Purdue limped into Mackey Arena losing three of its last four games. This was a game they had to win, their final preparation before returning to the Big Ten in January. It had been 21 days since the team and the ever-hungry Boilermaker faithful were back at Mackey Arena. The game didn’t start the way most people wanted it to, as Purdue was unable to score again after a quick three-pointer from Braden Smith that started the scoring with 3:34 left. It’s these types of droughts, but even longer ones, that doomed the Boilermakers in some of these losses early in the season. Another issue for the Boilermakers so far this season has been rebounding, and we’ve seen it rear its ugly head once again. Purdue was outscored 21-15 by the Rockets in the first half. Purdue’s leading rebounder, Trey Kaufman-Renn, had just three rebounds at halftime. Even though he had only played ten minutes due to foul trouble, he was tied for the lead.

Purdue’s offense finally found its rhythm with an 11-0 run to put away the Rockets. That run would eventually grow to 18-4 before Toledo got back into the game, scoring eight straight goals to cut the lead to 33-26. Fletcher Loyer scored two three-pointers in the final minutes and increased the halftime score to 39:28. A note that most Boilermaker fans certainly didn’t feel comfortable with. I say this because I was right there with them.

Two other things that stood out to me in this first half was that Toledo was played without a three-point basket. However, 16 of her 28 points came in the game, with another four coming from the free throw line. It shows the limitations of the Purdue defense, especially when TKR only plays 10 minutes. Second, no Boilermaker except TKR and Smith scored until CJ Cox got a basket 7:36 into the first half. This is worrying. Loyer has certainly stepped up, but Purdue needs more consistency from its other guys.

John Wooden Memorial Player of the Game (JWMPOTG) – Braden Smith receives this award from me tonight. In the first half alone he scored 17 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. That’s a solid statistic for a complete game. Braden wasn’t done yet, however, as he finished the game with 34 points, 12 assists, and 4 rebounds. He finished his career with three points shy of 1,000. The guy can do it all and was determined to show that he could lead this team to the promised land.

The second half presented Purdue with an opportunity to oust Toledo and claim a convincing win before the winter break ended. In the first eight minutes it was anything but convincing. Every time Purdue made a move, Toldeo followed. It also didn’t help that TKR was completely ambushed on offense, often by two defenders with no chance, while Purdue was called upon for everything on the other side. At one point, the referees had to stop the game as TKR and Toledo’s Javar Simmons looked each other in the face. I understand letting them play, but you also have to keep the game under control and the referees didn’t do that. Two free throws from Caleb Furst increased the Purdue lead to 59-47 with just under 12:00 left. After that, however, the rest was all Purdue.

Braden Smith decided he was angry and wanted to let everyone know he was still that guy. He set a new career high with more than nine minutes left in the second half.

He also finished the game just three points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career. He also had 12 assists, including a nifty one over Gicarri Harris for a layup that extended Purdue’s lead to 67-49 with 8:25 to play. Smith made it clear to the Big Ten today that he means business.

Caleb Furst deserves special mention here as he performed much better defensively at Toledo than Raleigh Burgess and others. He was +26 in the game at one point. He brought defensive intensity and did what so many Purdue players couldn’t: rebound the basketball. He finished that game with 5 rebounds and made a lot of good decisions on the court.

It wasn’t always pretty, Purdue allowed Toledo to outscore them 40 to 32, and they also allowed 34 points in the game to a Toledo team that doesn’t have anyone taller than 6’3.

Tidbits that don’t fit the story of the game: Purdue honored Frank Kendrick with a moment of silence before the game. Bruce Weber, a former Purdue assistant coach and longtime Illinois head coach, was on commentary and received a nice ovation. Cut to an instant shot of Gene Keady, who also received a huge ovation and made my ’90s Purdue fan heart nearly burst out of his chest. Purdue fans won free throws about 35 seconds into the game when Toledo’s Javan Simmon missed both free throws. Also, a Toledo player hit consecutive free throws and listen, I know the free fries promotion was already over, but that should be worth a free dessert or something.