Arizona vs. Purdue score, takeaways: No. 3 Boilermakers stop Wildcats for first win vs. No. 1 team since 2000

Arizona was the victim of Purdue's last victory vs. a top-ranked team 23 years ago

No. 3 Purdue made its case to return to the top of the polls in college basketball as the Boilermakers outlasted No. 1 Arizona 92-84 on Saturday in Indianapolis to improve to 5-0 in Quad 1 games. The trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Zach Edey combined for 75 points as the Boilermakers built a 15-point lead and then withstood a charge from the Wildcats.

Arizona drew within four on a pair of occasions late in the second half before running out of gas and suffering its first loss of the season. Caleb Love led the Wildcats with 29 points and Keshad Johnson added 24, but they couldn't overcome the barrage brought by Purdue's sophomore guards.

The duo of Smith and Loyer combined for 32 points in the first half and scored 14 of Purdue's first 18 points in the second half as the Boilermakers extended their lead to 67-52 with 15:09 remaining. Collectively, the tandem took some pressure off star center Zach Edey.

But once the Wildcats found their footing and rallied, Purdue needed Edey to slam the door. During a long offensive lull for the Boilermakers in the second half, the 7-foot-4 reigning national player of the year accounted for eight straight points for his team. 

While the trio of Smith, Loyer and Edey carried the Boilermakers, Lance Jones provided some late punch. The Southern Illinois transfer hit a clutch 3-pointer with 4:21 remaining to make it 81-73. He then converted a 3-point play with 7 seconds left to put the Boilermakers ahead 92-84.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 7:23 pm ET · David Cobb]

Loyer and Smith show Purdue's ceiling

Smith's performance came as no surprise considering he scored 27 in a win over Alabama last Saturday and entered as the team's second-leading scorer amid a strong start to his second college season. Loyer's monster game marked a noteworthy bounce-back, however, after he went 0 for 5 from the floor and played just 20 minutes against the Crimson Tide.

The occasions when both players enjoy such incredible simultaneous offensive outbursts will be rare. But seeing it happen on a big stage against the nation's No. 1 team underscored just how high Purdue's ceiling is when Edey's supporting cast makes substantive contributions. If the Boilermakers get significant help from non-Edey sources, it makes them virtually impossible to defend.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 7:17 pm ET · David Cobb]

History repeated

The Boilermakers' last win against No. 1 came on Nov. 25, 2000 against No. 1-ranked Arizona. Oddly enough, that game was also played in Indianapolis. The outcome from 23 years ago was a true shocker as Purdue entered off a season-opening home loss to Central Michigan. Even after beating the Wildcats, the 2000-01 Boilermakers never reached the AP Top 25. 

This time around, Purdue should shoot back to No. 1, which is a spot they held for one week before falling at Northwestern on Dec. 1.  With games against Jacksonville (Dec. 21) and Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 29) up next, the Boilermakers should be able to hold the top spot longer this time.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 7:06 pm ET · David Cobb]

Caleb Loves continues thriving

Caleb Love hit a ceiling at North Carolina after starring for the Tar Heels on their surprise run to the national title game in 2022. Saddled with lofty expectations last season for the Tar Heels, who were ranked No. 1 in the preseason, Love struggled. He shot an underwhelming 37.8% from the floor and a career-worst 29.9% from 3-point range while grappling with turnover problems as the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament.

Transferring to Arizona has given Love new life. While his 3-point shooting is still a work in progress, the veteran guard entered Saturday's showdown averaging a career-best 4.5 assists per game and committing fewer turnovers per game (1.8) than at any point in his college career. Against the Boilermakers, he hit 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range while finishing with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 6:41 pm ET · David Cobb]

Purdue survives

Purdue just staked its claim to return to No. 1 in the college basketball polls with an impressive 92-84 win over top-ranked Arizona. Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined for 53 points on 9 of 16 shooting from beyond the arc, and Zach Edey chipped in with 22 points on 8 of 15 shooting as the Boilermakers withstood a charge from Arizona in the second half. Caleb Love scored 29 for the Wildcats, and Keshad Johnson added 24, but Arizona couldn't get enough stops and ran out of gas after cutting a 15-point deficit to four late in the second half.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 6:22 pm ET · David Cobb]

