Point spreads are determined by a variety of things -- none of which are actually something as subjective as "respect." That acknowledged, Purdue being a 2.5-point underdog at home on Friday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, felt disrespectful considering the Boilermakers are back-to-back Big Ten champs who entered with a 21-game winning streak at home.
(I said as much on Friday morning's Eye On College Basketball Podcast.)
Final score: Purdue 87, Alabama 78.
Behind a 26-point performance from Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue improved to 4-0 on the season while extending their winning streak inside Mackey Arena to 22 games. Braden Smith added 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Fletcher Loyer chipped in with 17 points and two assists.
Collectively, they reminded the sport — on a big stage against a 2024 Final Four participant led by CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year Mark Sears — that even in the absence of two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey, they're still among the elite.
"[Alabama has] a team that can win it all," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "So to be able to have that statement, and to be able to get the win in the fashion that we did, proud of our guys."
Entering the game, rebounding was the main area of concern for the Boilermakers, in part because Edey, last season's 7-foot-4 center, is now in the NBA, and Daniel Jacobsen, this season's 7-4 center, is sidelined with a fractured tibia. As a result, Braden Smith, Purdue's 6-0 point guard, was Purdue's leading rebounder through the first three games. But against Alabama, Kaufman-Renn, a 6-9 forward, and Camden Heide, a 6-7 forward, each grabbed a team-high eight boards. They showed improvement at a time when it was needed.
"We did better," Painter said. "We're not there yet. But we did better."
Purdue is up to No. 8 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Kansas remains No. 1 for the 13th consecutive day to start this season. Alabama is down to No. 9. The biggest shakeup in the Top 25 And 1 was caused by Wisconsin's 103-88 upset of Arizona that compelled me to move the 4-0 Badgers from unranked to No. 17. That development, combined with others, caused Texas, Creighton, Florida, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Ole Miss and St. John's to all be pushed down, no fault of their own. Rick Pitino's Red Storm are now the de facto No. 27. VCU would be No. 28.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 3-0 | |
Hunter Dickinson finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 77-69 win over Michigan State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Oakland.
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| 2 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Johni Broome finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 79-56 win over Kent State. The Tigers' next game is Monday against North Alabama.
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| 3 | 1 | 2-1 | |
Elliot Cadeau finished with 18 points and eight assists in Friday's 107-55 win over American. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday at Hawaii.
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| 4 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Alex Karaban finished with 17 points and two assists in Wednesday's 90-49 win over Le Moyne. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M Commerce.
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| 5 | 1 | 2-0 | |
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.
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| 6 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Khalif Battle finished with 21 points and three steals in Friday's 113-54 win over UMass Lowell. The Zags' next game is Monday at San Diego State.
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| 7 | 1 | 2-1 | |
Milos Uzan finished with 13 points and five assists in Wednesday's 91-45 win over Louisiana. The Cougars' next game is Nov. 22 against Hofstra.
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| 8 | 1 | 4-0 | |
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 87-78 win over Alabama. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday at Marquette.
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| 9 | 7 | 3-1 | |
Mark Sears missed 10 of the 15 shots he took in Friday's 87-78 loss at Purdue. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Illinois.
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| 10 | -- | 3-0 | |
Igor Milicic Jr. finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 92-57 win over Montana. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Austin Peay.
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| 11 | 2 | 3-0 | |
Andrew Carr finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 77-72 win over Duke. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Lipscomb.
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| 12 | 2 | 2-1 | |
Kon Knueppel missed 15 of the 20 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 77-72 loss to Kentucky. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Wofford.
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| 13 | 2 | 4-0 | |
Kam Jones finished with 28 points and four rebounds in Friday's 78-74 win at Maryland. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday against Purdue.
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| 14 | 2 | 2-0 | |
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.
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| 15 | 2 | 2-1 | |
Jayden Nunn finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 104-67 win over Sam Houston. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Tarleton State.
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| 16 | 2 | 2-1 | |
Adou Thiero finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 65-49 win over Troy. The Razorbacks' next game is Monday against Pacific.
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| 17 | NR | 4-0 | |
John Tonje finished with 41 points and six rebounds in Friday's 103-88 win over Arizona. The Badgers' next game is Monday against UT Rio Grande Valley.
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| 18 | 6 | 2-1 | |
Caleb Love missed 11 of the 13 shots he took in Friday's 103-88 loss at Wisconsin. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Duke.
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| 19 | 2 | 3-1 | |
Zhuric Phelps finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Friday's 78-64 win over Ohio State. The Aggies' next game is Wednesday against Southern.
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| 20 | 9 | 2-1 | |
Aaron Bradshaw missed seven of the 10 shots he took in Friday's 78-64 loss at Texas A&M. The Buckeyes' next game is Tuesday against Evansville.
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| 21 | 2 | 2-1 | |
Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 78-43 win over Houston Christian. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against Kansas City.
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| 22 | 2 | 3-0 | |
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.
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| 23 | 1 | 4-0 | |
Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Friday's 87-74 win at Florida State. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Florida A&M.
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| 24 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Dylan Harper finished with 20 points and six assists in Friday's 98-81 win over Monmouth. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack.
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| 25 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Jizzle James finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Friday's 86-49 win over Nichols. The Bearcats' next game is Tuesday at Northern Kentucky.
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| 26 | 1 | 3-0 | |
Sean Pedulia finished with 27 points and four steals in Tuesday's 64-54 win over South Alabama. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Colorado State.
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