During its four-game exhibition tour against various European teams this past week, Purdue men’s basketball looked a lot different than what most college basketball fans have been used to seeing.

But even with adjusted personnel, the Big Ten Conference’s reigning regular-season and tournament champions did what they tended to do last year — win and win frequently.

In a four-game stretch streamed on FloHoops across three different countries, the Boilermakers, playing without the name most casual college hoops fans know them for, won all four games with a lineup that was sometimes depleted, though never beaten. 

Check out some highlights from @BoilerBall's Foreign Tour experience!🏀 pic.twitter.com/d4oy8Bsd0X

— FloHoops (@FloHoops) August 15, 2023

As the growth back from one of the most stunning losses in NCAA Tournament history continues for Purdue — which became the second No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16 seed back in March — the competitive 2023-2024 debut for a group with a newly found motivational fire largely looked good, which is bad news for the rest of the teams on its schedule, as the Boilers look to turn devastation into more trophies.

Here’s a recap of Purdue’s sweep in Europe earlier this month, along with who impressed, while All-American center Zach Edey was out of the picture for the tour:

No Edey, No Problems

Even without their reigning consensus National Player of the Year and 7-foot-4 superstar in Edey (who was with the Canadian national team preparing for the upcoming FIBA World Cup), the rest of the Boilers’ crew won all four matchups during their European trip, all by double digits. 

Still, the games weren’t without their hiccups here and there, part of the growth in learning how to play without Edey if he’s out or his ability to produce is otherwise impacted — a major flaw of Purdue last year, especially during its infamous NCAA Tournament loss to Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Against Germany’s Kickz IBAM in the first game, the Edey-less group got its first test of the tour by being forced to respond after an extended shaky start saw Purdue down after a quarter and only up by two points going into the fourth (games were played under FIBA rules, which opt for quarters over halves). 

A strong 21-3 run to start the final frame allowed the Boilers to pull ahead and win 88-71, avoiding potential disaster. 

🫳🪙 Dime-dropper. @3bradensmith shined in Europe.

PPG: 7.8
APG: 10.5
RPG: 4.5
SPG: 2.8
A/TO Ratio: 6.00 (42 / 7) pic.twitter.com/lRRPaJyrdJ

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) August 15, 2023

Game 2 in Munich against German professional team BG Hessing was much more straightforward, however. The 92-57 Boiler victory — which came even as Purdue shot a mere 57.1% from the free-throw line for the game — saw four players get into double figures and the team largely cruise while leading after every quarter. 

Purdue’s most lopsided blowout of the trip came when it blasted Austria’s SKN St. Polten 108-45 on its home floor, with the 63-point margin of victory being the Boilers’ largest under coach Matt Painter in an overseas summer exhibition.

When they traveled to the Czech Republic to play their final game of the trip against professionals BK Brno, an already short-handed Purdue had even fewer players to choose from, after three players (plus Edey) were ruled out due to injury or passport issues. 

Still, the Boilers won 71-61 to complete the European sweep, getting past the fact that they went just 3-for-18 (16.7%) from 3-point range to prove that, yes, Purdue doesn’t have to be just a one-man team.

Kaufman-Renn A Nice Surprise

From 4.5 points and 11.3 minutes per game last year to being Purdue’s leading scorer in Europe and a reliable force on the interior and on the glass, incoming sophomore Trey Kaufman-Renn unquestionably was the breakout player of the Boilers’ foreign tour. He averaged 18 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 59.6% shooting from the field, as the 6-foot-9 forward did his best Edey impression. 

The only Boiler to reach double figures in scoring in all four games, Kaufman-Renn’s entire tour was eye-popping, but no single game gave him more cred with Purdue’s coaching staff than in the finale, where he and his teammates were tasked with doing more with four players out. 

As the Boilers struggled to put away BK Brno, Kaufman-Renn was leading the push to complete his team’s unbeaten run in Europe. He tallied a tour-high 24 points with 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. 

He and Caleb Furst (16 points, seven rebounds) utilized their size down low to their advantage by combining to shoot 60% (21-for-35) from the field, as the rest of the team shot a miserable 20% (7-for-35) from the floor. 

📈 TKR trending ⬆️ in Europe.

PPG: 18.0
RPG: 8.5
FG %: 59.6
3P %: 37.5 pic.twitter.com/YXNdTatSIR

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) August 14, 2023

Near double-doubles against Kickz IBAM (16 points, eight rebounds) and BG Hessing (15 points, eight rebounds) additionally helped Kaufman-Renn’s case as a player to keep an eye on in Purdue’s loaded frontcourt, and even with all five of Purdue’s starters from last season coming back for the upcoming season, if Kaufman-Renn plays early on in the regular season as he did in Europe, it’s more than likely that he’s going to find a way to butt into the Boilers’ rotation.

Who Made Moves At Guard?

Guard play at times was a notable weakness for Purdue a season ago, though to be fair, sophomore backcourt pairing Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith (who each started all 35 games in 2022-2023) were thrown into the fire of the Big Ten Conference right away as wide-eyed freshmen. 

Now a year older and wiser, with the pain of a shocking March Madness loss fresh in their minds, Loyer and Smith’s growth from Year 1 to Year 2 will be a critical development in how far the Boilers go in 2023-2024, especially as the game-breaking Edey won’t be around in college forever. 

🫣 Lethal. @3bradensmith ➡️ @calebfurst. pic.twitter.com/6b7BPYZDGQ

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) August 14, 2023

And after the first game against Kickz IBAM, it looked as if Smith — an Indiana native and Big Ten All-Freshman team selection last year — had upped his game a couple of notches over the offseason. 

In arguably Purdue’s best single-game performance from any player in the trip, Smith had a double-double with a team-high 22 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, with his 3 to start the fourth quarter being the catalyst behind the Boilers’ game-ending run that allowed them to escape the upset. 

He finished his time in Europe with averages of 7.8 points, 10.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game, showcasing high levels of two-way effectiveness that should help make Smith a breakout candidate for the 2023-2024 campaign. 

Meanwhile, Loyer (Purdue’s second-leading scorer at 11 points per game last year, behind Edey) struggled to find his shot, going a poor 8-for-35 (22.9%) from the floor across the four games, but even then did what he could to help Purdue win, as he notched four assists in all four games and had a trip-high 13 points against BG Hessing, knocking down three 3s in the process. 

Other strong single-game performances at the guard slots, most notably from freshman Myles Colvin (16 points against BG Hessing, 15 points against SKN St. Polten) didn’t hurt, either, seemingly indicating that the Boilers’ backcourt is in better hands for the upcoming season.