Alabama may be higher ranked but Purdue is the team better positioned to win when two of the top programs clash on Friday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
The No. 2 Crimson Tide (3-0) arrive looking to upend the Boilermakers’ streak of 38 straight regular-season nonconference victories, the fifth-longest streak in NCAA history. No. 13 Purdue (3-0) also has won 20 consecutive home games, the fourth-longest active streak.
It will be Alabama’s first road game of the season, and coach Nate Oats is interested in grading the test.
“Our upside is high like I think we all knew,” Oats said. “We also learned that if we don’t play with a competitive edge, we’re not all that special. We’ve got to have a competitive edge.”
The Boilermakers look to control the pace of Alabama, which prefers high-octane basketball.
Oats said he is OK with mixing tempo and he wasn’t happy with his club’s offensive movement during Monday’s 72-64 home win over McNeese State.
“The good thing is Purdue’s gonna slow it down, I guess, knowing what their playing style has been for a long time up there,” Oats said. “So we’re gonna have to win some games where the other team tries to slow it down. We’re just gonna have to be a lot more efficient in the possessions we get.”
Grant Nelson paced the Crimson Tide with 22 points and eight rebounds against McNeese.
The Boilermakers also played on Monday and delivered a 92-84 home victory over Yale.
Braden Smith was an all-around sensation with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Trey Kaufman-Renn added 17 points and Fletcher Loyer had 14. Loyer made both 3-point attempts and is 9 of 12 from long range this season.
Overall, the Boilermakers are shooting 43.7 percent (31 of 71) from 3-point range.
Purdue coach Matt Painter says the accurate marksmanship is crucial for his team’s balanced approach.
“We have to be able to score the ball from the 3-point line,” Painter said. “People will try to take it away. They’re trying to keep you from taking those shots too.”
Loyer is averaging a team-best 17 points per game and shooting 65.4 percent overall. Kaufman-Renn is shooting 64 percent while averaging 15.3 points.
Smith is averaging 15 points, 9.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
Fourth-leading scorer Myles Colvin (9.3) said the trio leads the way for the Boilermakers, especially in big games.
“Just using our maturity in staying levelheaded,” Colvin said of the effect of his teammates. “The older guys like Braden, Fletcher and Trey have been in situations where they’ve been down and things weren’t going their way and they turned it around.”
Star guard Mark Sears is averaging 18 points per game for the Crimson Tide, who are shooting just 30.1 percent (25 of 83) from 3-point range.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (12.3), Nelson (12.0), Clifford Omoruyi (10.7 points, team-best 8.0 boards per game) and Labaron Philon (10.0) also average in double digits.
Purdue defeated Alabama 92-86 last season in Toronto, the hometown of Zach Edey, who repeated as consensus national player of the year last season for the Boilermakers and now plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Sears knocked down a career-best eight 3-points and scored 35 points for the Crimson Tide. Edey had 35 points and Smith had 27 for the Boilermakers.
–Field Level Media
