Purdue guard Braden Smith was quick to defend teammate Trey Kaufman-Renn after he was omitted from the list of 10 finalists for the Karl Malone Award.

It was another 40-minute night for Purdue point guard Braden Smith. Due to circumstance, the Boilers needed him to take over. Then he did.

Braden Smith, Purdue: This one has become an obvious choice nightly, but that scoring outburst was a sight to behold. Everything Iowa did offensively was countered because Smith was in a zone to match. Smith finished with 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

When semifinalists were named this week listing the top 10 players at each position, Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn was noticeably missing. He keeps proving he belongs.