Competitive drive brings out best in Purdue basketball's Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith

INDIANAPOLIS — Seven days before Purdue handed No. 1 Arizona its first loss, there was a moment between Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer in Toronto.

Smith, having a career game against Alabama, let loose on his teammate.

Loyer didn't fold.

"I got on him and I kind of yelled at him and snapped," Smith admitted after the Boilermakers beat Arizona 92-84 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday. "He just looked at me and said, 'I understand why you're like that. Because you want to win.' He's the same way."

For better or worse, Smith and Loyer are interlinked.

They went head-to-head in high school and were the top two in the 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball voting. Their high school basketball careers ended on the same day, on the same court.

Smith and Loyer both came to Purdue, then started all 35 games together in the backcourt as freshmen.

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When Purdue struggled, the finger pointing went not to one person, but two.

You can't win with freshmen guards.

Except they did. A Big Ten championship and a Big Ten Tournament title to back it up.

"They got thrown into it," Purdue senior center Zach Edey said. "I remember when I was a freshman. It was tough. I wasn't playing on the No. 1 team in the country and it was still tough for me.

"I don't think people really appreciate the situation that they were put in and they did really well."

Still, some lacked trust and felt it was verified when Purdue suffered one of the most stunning losses in NCAA tournament history.

To win in March, you need great guard play.

On Saturday, in front of 17,315 fans playing in a game that had all the feel of a big-time tournament matchup, it was not National Player of the Year Edey who did in the Arizona Wildcats.

It was Loyer, a player Purdue fans seem to fall in and out of love with.

It was Smith, the 5-foot-11 point guard who was overlooked mostly because of his size coming out of high school.

They combined for 53 points on 20 of 33 shooting against an Arizona team with more athleticism and every bit as much size and depth as Purdue.

More: Purdue vs. Arizona player ratings: Sizzling sophomore backcourt keys Boilers' KO of No. 1

"Both our desires to win, it's just really sparked and we push it on our teammates, too," said Loyer, who matched a season-high with 27 points. "That's all we want to do when we go out there. Whether Braden has 26 points or whether he has 10, whether he has 2, I think he just wants to win the game. Same with me."

Loyer electrified the mostly pro-Purdue crowd not only with his shooting, but with his defense, a knock against Loyer by many. Loyer had four steals and drew two charges.

If you type-casted Loyer, that's on you, because Matt Painter never did, even when he heard outside noise that other players on Purdue's roster should start over Loyer.

"You get a lot of pushback when you're not an overly athletic player," Painter said. "It's their lack of basketball intelligence more than anything. There's a lot of quality players out there that understand the game that don't have a high level of athleticism.

"I'll take Fletcher Loyer every day of the week, man. He's a competitor. He's tough. He's not scared of the moment."

When Painter was recruiting Smith and Loyer, and while others may have saw their negatives, Painter witnessed players who had a high basketball IQ and won a lot of games.

They may not run the fastest or jump the highest.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, still fresh off a loss largely due to feats of Loyer and Smith, saw on Saturday what Painter saw in the duo long before the rest of the college basketball world.

Asked what Smith and Loyer do well, Lloyd didn't need to draw up an elaborate response.

"What they do well is they win," he said.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: 'What they do well is win' | Purdue's Loyer, Smith driven by success