Advertisement

Purdue basketball vs. IU player ratings: Boilers roll into Assembly Hall and dominate

Despite being at the top of the national rankings the past few seasons, Purdue has struggled with IU, believe it or not (3-1 in the previous four meetings). On Tuesday, No. 2 Boilermakers had no such issues.

Purdue built a 21-point lead, weathered a brief IU run (the Hoosiers got the score down to nine in the second half) before the Boilermakers reasserted control in an 87-66 win and sent Assembly Hall's faithful home unhappy.

Player ratings on a scale of 0 to 10.

STARTERS

Purdue's Zach Edey (15) and Lance Jones (55) celebrate in the first half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
Purdue's Zach Edey (15) and Lance Jones (55) celebrate in the first half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Zach Edey — Another dominant performance, Edey was unstoppable Tuesday (33 points, 14 rebounds) and got Kel'el Ware and Mackenzie Mgbako in early foul trouble, which severely hampered IU's offense. He was 11-of-12 from the foul line too, and was just too good for IU. When IU would try to make a run in the second half, the Boilermakers relied on old faithful in the middle to quiet the crowd. Rating: 9.5

Trey Kaufman-Renn — Another quiet night... except for his four offensive rebounds, which was something that was certainly on Mike Woodson's scouting report: "Kaufman... a hell of an offensive rebounder," Woodson said Monday previewing this game. TKR was just 1-of-3 from the field but pulled down six rebounds. Again, he played less than Mason Gillis (20 to 16 minutes). Rating: 5.5

Lance Jones — He's been a backcourt difference-maker for the Boilermakers this season, and he was at his best Tuesday night. He hit three 3s in the first half and added two strong take-and-finishes for 13 first-half points as the Purdue dominated the opening 20 minutes. He finished with 17 points and was part of the Boilers' backcourt supremacy. Rating: 8.5

Purdue's Fletcher Loyer (2) celebrates his three-pointer as Purdue goes up over 20 points during the second half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
Purdue's Fletcher Loyer (2) celebrates his three-pointer as Purdue goes up over 20 points during the second half of the Indiana versus Purdue men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Fletcher Loyer — He took an early charge on Mgbako in transition (one of the two fouls that sent IU's star freshman to the bench) and then provided a 10-point cluster in a three-minute burst as Purdue started to take control in the first half. He was 4-of-4 from behind the arc and finished with 19 points on just six field goal attempts. He added three assists and three rebounds in his best performance since that 27-point outburst vs. Arizona. Rating: 9.0

Braden Smith — He was 1-of-8 from the floor in the first half, but had five assists and no turnovers in the first 20 minutes and was keeping the Boilers' offense running smoothly. He finished a brutal 2-of-14 shooting (including 0-of-6 behind the arc) but hit a dagger jumper to make it 82-61, and silence the Assembly Hall crowd one more time before telling folks to go home. He finished with nine assists and six rebounds. Rating: 6.0

RESERVES

Mason Gillis — A ho-hum six-point, five-rebound shift from the reserve forward. In 20 minutes played, he was a team-best +25 in +/-. He had some nice clean-up moments on the glass, soaring in to scoop up an Edey miss and finish with an easy layup in the closing moments of the first half. Dude makes winning plays — consistently. Rating: 7.0

Cam Heide — He grabbed one rebound in nine minutes (his fewest minutes since playing seven vs. Arizona). Matt Painter stuck with the hot hand in Loyer, and for good reason. Rating: N/A

Ethan Morton — In there for his defense, he had a few solid defensive possessions and helped slow Trey Galloway's second-half burst. He hadn't scored in Purdue's past two games, but had a nice cut to basket and scored via an IU goaltend. He was +13 in 13 minutes of work. Rating: 6.0

Caleb Furst — He had two points and two rebounds and a steal in seven minutes. Rating: N/A

Brian Waddell — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A

Will Berg — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A

Myles Colvin — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs. IU player ratings: Another big night for Zach Edey