Last time out, earlier this week, Purdue's 26-game winning streak inside Mackey Arena was snapped.
How would the Boilermakers respond?
That was the question heading into Friday night's game with Michigan. We got our answer quickly when Purdue jumped to a 13-2 lead that ballooned to 29-9 (and then 44-15) in an eventual 91-64 victory over the Wolverines. It was a blowout from start to finish. The Boilermakers led wire-to-wire.
"I thought the difference in the game was having them at 29-9, and then, they never really got back to where the game was … down 10, down 12," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "I thought our ball-pressure [was great]. I thought C.J. set the tone."
C.J. is C.J. Cox, a 6-foot-3 freshman who got the eighth start of his career against Michigan and finished with 11 points and three steals in 19 minutes while playing a notable role in causing the Wolverines to turn the ball over 22 times. Braden Smith headlined things with 24 points, 10 assists and four steals. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 15 points and two steals.
Purdue is up to No. 12 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, which caused Mississippi State to be pushed down one spot, no fault of its own. The Boilermakers are now 16-5 overall, 8-2 in the Big Ten, alone in second in the league standings, two games back of Michigan State in the loss column. Michigan is down to No. 21 in the Top 25 And 1 and is now 14-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten -- but just 1-2 in its past three games.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 24 points and two steals in Saturday's 70-68 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 21-1 |
| 2 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win at Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 20-2 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 30 points and four steals in Tuesday's 108-83 win over UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 17-5 |
| 4 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 103-87 win over Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 19-3 |
| 5 |  | Will Richard finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 70-69 win at South Carolina. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 19-3 |
| 6 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and two steals in Tuesday's 68-56 win over Mississippi State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 19-4 |
| 7 |  | Andrew Carr was 1 of 4 from the field in Saturday's 102-97 loss to Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 15-7 |
| 8 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Friday's 87-74 win over Villanova. The Golden Eagles' next game is Tuesday at Butler. | -- | 18-5 |
| 9 |  | Tre Holloman finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 80-78 win over Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 18-4 |
| 10 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 74-61 win at TCU. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 16-6 |
| 11 |  | TJ Bamba finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 82-71 win over Washington. The Ducks' next game is Saturday at Minnesota. | -- | 16-7 |
| 12 |  | Riley Kugel was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 68-56 loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | 1 | 18-5 |
| 13 |  | Riley Kugel was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 68-56 loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 14 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 63-62 win at Ole Miss. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 17-5 |
| 15 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 22 points and four steals in Thursday's 61-53 win over Wichita State. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against UAB. | -- | 19-4 |
| 16 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 14 points and five assists in Wednesday's 70-36 win over Utah. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 18-4 |
| 17 |  | Davon Barnes was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 63-62 loss to Texas A&M. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | -- | 17-6 |
| 18 |  | Jake Davis was 1 of 5 from the field in Thursday's 91-70 loss to Maryland. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Northwestern. | 1 | 15-8 |
| 19 |  | Solo Ball finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 80-78 overtime win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Xavier. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 20 |  | John Blackwell committed four turnovers before fouling out in Tuesday's 85-83 loss at UCLA. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | 1 | 18-5 |
| 21 |  | Danny Wolf was 1 of 7 from the field in Friday's 91-64 loss at Purdue. The Wolverines' next game is Monday against Penn State. | 3 | 17-5 |
| 22 |  | Mark Mitchell was 1 of 7 from the field in Tuesday's 61-53 loss at Texas. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 17-5 |
| 23 |  | Kadary Richmond finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 79-71 win over Xavier. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at Georgetown. | -- | 20-3 |
| 24 |  | Reyne Smith finished with 30 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 98-73 win at SMU. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | -- | 17-6 |
| 25 |  | JT Toppin finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 81-71 win at Cincinnati. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 18-4 |
| 26 |  | Chase Hunter finished with 23 points and three steals in Wednesday's 86-72 win over Syracuse. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 18-5 |
