 last season in Milwaukee, powered by a triple-double from Kam Jones. But this year’s Golden Eagles squad is still trying to reach that level.
“We have been blessed and fortunate to have some really good teams of late,” Smart said. “And this team's behind those teams right now.
That's a fact. And we need to get better and we will.”
Saturday’s game is a chance for Purdue to show that their Iowa State loss was just a blip-and that their second-half demolition of Minnesota is more reflective of who they are. For Marquette, it’s a shot at redemption and a chance to prove they can still hang with the nation’s elite.
But to do that, they’ll need to do something no one’s done against Purdue this season: win the battle on the boards, find consistency from deep, and survive the inevitable Boilermaker run. Easier said than done.