ST. LOUIS — Purdue men’s basketball got history out of the way early Friday, then took care of business in the NCAA Tournament.
On the night Braden Smith became the all-time assist leader, the 2 seed Boilermakers defeated 15 seed Queens 104-71 in a West Region opener at Enterprise Center. They will not play either 7 seed Miami or 10 seed Missouri in Sunday’s Round of 32.
What I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers’ first-round win means.
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What I liked in Purdue basketball’s March Madness win vs Queens
In a perfect world, Smith would have become the all-time assists leader at Mackey Arena two weeks ago. He could have been presented with the game ball and celebrated on the court after the final buzzer.
Instead, he settled for a business-like in-game celebration and a comfortable NCAA Tournament victory. In some ways that’s fitting for such a workmanlike award – unselfishness measured one pass at a time over the entirety of a career.
Smith picked up where he left off in Chicago with a 15-point, five-assist first half, then stayed on the attack to lead the separation after halftime. He and Trey Kaufman-Renn combined for 51 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. First time two Boilers scored 25-plus in the NCAA Tournament since 2019 and third time overall.
∎ When Queens began clamping down inside to prevent easy baskets around the rim, someone else needed to step up. That turned out to be C.J. Cox, who scored eight points during a 10-0 run late in the first half which gave Purdue some breathing room. Then he hit a 3 from the corner to open the second half and spark an 11-3 run to a 20-point lead.
∎ Oscar Cluff’s impact extended well beyond the offensive boards. He collected nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists and tied a career high with four blocks. The latter was essential in repelling Queens’ downhill attacks.
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What I disliked in Purdue basketball’s March Madness win vs Queens
Purdue’s tangible defensive strides during their Big Ten Tournament championship run in Chicago encountered an interesting first-round challenge. Queens scored 90 or more points in a third of its games coming in and had shown it could pile up 3s.
It wasn’t the Royals’ 3-point volume which gave Purdue problems Friday, but their ability to drive into the paint and score or create. Somewhat surprisingly, too, second-chance points helped them stay within reach of a threat at halftime.
∎ Purdue clearly held the size advantage inside. Maban Jabriel came off the bench for Queens and used his length and jumping ability to neutralize that a bit. He grabbed five rebounds in 12 first-half minutes.
What Purdue basketball’s March Madness win vs Queens means
This really does look like a refreshed, refocused version of Smith. The effect on the rest of the offense speaks for itself.
What Purdue showed in the second half, too, was more in line with their championship form in Chicago. Defense and offense operated in synch and fed off of each other. That’s a potentially promising lead-in to Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball dominates, Braden Smith sets NCAA assists record, in March Madness win vs Queens
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
