Upsets can happen during March Madness. Purdue, through point guard Braden Smith, ensured safe passage through to the Second Round, however, and avoided being sent home early. Instead, the Boilermakers defeated the High Point Panthers 75-63. The Big Ten side kicked things off for the first full day as one of the first teams for the Thursday slate.
Every year, the NCAA tournament provides a chance for casual college hoops fans and those less familiar with BIG competition to see Matt Painter go to work with his group. As Purdue faithful will know, Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn form one of the best one-two combos in the nation.
This proved to be the case and on full display once again in the tourney opener. Smith led the offense with 20 points and six assists. As one of the better floor generals in basketball, he's also very good at using picks to get to his spot and do damage in the paint as a scorer.
Oftentimes, when he is able to keep control of games through his speed of play, he just makes the right play needed for Purdue to win. More importantly, as the primary ball handler, he only turned the rock over three times, as the Boilermakers won the turnover battle with seven fewer TOs at only 13.
Good start for Purdue
This team approach and feel is contagious, as his teammates did an excellent job of feeding the hot hand in this one. Smith and others made a concerted effort to get their forward the ball, and Kaufman-Renn rewarded their trust. He went on to score a team-high 21 points.
High Point was able to hang around a little longer than some may have liked. The final result, however, was ultimately not really in doubt as Smith orchestrated a solid performance for coach Painter's side. Today's Panthers side proved to be a good opening test and solid start for the Big Ten representatives to build on.
The multifaceted approach on offense should bode well for the team as they move forward in March Madness. Between Smith spreading the ball around on offense or being able to pivot to a more Kaufman-Renn-centric approach, it will make it difficult for others to prepare for the Purdue offense in the later stages.