In its fourth game against a top 10 opponent this season, No. 21 Auburn fell 88-60 to No. 6 Purdue in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday.
After a 1-point loss to then-No. 1 Houston in Birmingham to begin the Tigers’ slew of games against top 10 opponents, Auburn has lost by a combined 87 points in the other three appearances. The Tigers fell to 8-4 on the season, with all four losses against top 10 teams, and Saturday marked the third loss by 25-plus points, the most in a decade for the Tigers.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Purdue offense simply too much
There’s a reason the Boilermakers own the No. 1 offensive efficiency, per KenPom.
“I think they made shots we wanted them to take,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl said on the television broadcast coming out of the break.
The Boilermakers went on to shoot 56% from the field with 12 triples – tied for the second-most threes Auburn has given up this season – and a 10-of-10 mark from the charity stripe. They tallied 40 points in the paint, scored 36 of their 88 points from beyond the arc, and had five double-digit scorers.
Braden Smith orchestrates it all
Auburn knew it was going to have its hands full with Smith on Saturday.
Smith, who came into this game second in the nation with 9.2 assists per game, tallied a season-high 14 assists, paving the way for the Boilermakers' 21 assists in the game. It was his 30th career game with 10 or more assists.
To complement his 14 assists, Smith tallied 11 points for his third double-double – the 12th on the year for the Boilermakers – this season and seventh double-digit assist performance.
Purdue’s 19 assists were the second-most Auburn has given up in a game this season.
KO leads the charge for the Tigers
After sitting out the second half of Auburn’s game against Chattanooga with an ankle injury, Kevin Overton returned to the lineup with his second 20-point game of the season, tallying a game-high 22 points.
Overton notched double digits in both halves and shot 8-of-18 from the field with four triples.
Keyshawn Hall was the only other Tiger to notch double digits, scoring 14 points on the night.
Auburn shot 36% from the field, its second-lowest mark of the season. The Tigers shot 7-of-25 from beyond the arc and buried 11 of their 16 free throw attempts.
Pettiford leaves early
Auburn point guard Tahaad Pettiford left the game early with five points and one 3-pointer in 25 minutes of action. It was a 360’ from his recent trend against ranked opponents, where he is averaging 22 ppg and shooting 48.5% from long range.
Pettiford did not return after he left around the 10-minute mark with an apparent ankle injury. He will have the week off to nurse the ankle before the Tigers return to action against Queens on Monday, December 29, at Neville Arena.
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. on SECN.
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