B1G Basketball Previews: Purdue Boilermakers

Last Season

Before last offseason's summer practices even started, incoming 4 star PF Kanon Catchings left the team. In game two of the regular season, starting center Daniel Jacobsen broke his leg. Suddenly Purdue was down two post players they thought they would have heading into the offseason. They were left with a doctor (Caleb Furst), unfinished project (Will Berg), and a true freshman Raleigh Burgess (who later developed shin splints that would cause him to miss games down the stretch). This forced Purdue to go small with Trey Kaufman-Renn at the center spot and while the offense worked well with him on the floor, he regularly got into foul trouble playing defense against actual centers and the team's defense and rebounding were abysmal.

Despite the flaws on the remaining Purdue roster, they managed to max out their potential, make a Sweet 16 run, and fall just short of eventual national runner up Houston. Braden Smith developed into a national star without Zach Edey to throw passes to, TKR was an excellent offensive scorer, and Fletcher Loyer continued to rain down threes.

Defectors

• Legacy Boilermaker Myles Colvin transferred to Wake Forest after getting passed by C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris in the rotation last year.
• SF Cam Heide transferred to Texas.
• C Will Berg is off to Wichita State.
• F Brian Waddell is at Bellarmine. I think his girlfriend transferred to Louisville to play volleyball there.
• F Caleb Furst graduated and is working to become a doctor.

Starters

• PG Braden Smith, 6'0", Senior. Smith will have an opportunity to break the all-time NCAA assists record this season. Although he's struggled at times against longer defenders, he appeared to put that behind him with a master performance against Houston in the NCAA tournament last season. Smith is in full control of the offense and can score on his own from most spots. He favors the baseline fadeaway to create space but will also knock down a high percentage of threes.
• SG C.J. Cox, 6'3", Sophomore. Cox shot 39.8% from three as a freshman for Purdue. He can be a streaky shooter at times, but above all he gives Purdue a secondary ball handler and someone that can pick up opposing PGs full court. He probably fits best along Smith and Loyer but is having to hold off a determined Gicarri Harris for a starting spot.
• SF Fletcher Loyer, 6'4", Senior. Loyer has shot over 44% from three each of the past two seasons. He knows where to position himself to be open for passes from Braden Smith. Loyer doesn't have the greatest handles and is rail thin so he can be bullied on defense, but he has good basketball instincts and will still occasionally surprise people in both areas.
• PF Trey Kaufman-Renn, 6'9". Senior. TKR can score. He's not a good free throw shooter, three point shooter, rebounder, or defender. But he can score. Kaufman-Renn has good footwork and one of the best short float shots around. With it he averaged 20 points/game last year. I expect that average to come down this year just due to the change in personnel around him.
• C Oscar Cluff, 6'11", Senior. Cluff was the nation's top rebounder last year at South Dakota State. He's a big body that should help Purdue defend the paint better and fix some of last season's rebounding issues. It remains to be seen how well the offensive spacing works with him and TKR on the floor at the same time, so don't be shocked if Cluff becomes the backup center at some point. Either way, expect him to play about 20 minutes a game.

Bench

• G Gicarri Harris. Harris is probably the most improved player from last season and he was coming on late in the 2025 campaign. After January 1st last year, Harris shot over 40% from three. He just began his freshman year in a horrid shooting slump. A capable outside shooter, Harris is one of the better perimeter defenders on the roster and that's where he's going to make his biggest mark. He may crack the starting lineup at times but is an easy offense/defense substitution with Loyer as well.
• G Omer Mayer. Mayer played in the top European league for Tel Aviv last season alongside former Boilermaker Trevion Williams and against Carsen Edwards. He held his own as an 18 year old and was stellar for team Israel at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Mayer is probably a future NBA player but his skill set overlaps with Braden Smith a lot. He's a stellar passer, a capable scorer, and a below average defender. His minutes may be limited because he just doesn't fit in great next to Smith and Loyer.
• C Daniel Jacobsen. Jacobsen has a lot of tools. He's 7'3" and uses his length to be a good rim protector. He still needs to add muscle to bang inside, but has good athleticism and will fill the dunker role on lobs from Braden Smith well. He also has some three point shooting ability and will play outside the arc some to give TKR room to maneuver inside.
• F Jack Benter. Benter is an undersized four whose long term future at Purdue comes at the SF spot. This year he's the backup PF and the small ball option that can space the floor and offers some surprising athleticism.
• F Liam Murphy. Murphy is a 3 point shooter and a senior transfer from North Florida. Don't expect great defense or much of anything besides shooting. He shot 42% from three for the Ospreys last year on 7.7 attempts per game while coming off the bench and playing just 22 minutes/game. Murphy isn't afraid to shoot and doesn't need much time to get warm. He appears to be behind Benter but will have moments this season where he's called upon.
• G Antoine West Jr may redshirt. As of Monday, the decision had not been made. West is a 4 star recruit from Toledo that is ready to play now, but doesn't have a path to much playing time this season.
• F Raleigh Burgess is redshirting.

Outlook

HoustonBoiler: After Daniel Jacobson's leg was broken in the second minute of the second game, Purdue was exposed at center position as backup Will Berg was not up to the task. This forced Trey Kaufman-Renn to shift from power forward to center. Purdue no longer had a 7+ footer starting at center, which caused some rebounding, particularly on the defensive end, and rim protection issues.

Fast forward a year. Daniel Jacobson is healthy and was part of the USA National U19 Team that won a gold medal last summer. Purdue also signed one of last season's leading rebounders, Oscar Cluff, out of the portal and brought in true freshman point guard, Omer Mayer, who as an 18 year-old led both Israel's National U18 and U19 Teams in FIBA World Cup play last summer as well as played professionally last season with former Boiler Trevion Williams. Mayer can score and is also a very high level passer. He will be Braden Smith's understudy this season as he adjusts to the US college game, but I expect he will also play alongside Smith. The one remaining question I have will be how well Purdue contains/limits dribble penetration.

With the core of last season's team returning and augmented by some hole filling additions, this Purdue Team's future is so bright that I have to wear shades. Seriously, Purdue is loaded with talent and has solid depth. The additions via the portal and incoming freshman address the deficiencies from last season and are a net positive over the departures. The keys all season will be rebounding, minimizing turnovers, and containing/limiting dribble penetration. IF everything comes together, I expect Purdue to compete for the B1G regular season and tournament titles and make a Final Four run.

BoilerUp89: I really like most of the team's construction. There's some questions to be answered - can the defense get better on the perimeter? Will the rebounding and rim protection be fixed by bringing in Cluff and getting Jacobsen back? Will the offensive spacing work with TKR alongside a tradition center? If the answers to 2 of those 3 questions are yes, Purdue is a national contender. If 2 of those are no, Purdue's floor is pretty much last year's team. A Sweet 16/Round of 32 exit would be a disappointment considering the preseason expectations from national pundits and within the Purdue fanbase. The core of Purdue is back with another year of experience under their belt and they appear to have addressed most of the issues from last year's team. Let's see how it plays out.