2/16/2026 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Business Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
I, every so often, have to travel for work. My day job has sent me several places throughout the country, and every time I travel, I try to sample the local flavor. Being an “adventurer” I will try the famous food, the signature booze, attend a local event, attend the local amusement park. I try to make these things as fun as possible, as the “business” part of a business trip is often bland.
Most of my trips have been relatively event free. Some have had the type of hiccup and disaster that you’d come to expect from Ben Kolodzinski, but variety is the spice of life. The bottom line is that I have a job to do, even if I try to have as much fun as possible.
Purdue went on a business trip this week. There were some hiccups, bumps in the road, really. The bottom line is, however, that the Boilermakers were very “businesslike” on this 2 game road trip. Even if they had some fun in the meantime.
The Games:
#13 Purdue 80, #7 Nebraska 77 (OT)
The Boilers entered a raucous environment and played their first opponent which outranked them. There was 30 minutes of fabulous basketball, followed by 10 minutes of gametime that tested my sanity and cardiovascular strength. Purdue grits one out and slips by Nebraska with yet another top 10 road victory.
Fletcher Loyer led the way with 18 points, hitting 4 threes in the process. Braden Smith had a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, narrowly missing a triple double by 2 rebounds. Oscar Cluff also pitched in a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Trey Kaufman-Renn had a gaudy 19 rebounds as well.
#13 Purdue 78, Iowa 57
The first sellout of the season in Iowa City this season welcomed the Boilermakers. Purdue stepped into Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and kicked Iowa in the teeth.
Gicarri Harris carried the Boilermakers off the bench, scoring a career-high 14 points which included several 3s, and a highlight level poster-dunk. TKR had a double-double going for 12 points & 12 rebounds. Braden Smith added 12 assists.
Break It Down:
Media members are dumb (fully acknowledging that I am a media member and am I dumb). Some idiot media members have been saying that the sky is falling around this program (standing firm that I was NOT one of those types). Some idiot fans have been trashing this program on social media. The Purdue Facebook crowd in particular is filled with a bunch of Dunning-Kruger hot takes, even when Purdue wins. (fully acknowledging that this article will be distributed in those groups). Now sitting at 21-4, Purdue is right back in the thick of the season. Oh look, the Boilermakers have won 4 straight. Is the team perfect? Nope. Are they still winning at a high level? Yep.
Going into Nebraska and winning is a tall (Editor’s Edit) [freaking] order. I do not care that Purdue almost lost that game. Almost lost is synonymous with didn’t lose, which is synonymous with WON. There is a reason that most teams have lost to Nebraska this year.
Going into Iowa, a team’s home court that nearly beat you on your own, is a tall [freaking] order. It was a sellout, and Iowa smelled blood in the water. Boilers laid belt to ass.
The offense went cold against Nebraska and ended up winning. Purdue rebounded by blasting Iowa. Both on the road. Hell of a business trip.
What Went Well:
- 25: More rebounds that Purdue pulled in than their opponents this week. 17 of those were against Nebraska. TKR had 19 against Nebraska, with Cluff adding 14. TKR had 12 against Iowa. Hell, Braden Smith averaged 7.5 rebounds this week. This is the type of basketball that Boilermaker fans love.
- Bench Mob: Gicarri Harris was the hero against Iowa, but he wasn’t the only player who took care of business off the bench. Mayer, Jacobsen, Benter, joined Harris as impacting the games. They may not have stuffed the stat sheet, but every one provided valuable minutes. Whether or not it was a big shot, a timely defensive stop, a filling in admirably for starters in foul trouble, the bench did everything that they needed to do to propel Purdue to victory.
- Everyone: Who played this week scored in the respective games. TKR, Oscar Cluff, CJ Cox, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Daniel Jacobsen, Omer Mayer, Jack Benter, Gicarri Harris. Every one of them contributed on the scoring side. When everyone is a threat, that has to be hell on a defense.