Purdue punches back

Purdue just punched back with an 8-2 run sparked by a Lance Jones 3-pointer to make it 83-73 with 3:26 remaining. That was his first make on six tries from beyond the arc, and it couldn't have come at a bigger time for the Boilermakers. Braden Smith hit one soon after, and Edey extended the lead back to 10 with a hook shot off the glass. Is there a final push in these Wildcats? They may be out of gas after staging a massive rally throughout this half.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 6:16 pm ET · David Cobb]

Edey snaps the drought

 Zach Edey finally snapped Purdue's drought of almost nine minutes without a field goal by scoring a second-chance bucket at the 6:44 mark. It's 73-67 with 6:31 remaining as Edey is up to 17. It feels like Purdue's guards have given all they can and that it may be on the big man to get the Boilermakers home as Arizona keeps coming with a barrage of offensive weapons.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 6:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Down the stretch we go

Four free throws from Zach Edey have served as a bit of life support for the Boilermakers here in the doldrums of the second half as Purdue has gone cold. Thus, Purdue is clinging to a 71-65 lead with 8:09 remaining. But Arizona is back in this game after using a series of defensive stops to get transition looks, which are an essential lifeblood for the Wildcats that can be difficult to find when you're having to take the ball out after an opponent's make on every possession.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 6:05 pm ET · Jerry Palm]

Boilermakers cooling off

Zach Edey ends the nearly six minute drought for Purdue with a pair of FTs

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

Arizona rallying aggressively

It's an 11-0 run for Arizona, prompting a Purdue timeout at the 10:22 mark. It took just 3:20 for the Wildcats to turn a potential blowout loss on its head. Caleb Love, Oumar Ballo and Keshad Johnson have flipped the script here and have the Boilermakers on their heels. Purdue has hit just 1 of its last 7 from the floor and hasn't scored in nearly five minutes.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:45 pm ET · David Cobb]

Purdue guards keep rocking

Nothing Arizona has tried early in the second half has worked with respect to slowing down Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith. The duo combined for 14 of the Boilermakers' first 18 points to begin the second half as Purdue has opened up a 69-52 lead with Zach Edey merely playing a complimentary role. But don't sleep on the Wildcats, who can score faster than just about any team in college basketball.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:34 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second half keys

Arizona might consider trapping and pressuring Purdue's guards a bit more in the second half instead of letting them operate so freely. Of course, doing that would open things up for Zach Edey, but he's going to get his production regardless of what you do defensively. At least by extending the defense out, Arizona could bother Loyer and Smith a bit to keep them from getting rhythm looks. They aren't the world's biggest or most physical guards, but they killed Arizona in the first half.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:18 pm ET · David Cobb]

Sophomore guards shining

Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined for 32 points on 13 of 21 shooting in the first half to help Purdue to a 49-38 edge on Arizona. They were a combined 6 of 9 shooting from beyond the arc. Purdue hoisted 15 attempts from 3-point range in the half vs. just four for Arizona. The Wildcats hit three of them but almost seem surprised Purdue's willingness and ability to get up and down the floor. The Wildcats shot 56.7%. From the floor but are trailing in part because of Purdue's 9-2 edge in points off turnovers.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:11 pm ET · Jerry Palm]

Cat coaches not happy

The Arizona coaching staff got after the officials at the start of the timeout. They didn't like the blocking foul called right before that. Also of note, Keshad Johnson picked up his second foul a minute ago and is on the bench. He's leading the Wildcats in scoring with 11.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:08 pm ET · David Cobb]

Purdue playing smart defense

Purdue is one of the nation's best when it comes to not fouling and getting and advantage on opponents at the free-throw line. That factor could prove critical down the stretch as the Boilermakers are now in the bonus while Arizona is not. Purdue has committed just four fouls. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have decided to sit Keshad Johnson for the time being after he just picked up his second foul. That's significant since he's leading the team with 11 points.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 5:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

