Basketball Recap: Purdue defeats Texas Southern 99-67 as Braden Smith impresses once more

I was told he wasn’t a top point guard in the Big Ten conference.

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  November 28, 2023 10:31 pm

There are games where you go in just hoping to walk out without injuries, not because you know you’re going to lose, but because the opponent is far below your rank. Purdue, the #1 team in the nation, was facing Texas Southern, a team that likely wouldn’t even crack the top 100. The key for Purdue was to win the game and stay healthy. One moment in the first half had me worried – when Myles Colvin went up for a dunk, flipped over the Texas Southern player and landed hard on his back. Crisis averted as he returned to play additional minutes in the second half.

Matt Painter’s approach to the game was apparent when an unusual Purdue lineup took the floor – Caleb Furst, Mason Gillis, Ethan Morton, Camden Heide, and Lance Jones. As the game was already in Purdue’s favor with a 13-0 lead and total control, Painter used this opportunity to experiment, knowing that the game was essentially over. With high expectations for the regular and post-seasons, teams like Purdue need to use these games to find insights and provide rest for starters. Texas Southern was a perfect matchup for Purdue, resembling Fairleigh Dickinson and facing Purdue right after a trip to Hawaii and three tough games in three days. There were no signs of jet lag or fatigue as the game unfolded.

In the second half, Purdue was able to assert their dominance, with Lance Jones continuing to shine in transition, and Purdue continuing to rebound extremely well. However, Braden Smith’s impressive performance was a highlight, stirring excitement about a potential triple-double for him. Despite being close to history, Coach Painter chose to rest Smith and focus on managing the loads of his star players.

Editor’s note: After this story was published the stats were corrected and Smith was actually credited with another rebound. Made this so much worse.

To that end, Zach Edey only played 21 minutes, and Braden Smith just 26. Despite upsetting some fans, it was a smart decision by Coach Painter as nothing that happens in November matters in comparison to March. This was a play for March.

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