Purdue vs. Nebraska player ratings: Too many starters no-show as No. 1 goes down

It was a night to forget for No. 1 Purdue, as the Boilermakers had to endure yet another court-storming, which in a way is a compliment. Nebraska shot 61% from behind the arc and hit 14 3s on its way to an 88-72 win over Purdue on Tuesday in Lincoln.

The Cornhuskers used a 13-0 run to close the first half and the Boilermakers were playing catch-up the rest of the night.

Boilers unfocused in Lincoln: 'This loss isn't on one person. It's on Purdue.'

More: Disastrous end to first half dooms Purdue at Nebraska

Player ratings on a scale of 0 to 10.

STARTERS

∎ Zach Edey — The reigning national player of the year had just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half and picked up two fouls. He struggled with Nebraska bigs, notably Rienk Mast (18 points) who kept trying to pull Edey out of the paint. He picked things up in the second half and finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, but was far from his dominant self. Credit to Nebraska's game plan. Rating: 5.5

∎ Trey Kaufman-Renn — Coming off arguably with best performance in a Purdue uniform, Kaufman-Renn was a complete non-factor in this one. He had zero points in 15 minutes and didn't attempt a shot. He tied with Fletcher Loyer for a team-worst -25 in +/-, and a hot-shooting Mason Gillis started the second half in his place. Rating: 2.0

∎ Fletcher Loyer — He came into Tuesday 4-of-16 from the field in Purdue's past two games and opened 1-of-6 in the first half vs. Nebraska, missing plenty of open early looks. He had a poor turnover because he passed up an open shot. He drilled a long 3 at end of shot clock, but was a team-worst -20 in +/- in the first half and Cam Heide started the second half in his place. He finished with 13 points (3-of-9 shooting) but was lost at sea on defense and committed three turnovers. Rating: 2.0

∎ Lance Jones — Another Boilers starter with zero first-half points, at least Jones picked it up in the second half. He finished with 10 points, including two 3s, but he may have been trying to do too much, with some forced shots (4-of-12 shooting) and four turnovers. Meanwhile, the Huskers' guards feasted. Rating: 3.0

∎ Braden Smith — He played a team-high 35 minutes, but couldn't quite get the Purdue offense into its normal fluidity. He did have seven assists and hit two 3s, but he didn't have much help. Rating: 5.0

RESERVES

∎ Ethan Morton — He didn't score in his 10 minutes and was among the Boilers guards who struggled to keep up with Keisei Tominaga (19 points) and CJ Wilcher (16 points). Rating: 3.0

∎ Mason Gillis — The final score is a lot worse without Gillis' contributions. He was 5-of-10 from behind the arc and finished with a game-high 16 points. But you'd like to see him get more than one rebound in 28 minutes. Rating: 7.5

∎ Cam Heide — A solid shift for Heide. He provides a much more physical presence than Loyer, especially against more athletic Big Ten guards. He had a putback layup in the first half and started the second half over Loyer. He was active on the glass with six rebounds (five on defense) and scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting, including a 3. He played 22 minutes and was a team-high +10 in +/-. It may be time to get him more minutes. Rating: 7.0

∎ Myles Colvin — He didn't attempt a shot in four minutes. Rating: N/A

∎ Caleb Furst — He had an early putback and and-1, but that was basically it in his seven minutes. Rating: N/A

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska: Zach Edey held in check, others shrink