Familiar Refrain Could Mean Another Great Year for Favored Boilers

It’s a familiar refrain to Purdue basketball fans.

“Purdue will be just another team without Caleb Swanigan.”

“Purdue will miss Carsen Edwards’ scoring.”

“Purdue won’t be able to overcome Jaden Ivey’s departure to the NBA.”

“Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer won’t be as good without Zach Edey drawing all the attention.”

The first three declarations were unfounded, and it’s a good bet Smith and Loyer will prove the naysayers wrong during the 2024-25 season that kicked off this week.

To be fair, the Boilermakers have received some respect entering Matt Painter’s  20^th season as head coach. They were chosen by the league’s media as the favorite to win a third consecutive league title. Purdue is the highest-ranked Big Ten (Plus 8) team in The Associated Press preseason poll at No. 14

Smith has been selected the Big Ten Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year. He’s also on the Naismith Player of the Year and Bob Cousy Award watch lists.

Loyer made the first cut for the Jerry West Award, given to the nation’s best shooting guard. Carsen Edwards took home that honor in 2018.

Initially snubbed by the Cousy Award selection process a year ago, Smith forced his way among the five finalists with a record-breaking sophomore season. The Indiana Mr. Basketball winner from Westfield set school and Big Ten records with 292 assists.

Smith was the only player in America to average at least 12 points, 7.5 assists and 5 (5.8) rebounds per game. He also shot 43.1 percent from 3-point range, one of the reasons why Purdue was the second-best 3-point shooting team in the nation behind Kentucky.

“He can really manipulate the defense with his ability to see the court and to be able to pass and to make plays and make shots, but he is also someone who defers to others at times,” Painter said during Big Ten Media Day. “We need him just to be more aggressive. Fletcher Loyer, same thing. Just a winner. Knows how to play. Tough. Hard-nosed. Makes shots. They will have more of a responsibility.”

Bruce Parkinson’s career assists record is within Smith’s reach this season, needing just 245. Only Magic Johnson (491) has had more assists in Big Ten history through his sophomore year than Smith’s 445.

Purdue’s 1,000-point club also is well within reach for Smith, who has 808.

Smith also seems likely to join Joe Barry Carroll as the only Boilermakers to record a triple-double. Smith came close in Monday’s 90-73 victory against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, putting up 12 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

Loyer and Ohio State’s Meechie Johnson are the only Big Ten players on the 20-man Cousy List. Loyer shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 86.1 percent from the free throw line to rank among the nation’s leaders in both categories. Loyer’s 48.5 percent 3-point shooting in Big Ten games only topped the conference.

It may be a race to 1,000 points between Smith and Loyer, who stands at 807 after putting up 21 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Not to be forgotten is the third junior starter returning from last year’s national finalist team. Trey Kaufman-Renn may have been the fifth scoring option last season behind Edey, Smith, Loyer and Lance Jones but he showed flashes of the ability that earned him Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2020 while at Silver Creek High School.

During a rare game with Edey in foul trouble, Kaufman-Renn put up 23 points in a victory against No. 9 Illinois in Mackey Arena.

“I think Trey Kaufman will really step in to where he will be one of the best big guys in our league,” Painter said.

If Purdue is to extend its 22-game winning streak in the month of November, the second-longest in college basketball behind Arizona, it will be on the backs of that trio. Purdue was the only Big Ten school not to add at least one player from the transfer portal.

Once again, the Boilermakers have a loaded non-conference schedule. Preseason No. 2 Alabama comes to Mackey Arena on Nov. 15, a game that for reasons I cannot fathom has been exiled to the Peacock streaming service. A trip to Marquette comes four days later, followed by a Final Four rematch with North Carolina State in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego on Nov. 28. Either BYU or Mississippi await the next evening.

That schedule will force Purdue’s freshman class to grow up quickly. Gicarri Harris, the third son of Boilermaker great Glenn Robinson, was in the opening night starting lineup. So was 7-4 center Daniel Jacobsen, who flashed his potential with 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes against Corpus Christi.

Sophomore guard Myles Colvin came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points. If Colvin doesn’t crack the starting lineup, he could be instant offense in a reserve role.

Athletic sophomore forward Camden Heide could be a key player when the Boilermakers go smaller with the 6-9 Kaufman-Renn playing center. Freshman guard C.J. Cox and 6-11 classmate Raleigh Burgess will have roles as will 6-10 Caleb Furst, the Boilermakers’ lone senior. Freshman forward Jack Benter, a 2024 Indiana All-Star, will redshirt.

Will Berg, the 7-2 center from Sweden, and former Carmel standout Brian Waddell will have to battle for the limited minutes available assuming Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn average more than 30 minutes a game.

Jacobsen and Berg extend Purdue’s streak of having a 7-footer on the roster to 13 consecutive seasons.

High on the list of goals is a third consecutive outright Big Ten title, which would match the 1994-95-96 Boilermakers and the 1960-61-62 Ohio State Buckeyes as the only teams to achieve that feat. During the past 10 seasons Purdue’s 125-48 record in league play is 15 games better than second-place Michigan State.

“We’re excited about this group,” Painter said. “We also know that it’s going to be very hard. That’s the one thing when you play a challenging schedule like we have, you know, in nonconference that you have to get yourself prepared because it is such a bear when you get to Big Ten play.”

Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.