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WEST LAFAYETTE − Oh, you thought Purdue basketball was supposed to fall off without Zach Edey?
At this point, Matt Painter and the Boilermakers have earned the benefit of the doubt.
Programs of Purdue’s caliber don’t just fall into the abyss because a generational player goes to the NBA.
Friday night in front of 14,786 loud fans at Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers once again proved their worth in an 87-78 win over No. 2 Alabama, Purdue’s 39th straight regular-season nonconference win.
It was Braden Smith. It was Fletcher Loyer. It was Trey Kaufman-Renn. But what separated Purdue in this particular game was something else.
Painter said Thursday afternoon Purdue’s bench would need to be better than Alabama’s for the Boilermakers to have a chance. Painter even said Alabama’s bench would be a top-25 team as a starting unit elsewhere.
Well, Purdue has a pretty solid bench, too, it turns out.
“It’s what is going to put us from not winning the Big Ten to winning the Big Ten,” Loyer said. “It’s that simple.”
Freshman C.J. Cox made three 3s in a span of 52 seconds, the moment Purdue flipped the script midway through the second half Friday night.
Another freshman, Raleigh Burgess, came off the bench in the middle of the first half after Will Berg and Kaufman-Renn both had two fouls. Burgess made his first career 3, then had a putback off a Loyer miss, both shots pushing Purdue’s lead to five.
The foul trouble with Purdue’s bigs — in addition to the recent loss of Daniel Jacobsen due to a fractured tibia — also pushed Caleb Furst, Purdue’s lone senior and a former starter who saw his minutes essentially vanish by the end of last season, into a key role.
Furst took a charge, one of four fouls he drew, and scored six points, including two late free throws that pretty much sealed the Crimson Tide’s fate.
“Both of those guys came in and really gave us a boost. They always rebound,” Kaufman-Renn said of Burgess and Furst. “They always play hard. Both of those guys are really good players. To…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-zach-edey-no-problem-045647290.html
Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star
Publish date : 2024-11-16 04:56:00
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