Purdue Earns Huge Win At #8 Bama

The Boilermakers’ victory over Oakland was a hard-fought home win that was not decided until late in the second half. The resounding consensus afterwards was that Purdue must find a way to control the glass and rebound the basketball better. It was out-rebounded by the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in that game on November 7 by a margin of 39-37. The Boilermakers realized this trend could not continue once their schedule became littered with ranked opponents.

During their preparations leading up to the Alabama game, Purdue figured it out.

The Boilermakers dominated the glass, outrebounding the Crimson Tide by a ridiculous 52-28 margin. To put that in perspective, Kaufman-Renn and Cluff combined for 26 rebounds just by themselves. No Alabama player registered more than four rebounds for the entire game.

Following the game, Painter was asked about his team’s toughness and resiliency, especially in rebounding. While Purdue’s head coach was very pleased in that regard, he noted the absence of this star big man as an opportunity for the team to grow.

“They were great. They really responded,” said Painter. “Obviously Trey’s a big part of our team and when you lose him, you’ve got to move on. Someone’s in foul trouble, someone’s hurt, tough. The next guy’s got to step up and play. Getting him back was great, but I think we found out a lot just in our effort tonight.”

Rebounding was not the only variable to thrive on Thursday, but it was the main area of concern during the first weeks of the season. Suppose the dilemma surrounding the Boilermakers’ rebounding effort has been decoded. In that case, Purdue’s season may be back on track for a memorable run–especially if its returning All-American keeps doing All-American things.

Braden Smith Is The Straw That Stirs Purdue’s Drink

Smith’s second-half scoring barrage forged Purdue into the lead and broke open a very tightly contested matchup. The Boilermakers led by as many as seven points early in the first half, but Alabama chipped away and even held a two-point lead with just over three minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Purdue regrouped to take a 43-41 lead into the break.

That was when the Smith Show took center stage. The senior guard hit three of his five three-pointers after the break, and he accounted for 21 points in the second half. His efforts were not lost on Alabama head coach Nate Oats, who called Smith the best point guard in the country during his postgame press conference. 

“Braden Smith’s gonna find an answer to anything you do,” Oats said. 

Boilermaker fans are now in their fourth year of seeing this out of Smith, the reigning Big 10 Player of the Year. In addition to his scoring and court presence, Smith has his sights set on two of college basketball’s records held by a couple of the sport’s most decorated icons.

Smith has passed out 24 assists thus far this season. That puts him at 782 dimes for his career and 294 behind Duke legend Bobby Hurley‘s total of 1076. Assuming that Purdue could play another 35 or so games this season, Smith would need to average somewhere around nine helpers per game from here on out to claim the record. If he stays healthy, he has more than a puncher’s chance to do it, which would further cement his already-decorated legacy.

Before Smith reaches Hurley, the Big 10 all-time assist mark would come first. He needs just 109 more to top Michigan State’s Cassius Winston‘s mark of 890 to be the conference’s top assist man, which should materialize around the mid-season point.

End Of Purdue Rant: Boilermaker Special Back On Track For March Glory

The goal for Painter during the first few weeks of the season was to figure out his team’s identity. Having Smith, Kaufman-Renn, and guard Fletcher Loyer all return for their fourth year in West Lafayette is a rarity in this day and age of college basketball. When most rosters are ravaged every year because of the transfer portal and NIL negotiations, this homegrown trio chose to run it back and make 2025-26 a season to remember.

Thursday’s win at Tuscaloosa, which was Purdue’s first top-10 non-conference road win since winning at Louisville in 1982, will go a long way in determining just what this team is made of. All three phases–offense, defense, and rebounding–need to click as one before they can dream about cutting the nets down at the Final Four in April. This victory got the train back on schedule for that.