Takeaways: Purdue's win over Texas Southern

In its final game before Friday’s Big Ten opener at Northwestern, top-ranked Purdue jumped out to a 13-0 lead en route to a 99-67 win over Texas Southern.

Our GoldandBlack.com post-game analysis.

BRADEN SMITH IS SPECIAL

Yeah, this was just Texas Southern, but this comment is based more on the whole season thus far, but punctuated tonight: Braden Smith is looking like he’s going to be an all-time great at Purdue, emerging right now in much the same way Zach Edey did a year ago at this time.

The numbers aren’t the same and the novelty sure isn’t, but the distinctness of the emergence is right there. Smith is playing like an elite-level guard and in so doing transforming what was already a great team.

Smith’s doing everything right. He’s changed the complexion of his team with his scoring to the point where defenses have two no-win decisions to make right off the bat, both in how to handle Edey and in how to handle Smith using ball screens. Smith’s leading the charge with the higher gear Purdue can play with now and making those around him better. His facilitation and the attention he draws and speed he can play at has played a role in the Boilermakers’ blistering shooting start.

He’s rebounding and disrupting things defensively, just imposing his will on games.

That’s as big for Purdue as anything. Smith is borderline obnoxious as a competitor, and the madder he is, the better he is.

That’s precisely what this team needed more coming out of last season.

THE SECOND UNIT OFFENSE

Matt Painter and P.J. Thompson are still sorting things out in terms of where the offense comes from after Edey, Smith and Fletcher Loyer have cycled out of the game. Things were fine in Hawaii, but this was an issue vs. Xavier and again tonight, insofar as anything was an issue in an eventual 32-point win.

Without its three top offensive players, Purdue started off tonight running things to get Mason Gillis jumpers, including a three he nailed. Then, a shot for Myles Colvin. Then, Painter went back to Trey Kaufman-Renn to play through the post.

TKR is a logical go-to guy but since he starts at forward, there is some rotational clunkiness there. Colvin’s a shot-maker wired to score, so he continues to develop into a more complete player, perhaps he’s part of the solution in the long term.

Or maybe one of those three starters has to go a little longer or go out sooner and back in quicker. Or maybe Purdue just has to be better with what it has otherwise. Again, they were fine in Hawaii.

A NOTEWORTHY INTANGIBLE TEST

This was your consummate ease-off-the-gas game in a season that’ll be full of tests of Purdue’s consistency, maturity and professionalism. That the Boilermakers started both halves impeccably said something competitively.

This Purdue team doesn’t hide from its NCAA Tournament history against teams not unlike this Texas Southern squad. It talks openly about FDU, unprompted often, and seems to embrace the opportunity to be better than its history.

It’s not appropriate to make every game this season about March. But Purdue made this one about March, Texas Southern being a team that’s made three straight NCAA Tournaments, a 16-seed if there ever was one.

Granted, it’s just November and this was in Mackey, but nevertheless, look what happened.