Purdue basketball vs. IU player ratings: Boilers roll into Assembly Hall and dominate

Despite being at the top of the national rankings the past few seasons, Purdue has struggled with IU, believe it or not (3-1 in the previous four meetings). On Tuesday, No. 2 Boilermakers had no such issues.

Purdue built a 21-point lead, weathered a brief IU run (the Hoosiers got the score down to nine in the second half) before the Boilermakers reasserted control in an 87-66 win and sent Assembly Hall's faithful home unhappy.

Player ratings on a scale of 0 to 10.

STARTERS

∎ Zach Edey — Another dominant performance, Edey was unstoppable Tuesday (33 points, 14 rebounds) and got Kel'el Ware and Mackenzie Mgbako in early foul trouble, which severely hampered IU's offense. He was 11-of-12 from the foul line too, and was just too good for IU. When IU would try to make a run in the second half, the Boilermakers relied on old faithful in the middle to quiet the crowd. Rating: 9.5

∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn — Another quiet night... except for his four offensive rebounds, which was something that was certainly on Mike Woodson's scouting report: "Kaufman... a hell of an offensive rebounder," Woodson said Monday previewing this game. TKR was just 1-of-3 from the field but pulled down six rebounds. Again, he played less than Mason Gillis (20 to 16 minutes). Rating: 5.5

∎ Lance Jones — He's been a backcourt difference-maker for the Boilermakers this season, and he was at his best Tuesday night. He hit three 3s in the first half and added two strong take-and-finishes for 13 first-half points as the Purdue dominated the opening 20 minutes. He finished with 17 points and was part of the Boilers' backcourt supremacy. Rating: 8.5

∎ Fletcher Loyer — He took an early charge on Mgbako in transition (one of the two fouls that sent IU's star freshman to the bench) and then provided a 10-point cluster in a three-minute burst as Purdue started to take control in the first half. He was 4-of-4 from behind the arc and finished with 19 points on just six field goal attempts. He added three assists and three rebounds in his best performance since that 27-point outburst vs. Arizona. Rating: 9.0

∎ Braden Smith — He was 1-of-8 from the floor in the first half, but had five assists and no turnovers in the first 20 minutes and was keeping the Boilers' offense running smoothly. He finished a brutal 2-of-14 shooting (including 0-of-6 behind the arc) but hit a dagger jumper to make it 82-61, and silence the Assembly Hall crowd one more time before telling folks to go home. He finished with nine assists and six rebounds. Rating: 6.0

RESERVES

∎ Mason Gillis — A ho-hum six-point, five-rebound shift from the reserve forward. In 20 minutes played, he was a team-best +25 in +/-. He had some nice clean-up moments on the glass, soaring in to scoop up an Edey miss and finish with an easy layup in the closing moments of the first half. Dude makes winning plays — consistently. Rating: 7.0

∎ Cam Heide — He grabbed one rebound in nine minutes (his fewest minutes since playing seven vs. Arizona). Matt Painter stuck with the hot hand in Loyer, and for good reason. Rating: N/A

∎ Ethan Morton — In there for his defense, he had a few solid defensive possessions and helped slow Trey Galloway's second-half burst. He hadn't scored in Purdue's past two games, but had a nice cut to basket and scored via an IU goaltend. He was +13 in 13 minutes of work. Rating: 6.0

∎ Caleb Furst — He had two points and two rebounds and a steal in seven minutes. Rating: N/A

∎ Brian Waddell — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A

∎ Will Berg — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A

∎ Myles Colvin — Entered the game with Purdue up 20 in the final seconds. Rating: N/A