Purdue basketball’s 93-87 exhibition loss at Creighton another useful opening night

INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue basketball confirmed what it already knew it had in three veteran returning starters in Saturday’s exhibition at Creighton.

In a 93-87 loss, the Boilermakers may have also learned what it may have down the line as the supporting pieces come together. The Blue Jays’ 3-point shooting and inside presence from center Ryan Kalkbrenner gave Purdue its second exhibition loss in as many years.

That loss against Arkansas, though, served as an important early calibration en route to the national championship game. What Creighton exposed Saturday could help again in March,.

Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith opened his season with a game-high 31 points, making 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Trey Kaufman-Renn posted 22 points and eight rebounds and Fletcher Loyer added 17 points and five assists.

The charity exhibition raised $150,000 for United Way of the Midlands to provide assistance for those affected by tornadoes in the Omaha area last April.

First on the floor

The most anticipated piece of intel from this game came via the lineup card. Painter last week committed only to returning starters Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn on the floor to start the game. Freshman Gicarri Harris also had seemed to lock up a spot thanks to Painter’s consistent acknowledgment of his defensive energy.

The last spot Saturday went to third-year center Will Berg. He picked up a second foul less than four minutes into the game and yielded to 7-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen. Berg re-entered later in the half and picked up a third foul within a minute.

Such is life for players across the Big East when matching up with Kalkbrenner, that conference’s preseason player of the year. Jacobsen started the second half, but Berg soon reentered and even blocked a shot despite the fragile foul situation. Alas, No. 4 followed soon after.

With Kaufman-Renn having just gone to the bench for a breather, it forced Painter to play a smaller lineup with Camden Heide at the 4 and freshman Raleigh Burgess…

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Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-10-27 02:08:00

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