Third-ranked Purdue shreds Rutgers

Based on the metrics – Kenpom.com, the authority of college basketball analytics – Rutgers started Thursday as the nation’s No. 2 team in defensive efficiency.

That number took a big hit.

Riding the wave of an efficient first half on the offensive end, third-ranked Purdue carved up the Scarlet Knights 96-68 before another sellout crowd at Mackey Arena, earning its 15th straight home victory. The magic number to clinch a share of the Big Ten title is two.

Bouncing back after seeing their nine-game winning streak snapped Sunday at Ohio State, the Boilermakers blistered the Rutgers’ defense for 52 points – in the first half.

“Just part of our team’s maturity level this year,” senior Zach Edey said. “One game doesn’t define us. We know who we are through a loss and through a win. Anytime you have a loss, you want to come out the next game and prove we’re the same team and nothing has changed. A lot of guys took that approach.”

By halftime, four players had already reached double figures – Edey, Braden Smith, Camden Heide and Lance Jones – who accounted for 46 points on 16 of 23 shooting, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range.

The only thing that kept the Scarlet Knights in the game was their offensive rebounding – they had five in the first four minutes – and Purdue’s turnovers, which led to seven points.

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Once the Boilermakers cleaned up those two areas, Rutgers couldn’t keep up on a night the offense operated at a high level, thanks to ball movement, transition points and pinpoint shooting from beyond the arc.

The start of the second half was a carryover from the end of the first half when Purdue scored 27 points in the final 10 minutes to lead by 19. The Boilermakers led by as many as 37 points.

Thursday’s win marked the first time since the 2018-19 season that Purdue didn’t lose at least one regular-season game to the Scarlet Knights, who had beaten the Boilermakers twice when they were ranked No. 1.

It’s the most points Rutgers has given up under coach Steve Pikiell.

Edey totaled 25 points – hitting 11 of 11 from the line – and pulled down seven rebounds. Heide was the story of the game, though, as the redshirt freshman was 7 of 7 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range, for a season-best 18 points and an impressive rebound dunk late in the game.

Jones, who was 1 of 10 shooting in the first game against the Scarlet Knights, made three 3-pointers and was 7 of 14. Smith was dialed in from the start, finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Mason Gills provided more production off the bench with three 3-pointers.

THE HEIDE SHOW

He’s waited and waited for an extended opportunity.

Being patient on a team that is deep and loaded isn’t easy. Heide – and others on this team – know the drill, though, and understand the state of the Boilermakers this season.

But Heide took advantage of his minutes on Thursday.

The 18 points topped his previous season-high of 13 against Samford in the opener, and his four consecutive 3-pointers were part of the night’s theme for the offense.

His steady and deliberate work with Sasha Stefanovic and P.J. Thompson paid off.

“They give me the confidence off the court when we’re practicing and the guy to my left (Smith) is the one passing me the ball a lot,” Heide said. “He’s on me to be ready to shoot and hopefully get his assists numbers up. When you have teammates around you that give you confidence, it’s a lot easier to play.”

And play he did, not just on the offensive end.

Thursday was a chance to showcase his overall skills, adding two rebounds, one steal and a blocked shot midway through the first half. He played 19 minutes, the most since registering 22 at Nebraska in early January.

“When I’m going up watching film, whether it’s me playing four minutes, 10 minutes, whatever it is, they tell me to stay patient, stay ready because eventually I’m going to have nights like tonight where I play well,” Heide said.

As the Boilermakers start looking at the postseason picture – the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments – a player of Heide’s skillset becomes more valuable because of his athletic ability and versatility.  

While he hit all four of his 3-pointers, Heide can also score off the dribble.

“I’ve been saying it all year – I think we have 20 starters. Whatever it is, everybody can play,” Smith said. “Everybody has their night and Cam shot the crap out of it.”

Heide’s perimeter game opens up more space for Edey as opponents have to pick who to defend. Granted, Heide needs to show consistency from game to game but to have another offensive weapon off the bench makes Purdue more dangerous.

“He’s been solid on both ends, but it’s a numbers game, and that’s all it is,” coach Matt Painter said. “It’s not like we don’t believe in him, but we do. He showed his skill, showed his athleticism but he also didn’t do anything he couldn’t do. He stayed with himself.”

CARVING UP AN ELITE DEFENSE

Thursday was a clinic by the Boilermakers’ offense to rip part one of the nation’s top defenses, shooting a season-high 58.% from the field and 52.2% from 3-point range.

No one saw this coming, especially since Purdue has struggled to score against the Scarlet Knights, whether in Mackey Arena or Jersey Mike’s Arena. The last five years haven’t been an enjoyable experience for the Boilermakers in dealing with Pikiell’s physical brand of tenacious defense.

In the last 10 meetings, Purdue has surpassed the 70-point mark four times. Most of these games have resembled a rock fight but the Boilermakers dictated the terms this time.

In the first matchup, Purdue scored 68 points.

“To put 96 points up on them is something we haven’t done,” Painter said. “We might have done it a long time ago, but since (Pikiell) got that program established we haven’t been able to open up and score against them. They’ve made it difficult for us. This was a big night for us. This was a big win for us.”

AT THE LINE

The Boilermakers have been a shaky team at the free throw line in recent games, but that started to change Sunday when they made 20 of 20 in a loss at Ohio State.

The good fortunes continued against Rutgers as Purdue made 18 of 20, missing one free throw in each half.

Since hitting 8 of 14 against Minnesota, Edey has made 19 straight over the last two games.

“I know the work that I put in, and everybody else on the team feels the same way,” Edey said. “We had a few bad shooting nights from the free throw line. We have a really good team, a really balanced team from everywhere. It was just a matter of when the time would come.”

Painter doesn’t focus on the make-or-miss component of free throw shooting, instead emphasizing the routine and the process.

“The only thing I say to guys during the game is do your routine. Don’t do anything different, don’t think anything different. You don’t think hit or miss. You think your mechanics, you think your little routine that you have. If you think hit or miss, it’s going to be the latter. And some guys you leave alone,” Painter said.

“I was hoping we had some makes coming our way. We ruined a 20-for-20 game. You’ve got to win the game but maybe it’s a silver lining.”