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Nov 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen (12) dunks against Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Purdue defeated Alabama 87-80. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\nIf one wondered why No. 2 Purdue was ranked atop the first Associated Press Top 25, the Boilermakers delivered an emphatic reminder on Thursday night.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Trey Kaufman-Renn made his season debut with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Braden Smith looked like a national Player of the Year in a 21-point second half. And Purdue left No. 8 Alabama a loser for the third straight season with an 87-80 road win that could have major seeding implications in March.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Now what can the Boilermakers do for an encore Sunday night when a sneaky good Akron team ventures into West Lafayette, Ind. for another nonconference contest?<\/p>\n<\/section>\n One way for Purdue to back up its excellent showing against the Crimson Tide is for Kaufman-Renn to continue pounding the boards. He hauled down eight offensive rebounds, helping the team earn a 52-28 overall advantage on the glass.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n “I know at the four position, coach (Matt Painter) is wanting me to rebound more,” he said after the win in Tuscaloosa. “I showed him I could today.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n It wasn’t just Kaufman-Renn. As Alabama coach Nate Oats ruefully noted, Smith also outboarded his entire starting frontcourt in addition to his scoring outburst. Going plus 24 on the boards gave the Boilermakers (3-0) enough cushion to afford committing four more turnovers.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n “You’re putting yourself in a pretty good position,” Painter said of dominating the glass. “Our centers did a good job between them; they had 18 rebounds in 40 minutes. TK got 15 in 34 minutes and I think that’s the difference.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n <\/p>\n Smith enters this game averaging 18.3 points and eight assists per game, while Fletcher Loyer supplies 17.3 ppg. Painter’s two-headed center, South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff and 7-4 Daniel Jacobsen, teams to score 18 points and grab 15 boards per game.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Meanwhile, Akron (3-0) comes to town averaging 99.3 ppg with back-to-back 100-point outings on the scoreboard. That includes a 109-51 blowout of Penn State-Shenango Wednesday night that saw 13 Zips get into the scoring column.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Amani Lyles leads a balanced attack with 16 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Shammah Scott contributes 14.3 ppg and is canning 40.9% of his 3-pointers. He’s coming off an 18-point, eight-rebound, four-assist outing Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Akron coach John Groce, who knows something about playing in Mackey Arena from his years coaching at Illinois, said the trip to Purdue is a great opportunity for his team.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n “It’ll be a great challenge for our guys,” he said. “Purdue is strong, tough, deep and coach Painter does an outstanding job. We’ll be ready to compete when that ball goes up at 7:30 Sunday night.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n This will be the first road game for the Zips, who started the year with home wins over James Madison and Princeton. They carved up the Tigers, a perennial Ivy League power, for 104 points.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n “I think this is the deepest team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Groce said. “Guys have been turning down good shots for great shots, playing the right way.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The Boilermakers have won both previous matchups of the programs, though they haven’t played in 25 seasons.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n