3 things we learned about Purdue basketball in the Bahamas, and beyond
The Boilermakers are better for their two wins in the Bahamas, but the trophy is hardly the prize of the trip. Here's what we learned.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Purdue men’s basketball won a trophy Friday night, but the real prize at the Baha Mar Championship did not fit in the overhead compartment on the flight home.
The No. 1 Boilermakers do not lack confidence, as demonstrated in their 86-56 throttling of No. 15 Texas Tech in the championship game. The trophy they passed around now goes in a crowded display case in the basketball offices.
The experience — and the swagger they can take into neutral court games in the NCAA tournament — can be stowed away for a few months as well.
Here are three things we learned over two nights in the Bahamas:
Purdue's Oscar Cluff proved rebounding will travel
That’s from West Lafayette to Alabama or the Bahamas, obviously, but also from South Dakota State to the Big Ten.
Painter believed Oscar Cluff would fix rebounding deficiencies which put a ceiling on last season’s potential. Cluff led the nation in defensive rebounding percentage with the Jackrabbits last season (32.4%). He ranked fifth in offensive percentage (17.4%).
Without overreacting to a small sample size, the transition from the Summit League has gone as smooth as Purdue hoped. Cluff woke up Saturday morning second in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (25.5%). He's averaging 13.3 rebounds per 30 minutes — almost exactly what he produced at South Dakota State down to the decimal.
“They didn’t score to start the second half for a while, and Oscar’s just getting every rebound,” Painter said after the win over Texas Tech. “That’s demoralizing to the other team, that they’re struggling and now they can’t get some second-chance opportunities.”
Again, this is more or less what the Boilermakers expected, or least what they deemed plausible based Cluff’s history. What perhaps did not receive enough appreciation was how much value his length would create as those shots were on their way up. He blocked three shots against Memphis with Daniel Jacobsen limited by foul trouble. In general his reach has been a bother to opponents attacking the basket.
“He hasn’t consistently blocked shots, but he has good length, and [Thursday] he got a couple,” Painter said.
C.J. Cox reinforced his role as Purdue's third starting guard
C.J. Cox maybe does not beat Memphis on Thursday if Cox does not step up at the start of the first half and again to spark a late separation. Then he carried that momentum into Friday’s start, scoring 10 points in his first 12 minutes.
They were his only 10 points of the night, and perhaps that explains why the sophomore did not make the all-tournament team. And Purdue had no fewer than four candidates for the five-man team, so someone wasn’t going to make the cut. Still, Cox played with an infectious determination, jamming the opposing point on defense and making smooth decisions and big shots on the other end.
Gicarri Harris barely left the bench in Friday’s first half, and that was not really through any fault of his own. Almost inevitably, those roles will flip some night in the future.
Consider, though, how Braden Smith averaged 7.5 points on 6 of 21 shooting and Trey Kaufman-Renn lost several minutes over both games due to foul trouble and Purdue still averaged 1.28 points per possession.
Fletcher Loyer, the presumptive third scorer, certainly did his part. As Cox grows more consistent with his contribution, an already potent offense becomes even stronger. Painter said assistant coach P.J. Thompson ran some early actions specifically for Cox to get him started.
“When he has a good rhythm, the ball goes in,” Painter said. “I think he’s a really good complement to our guys. And it’s good when your complement gets 18 points. He just lifted us the other night — we really needed him against Memphis — and he took that confidence and started the game and knocked down those three shots.”
Purdue's Jack Benter kept proving his value in place of TKR
Kaufman-Renn's foul trouble forced Jack Benter to take on some unfavorable physical matchups for extended periods. Yet while scoring only six total points over 31 minutes he posted a box plus-minus of plus-13 in both games.
He followed four rebounds an assist and a steal against Memphis with five rebounds and an assist against Texas Tech. He did not commit a turnover in the event. He also co-starred in one of the viral highlights of the weekend, slamming home Smith’s behind-the-back assist off a break against the Tigers.
???? JB hanging on rims. pic.twitter.com/qu7NwflDao— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 21, 2025
Did starting the season’s first two games in place of an injured Kaufman-Renn help the redshirt freshman’s comfort level? Perhaps, but Painter put him in that role because he believed his talents would overcome the occasional size disadvantage.
“He's a damn good player," Loyer said after the Memphis win. “He showed it all summer. He showed it when TK was out for a couple of games. And then it’s not easy to come off the bench and do what he did. To go in there, step up, play against bigger, more athletic guys and still kind of hold his own at the 4 is impressive.
“He’s going to play a lot of basketball and make a lot of money one day.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball analysis, Oscar Cluff, C.J. Cox, Jack Benter, stats
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