The Longhorns run in March continues, with the Boilermakers ahead in San Jose on Thursday night. Against BYU and Gonzaga, it was clear who was going to score in bunches. Against Purdue, there are at least four players that are capable of going for 20+ and being the story of the game. The reason for that is they have, by the numbers, the best passer in the history of college basketball, Braden Smith.
Smith is as elite as they come at the point guard position and will be a handful for Texas to slow down. On top of that, the Boilermakers bring two other players that score 14 points per game to the table in Fletcher Loyer and Trey-Kaufman-Renn. Oscar Cluff and CJ Cox, who went down with an injury against Miami, round out the likely starting five for the Boilermakers.
Let’s get into why Purdue presents challenges all over the court for Texas:
Purdue By The Numbers
29-8 Overall, 13-7 In Big Ten Play
Points Per Game: 82.2 – 48th in the country
Points Allowed Per Game: 70.1 – 73rd in the country
Three Point Percentage: 38.8% – 10th in the country(58% in the tournament)
12-8 vs. Quad 1 Teams, 18 Quad 1 & 2 Wins
Boilermakers To Watch
Braden Smith: There are great point guards, elite point guards and then Braden Smith. The Purdue offensive engine just made history, passing Bobby Hurley for most assists in NCAA history. He has 1091 assists in his career, and counting. He’s averaging 9 assists per game to go along with 14.3 points per game, making him Purdue’s leading scorer as well. Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope will be required to play elite defense on Thursday for Texas to pull the upset.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: If there’s any Boilermaker that has turned it on in the postseason, it’s Kaufman-Renn. He had 20 points against Michigan in the B1G Championship and had 43 points and 18 rebounds through two rounds of the tournament. He’s a true power forward at 6’9”, 240lbs and has incredible touch near the rim. He’s an elite rebounder as well, reeling in 8.5 rebounds per game on the year. He’ll require Nic Codie to build off his great performance against Gonzaga to slow him down.
Fletcher Loyer: This is one of the most dangerous players left in the field of 16. Loyer is shooting 43.3% from distance on the season, good for 14th in the country. He’s also coming off a game against Miami where scored 24 points and went 4-4 from distance. He essentially takes a defender out of the picture because you cannot leave him alone at any moment. Loyer could take over on Thursday if Texas isn’t careful.
Oscar Cluff: Compared to the past starting centers at Purdue, Cluff is downright average at 6’11”. Now, Purdue does not lack size with 7’4” Daniel Jacobsen coming off the bench but Vokietaitis will have the height advantage over his counterpart yet again. Cluff, like seemingly every Purdue big man, is a handful. He’s averaging 10.5 points per game to go with 7.5 rebounds per game on the season and has played efficient, clean basketball in the tournament thus far. This won’t be Graham Ike but it’ll be a challenge for Vokietaitis.
Overall
This is the most complete Texas has played in the tournament by a wide margin. Braden Smith is a brilliant maestro for the offense. Kaufman-Renn, Loyer and Cluff are capable of taking over the game. The CJ Cox injury status will be something to watch but Purdue has nine players that get consistent minutes, so they are plenty deep. Point being, Texas will have their hands full on the defensive side of the ball.
On offense, there should be some openings to take advantage of. Braden Smith is dangerous, averaging 1.7 steals per game, but the Longhorns should be able to find open shots throughout the game. Vokietaitis will have to continue his elite play, Swain will have to continue controlling the offense and Pope needs to keep hitting big shots. If that happens, you have a chance to stick with the potent Purdue attack.
This is a game Texas can win. They have the athletes to slow down the Purdue offense. They have the offense that can stick with them in a track meet. That being said, this will be the toughest challenge in the tournament by far. They have multiple threats and the perfect guy to get clean shots every time down the floor. Texas will need to continue the elite defensive play, starting with the guards, if they want a chance to play for a spot in the Final Four.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Can Texas take down Purdue, score another March Madness upset?
Reporting by Tommy Bresee, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
