Purdue basketball’s Auburn rematch provides championship checkpoint

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue basketball spent its pre-Christmas stretch last season learning some hard truths about its standing on the national stage.

On the semi-neutral-at-best court of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Texas A&M dominated the boards in a four-point victory. A week later, on another semi-neutral court in Birmingham, Alabama, No. 2 Auburn ripped the Boilermakers apart in a victory less competitive than its 87-69 final score suggests.

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Those games ended up being instructive — and by extension, reparative — by the end of the season. And as much as this veteran group has become hardened over time and quickly moves on from any one setback, that Birmingham experience still stings.

“It showed us last year where we were,” Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been beaten like that before last year, where it felt like they could have done whatever they wanted. They could have won by 100 points last year, it felt like.”

The Boilermakers believe they’ve already experienced that eye-opener this season, courtesy of Iowa State’s recent visit to Mackey Arena. Last season’s holiday challenges roll into one Saturday when Auburn comes to Gainbridge for the Indy Classic.

Bruce Pearl handed the Auburn program over to his son, Steven, before the season. The No. 25 Tigers do not possess the same overpowering presence as a year ago. Yet the matchup can still serve its greatest purpose — providing Purdue its last significant test before the restart of Big Ten Conference play.

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For instance, both of those mid-December losses last season further exposed Purdue’s rebounding vulnerabilities.

Texas A&M came into Gainbridge as the nation’s best offensive rebounding team. Purdue could not do much to thwart that identity.

Auburn, led by 6-foot-10 star Johni Broom, also had its way on the boards. Purdue’s dramatic improvements in rebounding have arguably defined this first portion of the season. This season, Oscar Cluff and…

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Publish date : 2025-12-19 09:51:00

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