Rebounding has been a struggle for Indiana men’s basketball all season long. With a rotation that maxes out at 6-foot-10, sizing up with taller, more physical opponents has often proved difficult for the Hoosiers.
Entering Friday night’s contest, No. 7 Purdue had outrebounded opponents by an average of seven boards per game, while Indiana’s rebound margin was less than one.
The Cream and Crimson were outrebounded by the Boilermakers 30-15 in a 93-64 rout Friday night inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Purdue features a premier rebounding duo of senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and senior center Oscar Cluff. The pair both rank in the conference’s top ten in total rebounds per game with 9 and 7.3, respectively, and each add 3.2 offensive rebounds per game.
In the first rivalry contest of the season, a 72-67 Indiana win Jan. 27 in Bloomington, the Hoosiers held Kaufman-Renn to just three boards and Cluff to six.
While the Cream and Crimson were outrebounded 33-28 in that game, they were able to keep pace with the Boilermakers. Junior guard Nick Dorn drained four 3-pointers, redshirt senior guard Conor Enright dished eight assists and fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson led the team with 19 points.
In the rematch, the Hoosiers only got one of the three.
Wilkerson caught fire late to finish with 20 points, but Enright fouled out in just 19 minutes with two assists. Dorn missed both of his shots to end the game with zero points. Cluff and Kaufman-Renn also tacked on more boards than the first matchup, notching eight and six rebounds, respectively.
“I thought the biggest thing was their inside presence is something that with both their fours and fives, it is a challenge for us to either play one-on-one or make the decision to double,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. “So, we doubled some, we didn't double some. We came with different guys, and they seemed to have a solution for a lot of it.”
Indiana held Purdue to just six offensive rebounds, but DeVries noted that’s largely because “they didn't miss a ton of first ones (shots).” Indiana connected on 52.2% of its field goals, 5% better than its season average. However, the Boilermakers shot a staggering 64.7% from the field, their highest mark of the season and over 7% better than their next best Big Ten game.
Purdue senior guard Braden Smith missed five of his 10 total attempts. Kaufman-Renn missed twice. Cluff and senior guard Fletcher Loyer didn’t miss at all.
“When they're playing at a level like this, it makes it incredibly challenging,” DeVries said. “I thought they did everything they needed to do to put us in some tough spots tonight and took advantage of it, especially on the offensive end. We just could never get them under control.”
Purdue’s efficient offense was guided by its inside presence. Kaufman-Renn led the Boilermakers in scoring in both matchups against Indiana, tallying 20 points Friday. He frequently bullied Hoosier defenders in the paint, spinning and powering his way to the basket for multiple and-one finishes.
As for Indiana’s offense, Purdue limited the Cream and Crimson’s most formidable weapon: the 3-point shot. In game one, the Hoosiers launched 33 3-point attempts. In game two, the Boilermakers made a concerted effort to take away as many long-range opportunities as possible, holding Indiana to a season-low 20 attempts. While the Hoosiers shot nearly the same percentage, the forced change in volume resulted in five less 3-pointers made than the prior contest.
“We wanted to get paint touches, ‘cause even in our first game in the second half, they did a good job of limiting the amount of 3s that we got,” DeVries said.
Senior forward Reed Bailey and sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway were the beneficiaries of Indiana’s added focus on the paint. Bailey tallied 10 points, largely finishing open looks at the rim, and Conerway added 12 points, frequently driving and scoring at the basket. Neither Hoosier missed from inside the arc.
Despite a positive overall shooting performance, Indiana immediately fell behind. The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 17-10 on the season, and 3-7 on the road with just one contest remaining away from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“It's tough to come in here and win,” DeVries said. “You gotta play well. And I thought we didn't do our part tonight and certainly Purdue was on point tonight.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
