WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue men’s basketball joined the club of accomplished and talented teams who could not slow down No. 1 Michigan’s match toward a Big Ten championship.
The Boilermakers couldn’t escape a big first-half hole in a 91-80 loss Tuesday at Mackey Arena. The Wolverines (25-1) improved to 15-1 in league play with four games remaining. Purdue (21-5), at 11-4, remains mathematically alive in the race but realistically playing for its NCAA tournament seed from here on in.
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 27 points (12 of 26) and 12 rebounds. Elliot Cadeau led Michigan with 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball's loss vs No. 1 Michigan
Braden Smith went scoreless in the first half for a second straight game, though he did tally five assists. Seemed like coach Matt Painter sat him for a couple of extra minutes. Omer Mayer used that opportunity to make a couple of 3s and add a nice finger-roll layup. He was a spark when the offense had next to none.
∎ Purdue kept its turnovers in a manageable range in the first half, committing only three and not getting into live-ball run-out situations. It went into halftime up 8-5 in points off turnovers, actually, and emphatically won that stat for the night, 22-12.
∎ Smith surged back with a 20-point second half, filling a major scoring vacuum. The bigger factor was Michigan flipping the usual script Purdue works off of and dominating bench scoring. C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and Jack Benter all went scoreless into the final 4:09, and Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobsen combined for six points.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball's loss vs. No. 1 Michigan
Facilitating post touches set up as a critical component of Purdue’s offensive success against what some metrics consider the nation’s best defense. It accomplished the first part but couldn’t complete the mission. The Boilers missed a lot of close looks in the first half, which could have helped equalize some of Michigan’s success on the offensive boards.
Kaufman-Renn scored 14 first-half points but needed 15 field goal attempts to do it. Purdue made only 4 of 9 layups in the first half and did not manage a single pick-and-roll or lob dunk to Jacobsen, Cluff or anyone else.
When that dynamic improved in the second half, the Boilers could not string together enough stops to make it matter.
∎ Michigan outscored Purdue 14-4 on the offensive boards in the first half and led by 16 at the break. It scored the game’s first 11 second-chance points. On two occasions, it used a three-shot possession to make a 3-pointer. The Wolverines used a combination of heady tip-outs and hustle to loose balls to complement their already potent offense.
Purdue did not allow a second-chance point until late in the second half. It also did not put together a run longer than 6-0. Had it shut that faucet off earlier, playing even in the second half might have mattered.
∎ One of Purdue’s big advantages could have been its home crowd. Mackey’s usual sellout dressed up for a “Black Out.” But the 20-point lead the Wolverines opened up in the first half sucked a lot of oxygen out of the building. The Boilermakers tried to make some runs to reclaim that energy and volume in the second half, but it couldn’t sustain them.
What Purdue basketball's loss vs. No. 1 Michigan means
Even if Purdue wins out, it may not be able to get back into the Big Ten championship conversation – even sharing the title. Playing Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State once apiece and getting all three at home was supposed to be a major advantage. Both Illinois and Michigan have spoiled that math, and the Spartans come to town next week.
Not many teams have compiled better resumes and overall performance metrics than the Boilers this season. Three who can make that argument – and in Michigan’s case there is no argument – are 3-0 on Keady Court this season.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Michigan Purdue basketball score today, game stats, Big Ten record, rankings