Shooting woes notwithstanding, the Boilermakers played one doggone tough game.

Purdue (17-5, 9-2 Big Ten) out-muscled Indiana (14-8, 5-6), just barely at 81-76 in a game that was truly even closer than that thin margin.

The game was Braden Smith's in the first half before Trey Kaufman-Renn took over soon after the halftime buzzer. The junior forward kept his mojo going until the penultimate half-court possession of the game, when he sunk a hook shot from about eight feet out to give his team a 1-point lead.

Player stats below, with ratings to follow:

Just when it looked like Oumar Ballo would once again overwhelm the Purdue frontcourt, there was Smith sticking his paw in the cookie jar again. The junior finished with six steals.

His jumper was on early, including one he banked in over the 6-foot-9 Mackenzie Mgbako (released from behind his forehead on a double-clutch.)

He went hero mode in the first half, taking 14 shots to lead the team by eight (Loyer).

Mackenzie Mgbako struggled to keep up with the shifty Smith – and the Purdue guard let him hear it, appearing to jaw at Mgbako in the second half.

And, not to be forgotten, a shoutout for clutch free throw shooting; he made two to give Purdue a 2-point lead late.

Loyer shot 1-of-6 in the first half, forcing contested shots and missing at least one layup assist.

It looked like more plays were run for him in the second half, and in turn he attacked more selectively. He scored 12 points on four attempts from the field.

He did, however, struggle repeatedly in the second half on the 12-point averaging Mackenzie Mgbako, who scored 25.

Loyer knocked the lid off the hoop in the mid-second half when he sank a 3. He came up with another leverage play later, with less than three minutes remaining, when he swished as high a floater as you'll ever see among a group of Indiana defenders who fouled him.

Don't forget the four rebounds, either.

That shot – hope you saw it – was the shot of the game, shot of the season and, perhaps, the shot of Kaufman-Renn's career.

It capped off a second half in which he scored a team-leading 13 points. He began early, on an and-one basket at 19:42 in the second half. He banged his right shoulder against Ballo's mass not once, perhaps twice but also maybe thrice before spinning and kissing leather off the glass with impossible delicateness for a man with shoulders that large.

Of course, he was just getting started.

Ballo's frustration grew when he was called for a foul off-ball, as the two wrangled for position. They battled for the rest of the night, each ending the game with a precarious four fouls.

In a Braden Smith show in the first half, Kaufman-Renn converted his attempts at a high rate, often after Smith decided he better not try another jumper and deferred to his pick and roll partner.

Pasky on Myles Rice, created other turnovers off the ball as well. Cox has immense ability on the defensive perimeter: Screens don't bother him – dribble moves, less so.

Quicker than Ballo. That helped him in some respects – he finagled three steals – but the same 6-foot-10 frame that helped him outmaneuver Ballo was bullied often. Indiana targeted Furst in the pick and roll as it went on its second half run.

Couldn't buy a 3, but his misses were all frustratingly close.

Plied his rebounding skills in a game where rebounds were gold. He also knocked down three free throws.

Harris chased Trey Galloway too hard as the fifth-year forward propelled his team to a 1-point lead with seconds left. But then he responded. Harris smothered Myles Rice on the Hoosiers final attempt of the game.

And whatever that was at the end of the first half – build on that. Harris has spent a long time coming out of his shell on offense, but has built up a 54% effective field goal percentage in conference play, which adjusts for the extra value of 3-pointers compared to 2s.

He scored 7 points in the first half, including his gutsy make in the final seconds, and followed it up with a career-high 9.

Importantly, he swished both free throws to give Purdue another lead with more than three minutes to go.

Call it a career-best performance from Harris.

Used as a defensive sub to assuage Purdue's big man foul trouble. He posted a -14 plus/minus in six minutes.

Rule No. 1: These grades are not to be taken too seriously.

Rule No. 2: I can put whatever grade I'd like, so long as I defend it.

The exercise here aims to answer a question that goes something like, "How well did a player take advantage of the opportunities they were given?"

During the game, I focus most of my attention on watching defensive reps, box-outs, offensive movement/involvement, and non-assist passing. I'll add all the off-ball value to these grades that my eyes can catch.

Late game heroics earn bonus points, and the opposite is true for important errors. Oh, and I hate missed free throws.

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