How Purdue Basketball's Returning Production Compares to Other Big Ten Teams

It's no secret that Purdue returns a large chunk of its offensive production from last season. With the top three scorers from last season all returning — Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, and Fletcher Loyer — the Boilermakers have earned their spot as favorites to win the 2025-26 Big Ten title.

Along with Kaufman-Renn, Smith, and Loyer, Purdue also returns CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris, both making significant impacts as freshmen. In total, the Boilermakers bring back 86% of their scoring production from the 2024-25 squad. That team averaged 77.9 points per game and finished with a 24-12 record.

What's even more impressive about that figure is that Purdue's returning scoring production is nearly 30% higher than the second-highest in the Big Ten — Ohio State at 59%. Only four teams in the conference are returning more than 50% of their scoring from last season, per college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

Here's a look at Purdue's returning scoring production compares to the rest of the Big Ten.

Big Ten returning scoring production

1. Purdue — 86%
2. Ohio State — 59%
3. UCLA — 55.5%
4. Illinois — 52.1%
5. Nebraska — 48.1%
6. Oregon — 48%
7. Northwestern — 47.2%
8. Michigan State — 40.4%
9. Michigan — 40.1%
10. Wisconsin — 35.9%
11. Washington — 19.8%
12. Penn State — 14.6%
13. Rutgers — 14.4%
14. Minnesota — 8.2%
15. USC — 2.9%
16. Iowa — 1.7%
17. Indiana — 0%
18. Maryland — 0%

Purdue's top returning scorers

• Trey Kaufman-Renn — 20.1 ppg
• Braden Smith — 15.8 ppg
• Fletcher Loyer — 13.8 ppg
• CJ Cox — 6.0 ppg
• Gicarri Harris — 3.8 ppg
• *Daniel Jacobsen — 6.5 ppg (appeared in just two games)