Purdue men’s basketball stormed out of the gates at Nebraska, crashed hard in the second half, then found a way to secure an important road win in overtime.
The No. 12 Boilermakers’ 80-77 overtime victory was their third straight. They led 14-1 and by as many as 22 in the second half before the No. 8 Cornhuskers rallied to force overtime.
Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers‘ win means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball’s win at Nebraska
Purdue opened the game looking like the early season version of itself. Not surprisingly, that came with another dominant performance on the offensive boards. Oscar Cluff grabbed an offensive rebound on the first possession of the game, then got the ball back for the game’s first basket. The sequence set a tone, with the Boilers building their 40-24 halftime lead in part on a 10-2 edge in second-chance points.
Purdue most looked like a national championship contender when it looked like a more than merely good rebounding team. Knocking down some 3s early helped build that 14-1 start. Giving the Cornhuskers no quarter under the boards protected the advantage when shots stopped falling — for a while.
∎ Nebraska is known for making things tough on opponents inside. Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn responded to the challenge early. Cluff was a catalyst throughout the first half, and the Boilers seemed to feed off his energy. Kaufman-Renn did not attempt a shot in the first half but collected nine rebounds and two assists. While Purdue’s guards hit some 3s early, the big guys were the story of the first half.
∎ Jack Benter seems to have one big moment per game. His 3-pointer coming out of a timeout after Nebraska cut the lead to five — when Purdue had made only 3 of 12 behind the arc in the second half — was a big one. C.J. Cox added another after Nebraska cut it to four. By that stage, though, the Huskers had started making their own big shots, too.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball’s win at Nebraska
While Purdue struggled to make shots for much of the game, that wasn’t the catalyst for Nebraska’s 18-2 run. Some careless turnovers opened the door for the Cornhuskers to turn what had been a 22-point game early in the second half into only a five-point lead. The Boilers can have a bad shooting night, and they can maybe even occasionally turn it over against tough defensive teams. If they do both on a given night, though, their defensive limitations make them very, very vulnerable.
∎ Purdue could have been more efficient on its second-chance attempts, especially when it had a chance to put a boot on Nebraska’s throat in the first half. You’ll take that to some extent, though, while you’re nearly doubling up good teams on the boards in their building. It stood out more when Nebraska closed that rebounding gap. Purdue led 15-6 on offensive rebounds and 13-6 on second-chance points at the end of regulation. But Rienk Mast’s game-tying put-back with under 15 seconds to play was the biggest of the game.
∎ A good free-throw shooting team missing free throws goes high on the list of ideal conditions for a late-game collapse. Smith, Loyer and Cox combined to miss four in the final 50 seconds of regulation. Making any one of them ends this game before overtime.
What Purdue basketball’s win at Nebraska means
The Boilermakers narrowly avoided what would have been quite simply a devastating loss. Set aside how it would have ended any hope of Big Ten championship contention. Forget how it would have given Nebraska a big NCAA tournament data point for a potential head-to-head comparison for seed position on Selection Sunday.
Under no circumstances is blowing a 22-point road acceptable. If you had told Purdue before this game it would win in overtime, it likely would have taken it under any circumstances. The win is simply that valuable. Yet, under these circumstances? This game featured so much of the best of the Boilermakers and so much they still need to solve — and the season isn’t getting any shorter.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs Nebraska basketball score today, Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith stats
