In the absence of Zach Edey, Braden Smith was always expected to emerge this season as Purdue's top player and best All-America candidate. In a tighter-than-it-should've-been game against Yale on Monday, the junior point guard performed to those expectations, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and five steals in a 92-84 victory that extended the Boilermakers' home-winning streak to 21.
"He's a fabulous player," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "Best point guard I've been around."
The good news for the reigning Big Ten champs is that they're off to a 3-0 start while Smith is posting career-high numbers in points (15.0), assists (9.3), rebounds (6.3), field goal percentage (45.2%), 3-point percentage (44.4%) and free-throw percentage (90.0). The not-so-good news is that Smith's 6.3 rebounds per contest make him the team's leader in that category, and a 6-foot point guard should never be leading any team in rebounding.
"We gotta get some glass-eaters," Painter said. "We gotta get some guys hitting some people and going and getting the basketball."
In Edey, Purdue had one of the best so-called glass-eaters in the sport. The 7-4 center averaged a combined 12.5 rebounds per game over the past two years while winning back-to-back Wooden Awards. But now Edey is eating glass for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA, and Daniel Jacobsen, a 7-4 freshman who was among those expected to help fill the void, is likely out for the season after breaking his tibia in Friday's win over Northern Kentucky.
It's not ideal.
And that's why Painter spent a good portion of Monday's postgame press conference lamenting things like the fact that his team only grabbed five offensive rebounds against Yale. Even more concerning, Purdue's five starters combined to get just two offensive boards in 126 combined minutes on the court.
"We just gotta stay with it," Painter said.
Purdue is No. 10 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Kansas remains No. 1 for the ninth straight day to start this season. The Boilermakers' next game will be a step up in competition — specifically a showdown on Friday with Alabama that could have Purdue's 21-game winning streak inside Mackey Arena in some jeopardy.
The Crimson Tide are No. 2 in the Top 25 And 1.
"[Alabama has] great players, man," Painter said. "They're all great players — the guys who transferred in, the guys who returned. [The Crimson Tide's] backups could venture out and be a Top 25 team. They're real."
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 92-89 win over North Carolina. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | -- | 9-2 |
| 2 |  | Grant Nelson finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 72-64 win over McNeese. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday at Purdue. | -- | 10-2 |
| 3 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 74-69 win over Houston. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Kent State. | -- | 11-1 |
| 4 |  | RJ Davis missed 12 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 92-89 loss at Kansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against American. | -- | 7-5 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 92-53 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Le Moyne. | -- | 10-3 |
| 6 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 82-56 win over Kansas City. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against IU Indy. | -- | 10-1 |
| 7 |  | Braden Huff finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 88-80 win over Arizona State. The Zags' next game is Friday against UMass Lowell. | -- | 9-3 |
| 8 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 100-58 win over Army. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 10-2 |
| 9 |  | L.J. Cryer missed nine of the 14 shots he attempted in Saturday's 74-69 loss to Auburn. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana. | -- | 8-3 |
| 10 |  | Braden Smith finished with 22 points and five steals in Monday's 92-84 win over Yale. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Alabama. | -- | 8-4 |
| 11 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 77-55 win at Louisville. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Montana. | -- | 11-0 |
| 12 |  | Bruce Thornton finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 80-72 win over Texas. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Youngstown State. | -- | 8-4 |
| 13 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 102-44 win over Old Dominion. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Wisconsin. | -- | 6-5 |
| 14 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 17 points and three steals in Monday's 70-62 win over Central Michigan. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Maryland. | -- | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 90-55 win over Eastern Illinois. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 9-3 |
| 16 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 16 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 72-67 win over Arkansas. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Sam Houston State. | -- | 7-3 |
| 17 |  | Johnell Davis was 0-of-5 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Baylor. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Troy. | -- | 10-2 |
| 18 |  | Tre Johnson finished with 28 points and three assists in Friday's 90-59 win over Houston Christian. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Chicago State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 19 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 96-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against Houston Christian. | -- | 8-5 |
| 20 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 16 points and seven assists in Monday's 97-71 win over Lamar. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Ohio State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 21 |  | Rueben Chinyelu finished with 14 points and three rebounds in Monday's 86-62 win over Grambling. The Gators' next game is Friday at Florida State. | -- | 12-0 |
| 22 |  | Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Monday's 75-65 win over Saint Peter's. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Friday against Monmouth. | -- | 7-5 |
| 23 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 83-56 win over Morehead State. The Bearcats' next game is Friday against Nicholls. | -- | 10-1 |
| 24 |  | Dre Davis finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Friday's 66-64 win over Grambling. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against South Alabama. | -- | 11-1 |
| 25 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 96-73 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Wagner. | -- | 10-2 |
| 26 |  | Philip Russell finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Friday's 80-55 win over Boston College. The Rams' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack. | -- | 10-3 |
