No. 7 Purdue looks to keep rolling at home on Friday when Southern California visits West Lafayette, Ind., for a Big Ten Conference matchup.
The Boilermakers (18-5, 10-2 Big Ten) are winners of three straight and 10 of their last 11 following a 90-81 road win over Iowa on Tuesday. Purdue scored 54 second-half points. Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn notched 31 and 25 points, respectively.
The inside-outside tandem of Kaufman-Renn and Smith has paced Purdue all season. They lead the team in scoring; Kaufman-Renn averaging 18.7 and Smith 16.4 points per game. Smith’s 8.6 assists per game rank third among all Division I players, despite his four at Iowa marking a season low.
“My job as the point guard is to get us into offense,” Smith said after the game. “Go get mine or go get someone else a shot and help them.”
Meanwhile, thanks to its win at Iowa and Michigan State going winless on its California swing after a defeat at UCLA on Tuesday, Purdue sits alone atop the Big Ten ahead of Friday’s contest.
On Feb. 11, the Boilermakers begin a stretch of three straight games against currently ranked conference opponents, bookending a home date vs. Wisconsin with road contests at Michigan and Michigan State. However, Purdue cannot afford to look past a USC team that has won its last two games against ranked opponents.
The Trojans (13-9, 5-6) topped then-No. 13 Illinois on the road on Jan. 11, 82-72, and handed Michigan State its first Big Ten loss last Saturday in a 70-64 decision.
Key for USC in both wins was the play of Desmond Claude, who scored 31 points against Illinois. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds vs. Michigan State but sustained a knee injury during the win that sidelined him on Tuesday at Northwestern.
The Trojans trailed most of the way against the Wildcats and by as many as 15 points in the second half before a furious late-game rally. Clark Slajchert scored a season-high 24 points, including converting a four-point play with 29 seconds remaining that forced a 75-75 tie.
“We recruited him because of his offensive ability,” USC coach Eric Musselman said of the Penn transfer. “He scored 20 points against us at Arkansas when he was a freshman, and he had a huge game against Kentucky last season. We showed our team his highlights before the game to help build his confidence, not only in himself but also in the team.”
USC may need another big offensive performance from Slajchert to pick up the slack lost with Claude absent. Claude’s 16.2 points per game lead the Trojans.
USC will also look for more production from Saint Thomas. Thomas distributed eight assists on Tuesday but committed four turnovers and scored only four points — more than six points under his season average of 10.6.
The Trojans also need an improved rebounding effort after being beaten on the glass, 43-27, at Northwestern. Purdue comes in limiting opponents to 31.5 rebounds per game, the 32nd-lowest yield among all D-I teams through Tuesday’s games.
–Field Level Media
