Upset loss lights fire under Purdue basketball in major bounce back win over Michigan

Posted by author January 25, 2025 Basketball

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WEST LAFAYETTE — Ohio State lit a fire under Purdue basketball.

Unfortunately for Michigan, the Wolverines were the next team on the schedule.

From the opening possession, the 12th-ranked Boilermakers were locked in.

No. 20 Michigan never stood a chance against a Purdue team that was bouncing back from the end of its 26-game home winning streak.

That streak is now at one after the Boilers pummeled Michigan 91-64 in Mackey Arena on Friday night.

Purdue basketball turning point

Michigan won the opening tip.

Thirteen seconds later, Braden Smith picked off a Tre Donaldson pass and scored a fastbreak layup. Twenty-one seconds after the first steal, a second by CJ Cox led to a Trey Kaufman-Renn rebound bucket.

Purdue (16-5, 8-2) never looked back, at one point leading by 29 in the first half.

The Wolverines finished the first half 1 of 16 from 3 and with 10 turnovers, trailing by 25 at the midway point.

The Boilermakers, meanwhile, finished a blistering 54.8% from the field, including 25 of 38 from inside the arc.

First half numbers

The Boilermakers built a healthy lead with balance, defense and an incredibly efficient offense in the opening half.

All nine Purdue players who entered in the first half scored, combining for a 19-for-33 shooting performance and an impressive 1.5 points per possession.

Three different players — Smith, Cox and Caleb Furst — had two steals apiece and five had at least one assist. This with leading scorer Trey Kaufman-Renn playing just nine minutes.

3 stars

Braden Smith, Purdue: The maestro of Mackey Arena bounced back from a 3-of-14 shooting night against Ohio State on Tuesday in a big way. Perhaps he could’ve played the final few minutes and gone for the elusive triple-double. Smith exited with 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Caleb Furst, Purdue: Furst continues to be a menace defensively for versatile big men. Danny Wolf entered Friday averaging 12.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and shooting 55.5%. He was 1 of 7 with four points, two rebounds and four turnovers. Furst also had six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.

CJ Cox, Purdue: At times, Cox has deferred to teammates. On Friday, the freshman guard made three straight shots early, one a layup after picking Donaldson’s pocket in the backcourt. It was the infusion the Boilermakers needed to jump ahead big early. Cox finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.