No. 2 Purdue's offensive efficiency, rebounding dominance give Matt Painter career win No. 500

Will the Boilermakers slide back into the No. 1 spot?

Thursday’s victory at Alabama, which is ranked in the top 10, and Sunday’s offensive display and rebounding dominance against Akron would qualify as two noteworthy victories to reclaim its position atop the polls.

Purdue didn’t do anything to drop from its preseason ranking, other than win two home games, but they weren’t impressive enough to keep coach Matt Painter’s team at No. 1 in the minds of some voters.

PDF: Purdue-Akron statistics

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PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER

PURDUE PLAYERS

The standard is high, and the second-ranked Boilermakers played the last two games at a high level, including the 97-79 victory before another sellout at Mackey Arena.

Sunday’s win gave Painter his 500^th career victory in 22 seasons on a night his team had three players register double doubles.

In the big picture, it doesn’t matter where Purdue is ranked in mid-November. What matters is how the Boilermakers are playing heading into this week’s trip to the Bahamas to face Memphis and either Texas Tech or Wake Forest in a pair of non-conference tests.

The return of Trey Kaufman-Renn gave the team its muscle back on the boards, and everything is falling into place. The 3-point shooting. The defense. The offensive rhythm. Dominating the boards.

The Boilermakers are whole again.

On Sunday, Purdue faced an Akron team that wanted to run and play with pace. And throughout the first half, the Zips pushed the tempo and stayed in the game, leaning on their offense.

But the Boilermakers simply had too much firepower for the Mid-American Conference program, which averaged 99 points in its first three games.

Braden Smith and Omer Mayer combined for 30 points and 16 assists. Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff controlled the rebounds, totaling 29 while scoring 31 points. Fletcher Loyer scored his 16 points in the first half as Purdue led 52-39. The bench contributed 31 points.

Kaufman-Renn and Cluff outrebounded the Zips, who finished with 26 boards.

Akron tried to keep up to start the second half, but the Boilermakers scored 18 of their first 22 points in the paint and corralled nearly every rebound to secure the victory.

MILESTONE WIN

Loyer had the honor of presenting Painter a commemorative game ball in recognition of his milestone victory in the locker room.

And then the water bottles came out and drenched the veteran coach to celebrate win No. 500. Painter has won 475 of his career victories for the program he played for, and the overall landmark achievement will be a memory to cherish down the road.

“Right now, we have a really good team, and I’m trying to take in this win, not really the number of the win, but just take in the win and wake up tomorrow and get ready for Memphis,” Painter said. “I think that’s where you stand when you’re involved in it. I would think it’s a big deal if it wasn’t me, but it is me, so I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

Coaches don’t reach 500 wins without good players. Painter’s had plenty during his tenure with the Boilermakers. Winning 500 games doesn’t happen without a good coaching staff, and Painter has assembled some of the best in the sport over the years.

“It’s a players game,” he said. “Get the right players that fit together, get them on the bus, get them on time and tell them the truth, and then have a lot of fun with it. We’re not drafting them … we’re recruiting them and they’re going to say no to us at times.

“It’s still a difficult task to put a team together at times. I think it’s even more difficult in today’s game but just try to learn from it and not be stubborn and do what’s best for Purdue.”

Mayer and Cluff have been a part of only four victories, while Kaufman-Renn, Smith and Loyer have enjoyed four or five years of success. For Kaufman-Renn, joining a winning culture was important in making his college decision.

Kaufman-Renn may not have a strong handle on Purdue’s history but understands what’s happened recently and what’s going on now.

“I didn’t know Purdue was a school until high school, to be honest with you,” he said. “It’s been great since I’ve been here. Coming from high school, we were always ranked, and we were always expected to win. I felt like as soon as I went into college, we’ve always been ranked in the top five and expected to win every game. I’m just glad to join a winning culture.”

“HE’S SAID IT, AND HE’S DOING IT”

During a nearly 10-minute stretch, starting late in the first half and through the early part of the second half, Akron didn’t grab a rebound.

The Zips were credited with a deadball rebound at the end of the first half, but otherwise, no player had one until the 13:55 to play. That’s how much the Boilermakers controlled the boards.

Kaufman-Renn had 15 rebounds for the second straight game and Cluff gobbled up missed shot after missed shot, both from Akron and his teammates. The pair put on a rebounding clinic.

The return of Kaufman-Renn has made a big difference, in part because he’s playing the power forward spot and not dealing with bigger bodies at the center position.

With Cluff on the floor, Kaufman-Renn is free to chase down more loose balls and make an impact in different areas instead of being consumed with scoring and staying around the basket.

“Last year, I was having to box out somebody who’s 50-60 pounds heavier than me and going from that to where I’m going to be bigger than the other (power forwards),” Kaufman-Renn said.

When last season ended, Kaufman-Renn averaged 6.5 rebounds and vowed to increase his production on the boards. Through two games, he’s lived up to his own words.

“He said he’d be a better rebounder,” Painter said. “Here we are. He was right. He said it, and he’s doing it. His ability to get on the offensive glass, but also get us defensive rebounds, it’s huge to have two guys like that. We have to have some consistency there across the board.”

SETTLING IN

Through four games, the comfort level of Cluff and Mayer grows each day.

They arrived late in the summer from different parts of the world and took a deep dive into learning about their new home and what’s expected from them. They’ve meshed well with their teammates and seem to have a handle on their roles.

Whatever hesitation the pair was dealing with is no longer visible. Cluff is more aggressive going after rebounds and Mayer catches and shoots all in one motion without interruption.

The combination of Cluff and Kaufman-Renn will be a nightmare for opponents and production from Smith and Mayer is an area to track throughout the season.

“I’m just getting comfortable each day,” said Mayer, who totaled 14 points and six assists. “I know I have the best group of guys and coaches that I could ask for. Everybody is being so helpful.”