No. 1 Purdue basketball passes latest test, topples Illinois in top-10 battle

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue basketball proved worthy of its No. 1 ranking again.

And again, without being carried by Zach Edey.

Edey picked up two offensive fouls in a span of 24 seconds and sat out the final 8:03 in the first half.

The Boilermakers didn't crumble, instead dismantling one of the nation's top teams.

Quite the opposite, in fact, expanding on their lead and defeating No. 8 Illinois 83-78 at Mackey Arena Friday night.

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Getting offensive firepower from Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith in the first half, Purdue cruised to its 14th win in 15 games this season and caused a logjam behind Wisconsin in the early Big Ten standings.

It was over when

When Edey drew his second foul, it was a golden opportunity for the Illini (11-3, 2-1) to crawl out of its early 20-4 deficit. Illinois trailed 32-26 and had the ball with a chance to get within one possession.

Purdue held strong and eventually flipped momentum with its play-hard staple.

Mason Gillis missed a jumper, but hustled to swat the ball back out for an offensive rebound. Lance Jones missed a 3 and Kaufman-Renn again got his hand in to tip the ball out to Gillis, who found a cutting Jones for an open layup.

After a quick defensive stop, Camden Heide made a 3 in transition as the crowd erupted following pushing the lead back to double figures.

Illinois made a late run, helped by a Jones technical foul, eventually closing within 81-78 on Hawkins' 3 with 12.1 seconds left.

Smith then shut the door with two free throws.

Zach Edey watch

As Purdue's 7-foot-4 center appears to be a legitimate rare repeat National Player of the year, it's worth pulling out how Zach Edey performs individually.

Because of foul trouble, Edey didn't get his usual allotment of minutes, but he still made an impact.

Edey became just the second Purdue player to grab 1,000 career rebounds, following Joe Barry Carroll. He finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds for his ninth double-double this season and 48th of his career.

3 stars

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: It was the best game of Kaufman-Renn's career, considering the opponent and the scenario. Kaufman-Renn scored 23 points, one shy of his career high, including 12 in the first half when Purdue needed a boost while Edey was benched.

Braden Smith, Purdue: Smith's expertise running the offense was crucial in the first half. Smith had 10 points and five assists in the first 20 minutes and ended with a very Smith-like line of 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Lance Jones, Purdue: The first half ended with Jones drawing a foul on Coleman Hawkins on a 3-point attempt. Jones hit all three free throws to give Purdue a 47-32 halftime lead. He finished with 17 points.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.