PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Purdue men’s basketball team finally made a strong statement Tuesday in its Big Ten tournament opener at Rutgers.
The top-ranked Boilermakers cruised to an 81-65 win at Jersey Mike’s Arena. They have lost five of their last six Big Ten road games and six of their last seven December road games.
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Here’s what I liked and didn’t like, and what a Boilers win would mean.
What I love about Purdue basketball’s win over Rutgers
Jikari Harris finally made a splash against Eastern Illinois on Friday. That spark carried over to Tuesday, when he hit three 3-pointers in the first half and had 11 points before halftime. That’s one shy of his career-high in a win over the Panthers.
The improvement in shooting percentage is especially important — and not just because Rutgers essentially dared Purdue to beat it outside the 2-3 zone. Harris’ inconsistent playing time naturally leads to inconsistent shooting at times. As a result, it took him a while to find the stroke during his freshman year. He seemed to be warming up in his second year.
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∙ In the first half, Trey Kaufman-Lane was on the court for about as long as a Jersey Mike’s signature. At halftime he still almost had a double-double – 9 points and 8 rebounds. He also dished out a few assists, dribbling into the center of the penalty area and assisting from there.
He had a double-double before the U-16 timeout in the second half. The biggest impact of Jake Bent’s absence due to illness is that Kaufman-Lane is in foul trouble. Instead, he was down to five points when both centers fouled out twice in the first half, and Liam Murphy added some extra time with four.
∙ Oscar Clough’s passing continues to be an underrated part of elite offensive efficiency to this day. He averaged 2.1 assists per game. (He averaged 2.8 points per game last season at South Dakota State while also playing more minutes per game.) By halftime, Purdue got the ball in the penalty area and kicked it out, giving him two more points.
What I didn’t like about Purdue basketball’s win over Rutgers
If not for some early mid-range shooting issues, Purdue might have put it on hold sooner. An early 4-for-13 2-point shooting slowed the pace of the game. Of course, Purdue offset that with offensive rebounds.
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∙ It’s such a shame that Jake Bent missed the long-awaited Big Ten opener due to illness. The only positive was the opportunity it created for Staten Island native Murphy, who played some extra minutes after returning from injury and was the closest the Big Ten has given him to a homecoming.
About Murphy: Transfer sharpshooter has championship goals on Purdue basketball team and represents his district
What Purdue basketball’s win over Rutgers means
The first Big Ten win is behind us — and Purdue can’t make any assumptions considering how its first road trip went. Now the Boilermakers won’t start Big Ten play in the hole.
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They head home for another big non-conference challenge. Iowa State brings All-American selection Joshua Jackson and one of the best defensive players in the country to Mackey Arena on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball scores, game stats, likes, dislikes today at Rutgers
