Purdue to Battle Memphis in Baha Mar Championship
Nassau, Bahamas – The No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers will face Memphis in the Baha Mar Championship, continuing a dominant season for the program. Purdue secured the top ranking after receiving more votes than Houston in the latest AP Poll. Since first being ranked No. 1 during the 2021-22 season, the Boilermakers have held the top spot for a nation-leading 15 weeks, surpassing Houston (11 weeks) and Auburn (11 weeks).
Purdue’s offensive prowess is highlighted by a 127.8 efficiency rating, currently the fourth-best in KenPom.com history,trailing only Duke (2025),Wisconsin (2015),and Florida (2025).
Individually, Trey Kaufman-Renn leads the country in rebounding with 15.0 rebounds per game, joining Kent State’s Delrecco Gillispie and Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler as one of only three players nationally with at least two games of 15+ points and 15+ rebounds.
Braden Smith was recently named Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in two wins. He is one of only three players nationally averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game, alongside Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson and Florida State’s Robert McCray V. Smith currently ranks third on the Big Ten’s career assists list with 792, trailing only Mateen Cleaves (816). He is also the only player in Big Ten history to amass 1,400 points, 775 assists, 550 rebounds, and 175 steals, and one of seven players in NCAA history to reach those marks.
Fletcher Loyer’s 30-point performance in the season opener adds to a team boasting four active players with 30-point games, including Smith and Kaufman-Renn. purdue is one of four schools nationally (Illinois,BYU,USC,purdue) with three players averaging at least 17.0 points per game, and the only school with two players averaging a double-double (Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff).
Currently,Smith is fourth nationally in assists per game (8.5), while Cluff is fourth in offensive rebounds (5.5) and 17th in total rebounds (11.0).
Looking ahead, Purdue recently signed four players – Luke Ertel, Jacob Webber, Sinan Huan, and Rivers Knight – from the Class of 2026, with 247Sports ranking the class second nationally behind Kansas.
Head Coach Matt Painter ranks fourth in Big Ten history with 475 career wins, behind Tom Izzo (740), Bob Knight (662), and Gene Keady (512). Painter has also achieved 500 career victories, becoming the seventh-fastest active coach to reach that milestone.
