Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Teams across the country are always gunning to beat the best, and #1-ranked Purdue will experience that all season long. Despite that target on their backs, they passed the first of many tests easily on Tuesday night.
The Boilermakers began their 2025-26 Big 10 basketball schedule with a bang, defeating Rutgers 81-65 in Piscataway, NJ. The usual suspects led the way again for Purdue, which is now 8-0 on the season.
The Boilers’ resident double-double machine, senior Trey Kaufman-Renn, scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, both of which were game-high totals. Fellow senior Braden Smith added 16 points, which included four made shots from distance, and dished out eight assists.
Fletcher Loyer pitched in 12 points, and sophomore Gicarri Harris scored 11, all in the first half, for Purdue.
Rutgers was led by Dylan Grant and Harun Zmo, who scored 13 points apiece. With the loss, the Scarlet Knights fell to 5-4 on the season.
Rutgers forward Darren Buchanan, Jr., drilled a three-pointer with 18:27 remaining in the first half, and the Scarlet Knights led 6-2 at that point.
After one and a half minutes and two Smith shots from distance later, Purdue led 8-6, and the Scarlet Knights would never enjoy the lead again.
Rutgers kept the Boilers within striking distance after cutting the lead to one, 20-19, with 7:37 left in the half. Purdue promptly went on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes, punctuated by Harris’ second of his three shots from distance, to take control of the game.
At the halftime break, the Boilermakers held a 40-27 advantage.
The Boilers built their lead up to 22 points before the first media timeout of the second half, outscoring Rutgers 11-2 during the first four minutes. From that point on, Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter had the luxury of putting his team on cruise control.
Purdue’s lead eventually grew to 25 points before it settled for an easy victory. They dominated the stat sheet, leading Rutgers in almost every category. They were 17-for-20 from the free-throw line, and their successful attempts were more than the Scarlet Knights attempted (11). The Boilers controlled the glass, winning the rebounding battle 36-25.
Smith and his teammates handed out 18 assists, six more than Rutgers.
After the game, an exasperated Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell lavished high praise on Smith, the reigning Big 10 Player of the Year.
“I’ll be glad when he graduates, that’s for sure,” he said. “He’s such a good shooter now. Not only do you have to guard him on pick-and-rolls to pass the ball, and he has elite vision, but he’s tremendously crafty. His ability to create his own shot, he fades away, he makes mid-range shots, he comes off and takes off-balanced threes, and they just swish. He plays with an experience and a swagger. I mean, he’s going to be the all-time leading assist guy in college basketball history. This isn’t just a regular guy; he’s going to beat Bobby Hurley’s record, which has stood for 30 years.”
Pikiell’s sentiments are the collective thoughts of all Big 10 coaches who have had to deal with Smith for four years. If Tuesday had any sort of silver lining for Rutgers, they would not have to see Purdue again unless they meet in the postseason.
Purdue faces their second top-10 matchup of the year when Iowa State comes to Mackey Arena on Saturday for a noon EST tip-off. The Boilermakers handled their first such challenge earlier in the season when they dispatched then-#8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 13
The Cyclones own a perfect 7-0 record, and they boast an offense that averages 91.6 points per game. It should be a great gauge where both teams match up nationally, and the Paint Crew at Mackey and the nation watching on television should be in for a treat.
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