A loaded college basketball Saturday that featured 17 top-25 squads and plenty of Power 5 matchups has somehow surpassed its own lofty expectations, defined by crazy buzzer beaters, stunning blowouts and three unbeatens falling for the first time this season.
Fletcher Loyer had 27 points, Braden Smith had 26 and Zach Edey had 22. Edey also contributed 9 rebounds and 5 assists. The Purdue starters scored all but 4 points. For Arizona, its bench scored just 2 points.
Instead it was Purdue guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith who combined for 53 points on 20-of-33 shooting including 9 of 16 from 3. They had 46 of Purdue’s first 69 points.
The game was decided on the glass, as Purdue outrbebounded the UA 32-26, with the Boilermakers1 picking up 11 offensive boards. Arizona had only 10 rebounds in the first half, contributing heavily to falling behind by double digits before the break.
Caleb Love had 29 points and Keshad Johnson added a career-high 24, with 11 points in the first 5:34. Oumar Ballo had 13 and Pelle Larsson 10 but Kylan Boswell was 3 of 9 from the field and missed all four 3-pointers after coming in shooting 52.5 percent from outside.
Behind Edey, Purdue has a trio of perimeter double-digit scorers in Braden Smith, Lance Jones and Fletcher Loyer.
Smith, the team’s second-leading scorer, is fifth in the nation averaging 7.2 assists per game. He and his teammates’ shooting is a big part of Purdue’s attack around Edey, as five rotation players hit 44% or better from deep.
North Carolina transfer Caleb Love leads a more balanced Arizona attack at 14.1 points per game. He is sharing the ball at a career-high clip (4.5 assists per game).
Painter has heard the doubters and detractors since the end of last season, with the blame mostly falling on the shoulders of his sophomore guard duo when Purdue loses games. But it's not a talking point within his program.
"I think they probably see it and it probably motivates them, so in a funny way, it probably helps us," he told ESPN. "I like good basketball players. I like guys that can dribble, pass and shoot. I like guys that are competitive."
Arizona, which was led by Caleb Love's 29 points and Keshad Johnson's 24 points, will drop from the No. 1 spot in the AP poll when the new rankings are released on Monday afternoon. Purdue and No. 2 Kansas are likely to vie for top billing.
"I'm not trying to be the No. 1-ranked team in December," Lloyd said. "This is going to go a long way to really helping our program."
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