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CHICAGO — Purdue men's basketball's Chicago marathon extended into Sunday with a return to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
The 7 seed Boilermakers knocked off 6-seed UCLA 73-66 on Saturday at the United Center. They'll now face 1 seed Michigan, which needed Yaxel Lendeborg's last-second shot to beat Wisconsin 68-65 in the other semifinal.
Purdue will try to win a fourth game in four days for its first conference tournament championship since 2023.
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers' win means.
With starting forward Tyler Bilodeau already out with a knee injury, UCLA lost starting point guard for the final nine-plus minutes of the first half. Painter used that opportunity to give Braden Smith an extended break, too. The Boilers scored seven unanswered points without him to expand their lead to 26-17.
With Smith back in on the half’s final play, UCLA nearly thwarted any chance at a clean look. But Jack Benter knocked down a 3 to beat the halftime buzzer and send Purdue into the break up 34-27.
Dent was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime. Fletcher Loyer hit 3s on the first two possessions of the second half. For a moment, it appeared to put Purdue in command.
∎ Benter has been heavily icing his right wrist after games ever since hurting it March 1 against Ohio State. He was shooting 2 of 9 from 3-point range since until making two in the first half.
His minutes were even more valuable than that, though, as he grabbed a couple of offensive boards among his five rebounds and added a steal. He allowed Trey Kaufman-Renn to get an extended break. Those minutes off of their feet for the starters could be big when trying to beat Michigan in their fourth game in as many days.
∎ Bilodeau’s absence took a tough defensive matchup for Purdue off the floor. Yet it also compromised the Bruins’ rebounding. Only one of Saturday’s starters averaged more than 3.4 per game. Oscar Cluff and Kaufman-Renn responded in kind, combining for 23 points and 20 rebounds. Cluff grabbed eight offensive boards alone.
He also scored six points off offensive rebounds in the final 3:15 of the game. He finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Not to be forgotten, after UCLA cut the lead back down to six, Daniel Jacobsen scored on back-to-back post feeds from Loyer. Then he went down on defense and swatted a shot into the crowd.
Painter relied on the bench a lot Saturday, perhaps trying to get his most key players to Sunday with as much gas in the tank as possible. It looked like a winning strategy, until it didn't.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin successfully challenged a goaltending call which gave Cluff a basket. Trent Perry hit a jumper. Skyy Clark stole the ball from Omer Mayer and broke away for a layup. Purdue then threw it away again, and the Bruins had the ball down four with 6:43 to play.
Clark hit a 3 after an offensive rebound the next time down, and the lead had shrunk all the way to one. After Brandon Williams' dunk with 3:40 to play, the game was tied 62-62. Purdue needed another offensive rebound basket from Cluff and a C.J. Cox runout off a turnover to create a slight amount of breathing room.
∎ Purdue had to test its ability to beat a good opponent when the shots did not fall. Actually, it took that concept to the extreme, missing nine straight field goals in one stretch and 1 of 12. Later, it missed four field goal tries and two free throws on an extended possession which yielded no points.
Purdue's reward for three wins in three days is a matchup with a team in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday. Michigan beat Purdue worse than the 91-80 score indicated when they met at Mackey Arena on Feb. 17. It took control early en route to winning the league by four games.
The Boilers have spent three days in Chicago answering some of that games' specific deficiencies — stringing together stops, turning defense into offense, controlling the boards. None of these last three opponents, though, were Michigan. They can make a different statement altogether Sunday.
Smith's nine assists Saturday brought him within 12 of matching Bobby Hurley's career NCAA assists record.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs UCLA basketball score today, game stats, Big Ten Tournament record
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The 7 seed Boilermakers knocked off 6-seed UCLA 73-66 on Saturday at the United Center. They'll now face 1 seed Michigan, which needed Yaxel Lendeborg's last-second shot to beat Wisconsin 68-65 in the other semifinal.
Purdue will try to win a fourth game in four days for its first conference tournament championship since 2023.
Here's what I liked and disliked, and what the Boilers' win means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball's win vs UCLA in 2026 Big Ten Tournament
With starting forward Tyler Bilodeau already out with a knee injury, UCLA lost starting point guard for the final nine-plus minutes of the first half. Painter used that opportunity to give Braden Smith an extended break, too. The Boilers scored seven unanswered points without him to expand their lead to 26-17.
With Smith back in on the half’s final play, UCLA nearly thwarted any chance at a clean look. But Jack Benter knocked down a 3 to beat the halftime buzzer and send Purdue into the break up 34-27.
Dent was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime. Fletcher Loyer hit 3s on the first two possessions of the second half. For a moment, it appeared to put Purdue in command.
∎ Benter has been heavily icing his right wrist after games ever since hurting it March 1 against Ohio State. He was shooting 2 of 9 from 3-point range since until making two in the first half.
His minutes were even more valuable than that, though, as he grabbed a couple of offensive boards among his five rebounds and added a steal. He allowed Trey Kaufman-Renn to get an extended break. Those minutes off of their feet for the starters could be big when trying to beat Michigan in their fourth game in as many days.
∎ Bilodeau’s absence took a tough defensive matchup for Purdue off the floor. Yet it also compromised the Bruins’ rebounding. Only one of Saturday’s starters averaged more than 3.4 per game. Oscar Cluff and Kaufman-Renn responded in kind, combining for 23 points and 20 rebounds. Cluff grabbed eight offensive boards alone.
He also scored six points off offensive rebounds in the final 3:15 of the game. He finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Not to be forgotten, after UCLA cut the lead back down to six, Daniel Jacobsen scored on back-to-back post feeds from Loyer. Then he went down on defense and swatted a shot into the crowd.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball's win vs UCLA in 2026 Big Ten Tournament
Painter relied on the bench a lot Saturday, perhaps trying to get his most key players to Sunday with as much gas in the tank as possible. It looked like a winning strategy, until it didn't.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin successfully challenged a goaltending call which gave Cluff a basket. Trent Perry hit a jumper. Skyy Clark stole the ball from Omer Mayer and broke away for a layup. Purdue then threw it away again, and the Bruins had the ball down four with 6:43 to play.
Clark hit a 3 after an offensive rebound the next time down, and the lead had shrunk all the way to one. After Brandon Williams' dunk with 3:40 to play, the game was tied 62-62. Purdue needed another offensive rebound basket from Cluff and a C.J. Cox runout off a turnover to create a slight amount of breathing room.
∎ Purdue had to test its ability to beat a good opponent when the shots did not fall. Actually, it took that concept to the extreme, missing nine straight field goals in one stretch and 1 of 12. Later, it missed four field goal tries and two free throws on an extended possession which yielded no points.
What Purdue basketball's win vs UCLA in 2026 Big Ten Tournament means
Purdue's reward for three wins in three days is a matchup with a team in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday. Michigan beat Purdue worse than the 91-80 score indicated when they met at Mackey Arena on Feb. 17. It took control early en route to winning the league by four games.
The Boilers have spent three days in Chicago answering some of that games' specific deficiencies — stringing together stops, turning defense into offense, controlling the boards. None of these last three opponents, though, were Michigan. They can make a different statement altogether Sunday.
Braden Smith assists tracker
Smith's nine assists Saturday brought him within 12 of matching Bobby Hurley's career NCAA assists record.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue vs UCLA basketball score today, game stats, Big Ten Tournament record
Continue reading...
