It takes all of Purdue basketball‘s energy to beat tired USC 76-71 in the Big Ten Tournament.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scores 30 points with 7 rebounds for Purdue, while Fletcher Loyer scores 14 and Braden Smith 12 with 9 assists. Cam Heide adds 9 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Myles Colvin has 8 points and 5 rebounds.
“I think we’ve got to play much better,” Kaufman-Renn told Big Ten Network postgame.
USC gets balance with Desmond Claude (18 points), Wesley Yates III (13), Rashaun Agee (11) and Matt Knowling (11) contributing. The Trojans beat Rutgers on Wednesday night in double overtime.
No. 6 seed Purdue (22-10) plays No. 3 seed Michigan late Friday night. The Wolverines beat the Boilermakers 75-73 on Feb. 11 and Purdue trounced Michigan 91-64 on Jan. 24.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Purdue player ratings: How much would Kaufman-Renn have scored without foul trouble?
Salary watch: Where does Purdue’s Painter rank among highest-paid coaches?
Want more Boilermakers coverage? Nathan Baird and Sam King keep up with Purdue all season. Sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
Purdue basketball, USC going down to the wire
3:17 left 2H: Braden Smith gets in for a layup and the Purdue lead.
Purdue 69, USC 67
Purdue basketball can’t shake USC
7:10 left 2H: Fletcher Loyer hits an off-balance driving shot at the 9:20 mark, putting Purdue 59-58. USC’s Matt Knowling gets an and-1 putback on the next possession.
Cam Heide (9 points 3-of-3 3s) and Myles Colvin (8 points, 2-of-5 3s) are keeping Purdue in it.
USC 63, Purdue 61
USC basketball maintains lead on Purdue
11:57 left 2H: Trey Kaufman-Renn has a chance for an and-1 coming out of the timeout. USC scores 8 straight points before TKR’s free throw at the 14:54 mark.
USC 56, Purdue 52
Purdue basketball, USC remain close
15:43 left 2H: Purdue and USC trade baskets early in the second half. Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn (14 points) has 3 fouls, and USC’s Desmond Claude (8) has 4 at the 16:31 mark.
USC 49, Purdue 46
Purdue basketball ties USC at halftime
Trey Kaufman-Renn has 12 points, and Fletcher Loyer and Cam Heide have 6 each for Purdue, which is 5-of-10 on 3-pointers and has 9 turnovers. Braden Smith has 3 points and 6 assists.
Wesley Yates III has 8 points and 3 rebounds to lead the Trojans, who are 3-of-12 on 3s.
Purdue 35, USC 35
Purdue basketball surges to tie USC
4:21 left 1H: Trey Kaufman-Renn ties it on a left-handed hook to cap a 10-0 Purdue run. Timeout, USC.
C.J. Cox’s free throw at the 7:32 mark snap a 4 1/2-minute Purdue scoring drought.
Purdue 28, USC 28
Key Purdue basketball player is in foul trouble
7:57 left 1H: The Trojans have scored 11 straight points. Trey Kaufman-Renn has 2 fouls at the 9:33 mark. He has 8 points and 3 rebounds.
Purdue is 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 on free throws, with 7 turnovers. USC is 11-of-20 from the field and 1-of-3 from the line, with 2 turnovers.
USC 25, Purdue 17
Key USC basketball player is in foul trouble
11:35 left 1H: In what should be no surprise, Trey Kaufman-Renn (8), Fletcher Loyer (6) and Braden Smith (3) have all of Purdue’s points. USC’s Desmond Claude picks up his 2nd foul at the 13:01 mark. He has 4 early points.
Purdue 17, USC 16
Purdue basketball leads USC early
15:40 left 1H: The Boilermakers score 7 in a row, and Trey Kaufman-Renn has 6 points already.
Purdue 10, USC 7
Purdue basketball prediction, pick vs. USC
Nathan Baird, IndyStar: Purdue 86-75
The Trojans showed Wednesday night they won’t go down easy, but those two overtimes they had to play benefit the Boilermakers.
When does Purdue basketball play USC tonight?
About 9 p.m. ET Thursday, March 13, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
What channel is the Purdue basketball game tonight? How to stream Purdue basketball
How to stream, listen to Purdue basketball vs. USC
Is Purdue favored vs. USC tonight? Purdue-USC betting odds
via BetMGM
Favorite: Purdue by 9.5 points
Over/under: 149.5 total points
Moneyline: Purdue -500, USC +375
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives Purdue a 76.5% chance of winning.
Big Ten men’s basketball tournament 2025 bracket; where is the Big Ten tournament in 2025?
(All games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis; all times ET)
Wednesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 13 seed Northwestern 72, No. 12 Minnesota 64
Game 2: No. 15 Iowa 77, No. 10 Ohio State 70
Game 3: No. 14 USC 97, No. 11 Rutgers 89, 2OT
Thursday, March 13
Game 4, noon: No. 9 seed Indiana vs. No. 8 seed Oregon, BTN
Game 5, about 2:30 p.m.: Northwestern vs. No. 5 seed Wisconsin, BTN
Game 6, 6:30 p.m.: Iowa vs. No. 7 seed Illinois, BTN
Game 7, about 9 p.m.: USC vs. No. 6 seed Purdue, BTN
Friday, March 14
Game 8, noon: Game 4 winner vs. No. 1 seed Michigan State, BTN
Game 9, about 2:30 p.m.: Game 5 winner vs. No. 4 seed UCLA, BTN
Game 10, 6:30 p.m.: Game 6 winner vs. No. 2 seed Maryland, BTN
Game 11, about 9 p.m.: Game 7 winner vs. No. 3 seed Michigan, BTN
Saturday, March 15
Semifinal games at 1 p.m. (winners of games 8 and 9) and about 3:30 p.m. (winners of games 10 and 11), CBS, Paramount+
Sunday, March 16
Championship game, 3:30 p.m., CBS, Paramount+
How can I watch the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament?
- All games on Thursday, March, 13, and Friday, March 14, will be shown on Big Ten Network and the Fox Sports app.
- The semifinal games on Saturday, March 15, and championship game on Sunday, March 16, will be shown on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Watch the games with a free trial on Fubo
Big Ten basketball tournament tickets
All-session and single-session tickets are available here.
Who won 2024 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament
Illinois defeated Wisconsin 93-87 in the championship game behind Terrence Shannon Jr.’s 34 points.
How far has Purdue gone in the NCAA tournament?
The Boilermakers were the 2024 national runners-up, losing to Connecticut 75-60 in last year’s championship game. Zach Edey scored 37 points in that game.
How many Big Ten championships does Purdue have?
The Boilermakers have won 26 Big Ten regular-season championships, including 2023 and ’24. They have won the conference tournament twice (2009, ’23) since the even began in 1998.