- 40%: From three against Iowa is right where this team needs to be. The Boilermakers really struggle when the shots aren’t hitting.
Opportunities for Improvement:
- 28%: From 3 against Nebraska is a rough shooting night. Purdue did, however, manage to scrape out a victory (for the second straight game) while shooting sub-30% from 3.
- 55%: From the line against Nebraska just about lost that game for the Boilermakers. Missing 9 free throws in a game that went to overtime is absolute basketball hell. These came from accomplished freebie shooters, so hopefully this is just a blip on the radar.
- Pedal to the Floor: The terrifying aspect of this Purdue team is the ability for them to go incredibly cold shooting at the drop of a hat. In fairness, they can heat up very quickly as well. Seeing a huge lead dwindle down to nothing against Nebraska was a painful endeavor, and Purdue doesn’t have that pressure relief (Read as Zach Edey auto-bucket) to stem the tide. Not sure what the Boilermakers can do in these situations other than grit their teeth and hold on.
- Pinnacle Bank Arena: Floor conditions were absolutely terrible. They should hire better mop boys.
Lets Talk About Fans:
Purdue played in multiple hostile locations this week.
Being a fan is a unique thing. You want to be openly hostile to your opponent, but there is a balancing act. You don’t want to become a felon in the process. Loud, passionate yelling is good. Heckling your opponent is good when done correctly. Pretty much everything short of hate speech and assault, you know, crimes, is fair game as a fan.
Nebraska claims to have the best fans. They kind of have this superiority complex with how classy they claim their fans to be. I have actually heard good things about their football fans. Their basketball fans, not so much. Now at the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater here, but any fan that throws items at a visiting team is classless. There were several instances of this happening on Tuesday against Nebraska.
The big one: After Oscar Cluff hit the eventual game winner, what many witnesses said was a beer can, soared from the stands and landed on the floor in front of the Purdue bench. This act is a literal crime. Not just because someone wasted a $20 beer. What if that beer can hurt a player? What if an innocent bystander got hit? What if that beer caused playing conditions to be unsafe? Hm.
The best part of this story, which is currently under investigation by Nebraska Legal Authorities, is that Nebraska slipped and fell on the ensuing possession, essentially ending the game. That slip and fall just so happened to be at the exact spot where that beer landed. My biggest wish is that whomever threw that beer (and purportedly arrested after) was sober enough to remember the incident. I hope that he or she remembers the slip, the fall, the turnover. I hope this person is self-aware enough to put 2 & 2 together. I also wish to buy this person a beer. Thanks for securing the win.
Several Nebraska fans have gone apoplectic following the game. Their tinfoil hats wound tight. While I initially thought that they were joking, it appears that several Nebraska fans actually believe that Purdue cheated. That the Boilermakers squirted water onto the floor, for the 1/1000th chance that Nebraska would dribble right through there. Some say it was a coach. Some say it was a player.
I say that it is the home team’s responsibility to assure a safe playing floor. Look inward, Brasky.
Big Man on Campus:
It has been reported that Trey Kaufman-Renn has been watching videos of Dennis Rodman before games. It shows. TKR has been hitting the boards hard, averaging a gaudy 15.5 rebounds this week. This is the version of TKR that can lead Purdue to the Final 4.
A Look Ahead:
The (as of this writing) #13 Purdue Boilermakers have a big week ahead of them, as the hits just keep on coming. While they were on a business trip last week, now comes the homestand. On Tuesday 2/17 Purdue will host the (as of this writing) #2 (but probably will be #1) Michigan Wolverines. (6:30 PM, Peacock (ugh)). Surprisingly Michigan has never been ranked #1 in the AP Poll – Boilers could be a slight dog at home, which is a rare occurrence in the Purduniverse. Following that, Purdue will be looking for a bit of revenge, as they take on the Hoosiers on Friday 2/20 (8 PM, FOX). This will be the final regular season matchup with the Hoosiers for Braden, Fletch, and Trey. Must see TV!
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