'He kicked our butt.' Trey Kaufman-Renn steps up for Purdue with Zach Edey limited vs. Illinois
WEST LAFAYETTE — Illinois coach Brad Underwood had a plan: Take reigning national player of the year Zach Edey out of the game, forcing other Purdue players to try and step up.
The first part worked as planned — Edey picked up two fouls in a 24-second span 12 minutes into the game and sat on the bench for the final eight minutes of the first half.
But after Edey exited, the Boilermakers (14-1, 3-1) found a new hero in sophomore Trey Kaufman-Renn.
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“Trey Kaufman-Renn, woof,” Underwood said to start his opening statement. “I just told him standing out there (in the hallway), he kicked our butt. Give that young man a ton of credit.”
Kaufman-Renn scored 23 points to lead No. 1 Purdue over No. 8 Illinois — the Boilermakers’ fourth top-10 win of the season. It was one off his career high of 24, which he set against New Orleans in December 2022. But Kaufman-Renn’s impact throughout the game wasn’t just that he scored 23 points — it was when he did it. Against Illinois, he mastered the art of breaking momentum.
Throughout Edey’s stint on the bench in the first half, Kaufman-Renn filled in at center. During that time, Purdue either kept its lead or bolstered it.
"They kicked our butt during that stretch," Underwood said. "We've got to cut, but if the best player in the country isn't in the game, you better make hay. We did for a little bit, but you have to sustain that."
With Kaufman-Renn at the 5, sophomore guard Braden Smith saw it as a perfect time for some pick-and-roll action — something they practiced the entire summer while working against Edey.
“Me and him worked on that a lot, and it was either my pull-up mid-range or him shooting that little floater,” Smith said. “I trust him with it, and I tell him every single time, ‘Hey, let’s get into that whether Z is in or out, let’s just do it,’ because it’s going to be a killer, and no one’s going to be able to stop that.”
Kaufman-Renn also took something he barely uses out of his arsenal: a 3-point shot.
The sophomore has only taken 13 3s this season. His sole 3-point attempt of the game Friday came when Illinois was down 11 and building momentum with five minutes left in the game, but his make beyond the arc put the power back in Purdue’s hands.
“They’re coming back, and Trey Kaufman just shoots that 3 like he’s Ray Allen,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “I was like, ‘Holy (expletive).’ He works, man, that wasn’t magic tonight.”
Added Kaufman-Renn: “It’s a confidence boost. I’ve shot well, we shoot a lot of 3s in practice, so it’s a shot that I practice. If they’re going to leave me wide open, I better step up and hit it.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trey Kaufman-Renn steps up for Purdue basketball in win over Illinois