Zach Edey gets going

With buckets at the 7:52, 6:36 and 5:53 marks, Zach Edey has officially gotten into the flow of this game, and Purdue is enjoying its biggest lead yet as a result. It's 36-30, and Tommy Lloyd just took a timeout with 4:46 remaining in the half after a 3-pointer from Fletcher Loyer. He's got 16 on 6 of 8 shooting. With Loyer hot and Edey finding a groove, Purdue has turned a 6-point early deficit into a 6-point lead heading into the critical final stretch of the first half.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 4:56 pm ET · David Cobb]

Arizona's preferred pace

We're tied yet again at the under-8 timeout as the pace continues to go at Arizona's liking. The Wildcats are 11 of 18 from the floor and getting a nice lift off the bench from KJ Lewis, who has three assists. Purdue is dominating 18-10 in the paint — no surprise there — but players not named Fletcher Loyer are 0 for 6 from beyond the arc. Lance Jones is 0 for 3. Edey remains quiet with just four points thus far as the Boilermakers try and keep pace with the up-tempo Wildcats.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 4:51 pm ET · Jerry Palm]

Cats concentrating on Edey

Arizona doing a good job denying Zach Edey the ball. Oumar Ballo's strength allowing him to hold his defensive position better than most people who guard him.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 4:43 pm ET · David Cobb]

High tempo start

The under 16 timeout finally arrived at the 11:47 mark with the game going at an absolutely frenetic pace and tied at 17 apiece. Amid the up and down mayhem, Zach Edey has mostly been a non-factor while Keshad Johnson has exploded for 9 points, including a couple of 3s for the Wildcats. Fletcher Layer has 7 early for the Boilermakers, which is a great sign after he struggled against Alabama last Saturday. Fun start to this massive clash.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 4:42 pm ET · Jerry Palm]

We are underway in Indy

[Dec 16, 2023 at 4:15 pm ET · David Cobb]

Braden Smith's emergence

Purdue sophomore guard Braden Smith is making a sophomore year jump through 10 games. He's averaging 13.2 points and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from 3-point range. He poured in 27 last Saturday in a big win over Alabama and had 18 in a win over Marquette on Nov. 22. The Boilermakers need someone other than Edey to show up and show out in big games, and Smith has proven capable of doing so this season.

[Dec 16, 2023 at 3:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

Purdue ahead of Arizona in Power Rankings

Arizona claimed No. 1 in the AP poll for a second straight week on Monday with a unanimous hold on the spot after a handful of voters had other teams at No. 1 on their ballots the previous week. It seems the Wildcats' 98-73 win over Wisconsin helped sway any lingering doubters over who deserves to be at the top of the heap in college basketball. But entering the best game so far this season between Arizona and Purdue on Saturday, there is plenty of data to defend our continued placement of the Boilermakers at No. 1 in the power rankings.

College basketball power rankings: Purdue takes on Arizona in showdown to determine top team in nation

David Cobb

[Dec 16, 2023 at 3:00 pm ET · Jerry Palm]

Purdue and Arizona in Bracketology

The NET, other computer rankings and even the polls do not have enough data to be especially helpful. Some computer rankings, like KenPom.com, use prior season data to help fill the gap until there is enough data from the current season to stand on its own. Others, like the NET, just do the best they can with current season data. One of the five computer rankings the committee puts on its team sheets, Jeff Sagarin's, is not even available yet for this season. So, I am giving very little credence to rankings of any sort and evaluating teams almost entirely subjectively. 

Bracketology: Arizona, Purdue, Kansas, UConn earn No. 1 seeds in season's first NCAA Tournament bracket update

Jerry Palm

[Dec 16, 2023 at 2:15 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Arizona vs. Purdue prediction

The million dollar question is ... can Arizona contain Zach Edey? The reigning national player of the year has been a force around the rim and is the early frontrunner to win the award, again. Arizona can counter with star big man Oumar Ballo, but he will need to stay out of foul trouble in order to have a chance at stopping Edey. With this being a de facto home game for Purdue because of the geographical location to the campus, it should be a rowdy environment. With that being said, Arizona already went into one of the more hostile environments in the country (Cameron Indoor Stadium) and secured a win. The Wildcats should be able to do the same this weekend. Arizona simply has more depth and coach Tommy Lloyd should have a gameplan to slow Edey down. Prediction: Arizona ML