CHICAGO − There was the Purdue basketball team fans missed.
The Big Ten Tournament's seventh-seeded Boilermakers came out of hibernation at the United Center on Thursday night.
Taking advantage of a Northwestern team playing its third game in as many days, Purdue looked fresh, but also dominant in a 81-68 third-round victory.
Oscar Cluff scored the game's first five points and the Boilermakers were off to the races at the venue where they won the 2023 Big Ten Tournament.
Who does Purdue basketball play next in Big Ten Tournament?
Purdue faces No. 2 seed Nebraskain the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
The Boilers won the only regular season meeting, beating the Huskers 80-77 in overtime on the road Feb. 10.
Purdue basketball turning point vs. Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament
The Boilermakers led from start to finish. But Purdue's early 14-2 run flipped a close game into a rout.
Comfortably ahead 33-13, the Boilers played without pressure and built a 45-21 halftime lead by forcing eight turnovers and forcing a tired Northwestern team into 10 of 24 shooting.
How many assists does Braden Smith need to break NCAA record?
By halftime, Braden Smith had 9 assists. He finished tying a career high with 16 assists. Smith has 1,045 career assists, moving him up to second in NCAA history. He needs 31 to tie former Duke guard Bobby Hurley's NCAA record of 1,076.
3 Purdue basketball stars vs. Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament
Oscar Cluff: The senior center collected a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: The fifth-year forward finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
Braden Smith: An honorable mention nod to Fletcher Loyer here, but when you have a career as decorated as Smith's and you have a career high, you stood out. Had Purdue not missed some good looks, Smith might've broken Bruce Parkinson's Purdue single-game record of 18 assists.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball beats Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament