Purdue: Steady and Ready to Rule College Basketball

Over the past decade, few programs have been able to replicate the consistency of Purdue Basketball. Matt Painter has created a culture that prioritizes stability and development, consistently shaping the Boilermakers into one of the nation's best teams year after year. This past season was a significant test of that culture, bouncing off a National Title loss and the departure of Zach Edey. However, Purdue stood tall, finishing the season 14th in the AP Poll after a loss to the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16. Although they did not reach previous heights, Purdue’s season was a massive success and laid the foundation for the upcoming 2025-26 season. With the program retaining major pieces and adding more talent to their core, Purdue looks ready to rule college basketball once again.

Since 2023, only four rotation pieces have transferred out of Purdue, a testament to Painter’s ability to instill a culture where players buy into his long-term vision. Similar to the Florida Gators, Purdue retains talent, with the team’s top three players from last season all set to return to West Lafayette for their senior years. Braden Smith may be the best player in the entire country next season. The guard was the best floor general and table setter in college basketball last season, averaging 15.8 points and a whopping 8.7 assists a game. Smith could have bypassed his remaining eligibility to compete at the NBA level, yet he decided to run it back one more year with the program he has dedicated the past three seasons to. In today’s game, finding a pure point guard who knows how to adjust tempo is rare, making Smith extremely valuable. His craftiness and outstanding decision-making opened up the Boilermakers' entire offense, specifically in the pick-and-roll with big Trey Kaufman-Renn. While Smith showed incredible proficiency navigating screens as a ball handler, Kaufman-Renn proved to be proficient at setting strong screens and finishing around the basket. Utilizing hard rolls to the basket and a barrage of post moves, Renn finished third in the Big Ten in points per game at 20.1. His inside presence will continue to be indispensable, forcing defenses to collapse and leaving shooters such as Fletcher Loyer open. Despite being a career 40% three-point shooter, Loyer is a multidimensional player. He’s a composed scorer from all three levels, able to score off the bounce in the paint and mid-range. His lack of physicality on both sides of the ball has been a cause for concern. However, it’s also been a flaw he’s improved on since his freshman season.

A key issue for Purdue last season was their lack of production outside the trio, with no other player averaging double-digit points, and the team struggling to pick up the slack when one of Smith, Loyer, or Renn struggled. Luckily for Purdue fans, Painter directly addressed the issue through aggressive recruiting, the transfer portal, and retaining young talent. Seven-foot-four big Daniel Jacobsen only got to play in a game and a half before fracturing his tibia. Jacobsen is poised to carry the “Purdue Giant” mantle passed on from Edey. Of course, this makes him a tantalizing vertical threat on either end of the floor. For his size, he possesses excellent mobility, enabling him to block shots effectively in space. Additionally, freshmen Gicarri Harris and C.J. Cox both look to improve upon solid first-year campaigns. Harris is a physical, energetic guard whose play doesn’t always show up on the box score. On the other hand, Cox proved to be a valuable microwave scorer, looking to build upon consistency. Purdue has been notorious for fostering sophomore year jumps from home-grown talent, and all signs point to Jacobsen, Cox, and Harris continuing that tradition. If the three don’t take a massive leap, Painter will receive insurance through recruiting and the transfer portal.

South Dakota State’s Oscar Cluff was one of the portal’s most prized prospects for his low-post scoring and tenacious rebounding. Cluff took a massive jump this past season, establishing himself as one of the best mid-major players in the country. Purdue landed the big early on to pair him with Kaufman-Renn in the frontcourt. If Cluff can translate his play to the Power Five level, the two should prove to be a formidable and dynamic duo. Having two interior presences that don’t stretch the floor raised concerns about Purdue’s spacing for this upcoming season. It was quickly addressed through the acquisitions of Liam Murphy and Omer Mayer. At six-foot-seven, 220 pounds, Murphy brings a rare combination of shooting and size. Besides being a skilled shooter, Omer Mayer is a high-upside prospect who compensates for his lack of athleticism with a high IQ and motor. Mayer will also take pressure off Smith as a playmaker due to his keen passing vision.