Trey Kaufman-Renn was ninth among vote-getters for the AP Preseason All-America Team after averaging 20.1 points and shooting 59.5% from the field in 36 games as a junior.
His senior year has not been as productive.
The 6-foot-9 senior entered Friday’s game with Indiana averaging only 13.0 points while shooting 55.6% from the field. Obviously, those are still good numbers — but not All-America-level numbers. So Kaufman-Renn hasn’t really been a part of the national conversation, even as Purdue has positioned itself to likely be a No. 2 seed in Saturday’s NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview that’s scheduled to air at 12:30 p.m ET on CBS.
He was great against IU, though.
The 6-foot-9 forward took 10 shots, made eight of them and finished with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in the Boilermakers’ 93-64 win over their in-state rivals. He was the biggest reason Purdue recorded its highest point total in the series since scoring 94 against the Hoosiers in 1998. He was also the biggest reason Purdue had its largest margin of victory against the Hoosiers since beating them by 44 points in 1969, and he was among the biggest reasons the Boilermakers shot 64.7% from the field, which is the highest single-game field-goal percentage recorded by Purdue since Matt Painter became coach in 2005.
When asked about that late Friday, Painter said this: “[It was] just our ability to make shots. … Fletcher Loyer has a perfect game [5 of 5 from the field for 18 points]. Doesn’t miss. Omer [Mayer] comes off the bench and … gets his career-high [18 points]. … Rivalries are great in college basketball. They really are. It’s great for the fans. It’s great for the players.”
Purdue remains No. 8 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan is No. 1 for the 11th straight day. Next up for the Boilermakers is Thursday’s game against Michigan State. KenPom.com projects them as a 6-point favorite in that game inside Mackey Arena.
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