Braden Smith dropped 31 points on the road and Trey Kaufman-Renn added late heroics after early foul trouble as the Boilermakers improved to 18-5.

It’s possible to look at Tuesday’s loss to Purdue as a moral victory. But given the state of Iowa’s season, moral victories aren’t enough.

Braden Smith had a 31-point night in Purdue's win over Iowa on Tuesday. Throughout the game, college basketball fans and analysts raved about the junior guard.

Braden Smith had 31 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 25 as No. 7 Purdue beat Iowa 90-81. Josh Dix led the Hawkeyes with 27 points and Payton Sandfort had 23.

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.

Purdue lacked energy in the first half on Tuesday night against Iowa. At halftime, Braden Smith reminded his teammates of their goals this season, which provided a major second-half spark.

The Boilermakers held off a late charge and point guard Braden Smith was key. Here's a look at each player's rating from the win at Iowa.