In Trey Kaufman-Renn's Absence, Jack Benter Becomes New Bright Spot for Purdue

Fans hadn't seen Benter on the floor, as he spent last season as a redshirt, so they might have been surprised to see that kind of effort from the Brownstown native. Nobody in Purdue's locker room was shocked by how he performed.

"I thought he did some really good things defensively, especially in help. His awareness and knowing what's going on," coach Matt Painter said. "He's a cerebral guy, he's a good passer, he has great range on his shot. He's someone in that position who can handle the basketball and pass the basketball. He played point guard at times in high school."

Whether it was his effort on the glass, knocking down threes, or defending players like Keishon Porter and Joshua Hughes, Benter put together an outstanding opening night performance. It speaks to how much depth Purdue has on its roster.

Benter confident in first start

Evansville had a 7-6 lead on Purdue less than four minutes into the game. After a Leif Moeller missed shot, Benter grabbed the rebound and got the ball into the hands of Braden Smith. The point guard then found Benter trailing for a wide-open three-pointer.

The ball splashed through the net, Purdue took a 9-7 advantage and never looked back.

In those situations, not every player would have the confidence to pull the trigger. Benter didn't hesitate, knocked down the shot and put Purdue in front before the first media timeout.

Benter clearly has a lot of confidence in his ability as a player, but he also has the support of his head coach to take those shots when they come his way.

"Let it rip, shoot the basketball if you're open," Painter said. "We can't rebound your turnover, right? So, if you've got a guy you feel like can shoot 40% from three and you feel like you can get 20 to 25% of those offensive rebounds, those are positive plays, makes or misses."

Benter was 4-of-7 from the field, making 3-of-6 shots from three-point range on Tuesday night. Obviously, the redshirt freshman made a lot more winning plays than just knocking down triples, but his ability to shoot gives Purdue another offensive weapon opponents must account for.

"It's another shooter, another ball-handler, and he's athletic," Loyer said of Benter. "When you have guards one through four who can all dribble, pass, and shoot, it's very hard to guard, especially when you have size, whether it's Oscar [Cluff] or Daniel [Jacobsen] down low."