Big Ten unveils hoops schedule; National runner-up Purdue looks to 3-peat as conference champs

Fresh off a 34-5 magical season that included an appearance in the national championship game, the Purdue Boilermakers finally know exactly who they will be playing in Big Ten action this season.

A short time ago, the Big Ten announced its 2024-25 composite schedule, releasing the dates of Purdue’s 20-game conference slate.

The announcement means the Boilermakers’ 31-game regular-season schedule that tips off Nov. 4, against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in Mackey Arena is now complete. Times and TV designations will be released at a later date.

Purdue is ranked in the top 15 of almost every “early” top-25 national polls and many are picking the Boilermakers to three-peat as conference champions, something Purdue has not done since 1994-96. The Boilermakers have won four Big Ten regular-season titles in the last eight years (2017, ’19, ’23 & ’24).

Purdue returns a solid nucleus led by Big Ten Player of the Year candidate junior point guard Braden Smith, along with starters Fletcher Lower and Trey Kaufman-Renn returning, not to mention Myles Colvin, Camden Heidi, and a very talented and highly touted incoming recruiting class.

The Boilermakers’ 2024-25 schedule includes 17 home games, including one exhibition.

Purdue has proven to be extremely difficult to beat on Keady Court in Mackey Arena, which is one of the absolute best atmospheres in all of college basketball as its spearheaded by the Paint Crew.

Mackey (which has a capacity of 14,804) has been sold out for 73 straight games, including exhibition games, dating to the 2018-19 season and the Boilermakers are 83-12 against Big Ten teams in Mackey Arena since the 2014-15 season.

By the way, Purdue season tickets for this season are sold out, but single-game tickets to a limited number of games will go on sale in mid-October.

The Big Ten is in its eighth year of playing a 20-game league schedule, and Purdue will once again open conference play prior to the holiday break.

The Boilermakers open league action on the road for the second straight season when it heads to State College, Pa., for the first time since Jan. 2022, to face Penn State on Dec. 5. The Boilermakers will then close out the initial Big Ten stretch by hosting Maryland on Sunday, Dec. 8, in Mackey Arena.

Following their final three nonconference games against Texas &M, Auburn and Toledo, the Boilermakers will then resume conference play, opening the new calendar year on Jan. 2, by traveling to Minnesota. Following the game with the Golden Gophers, Purdue hosts Northwestern on Sunday, Jan. 5, travels to Rutgers on Jan. 9, then returns home to host Nebraska on Sunday, Jan. 12.

Purdue then begins its first quest into the “new” Big Ten when it travels to Washington on Jan. 15, then Oregon on Jan. 18. Following the trip to the Pacific Northwest, Purdue returns to Mackey Arena for a three-game homestand against Ohio State (Tuesday, Jan. 21), Michigan (Friday, Jan. 24) and Indiana (Friday, Jan. 31).

After a midweek game at Iowa (Feb. 4), Purdue hosts USC in Mackey Arena for the first time in school history on Friday, Feb. 7. After a road game at Michigan (Feb. 11) and a home game vs. Wisconsin (Saturday, Feb. 15), Purdue travels to Michigan State (Feb. 18) and Indiana (Feb. 23) for a brief two-game road swing.

On Friday, Feb. 28, UCLA visits Mackey Arena for the first time since 2000, and is followed by a visit from Rutgers on March 4, for Senior Day. Purdue closes out the regular season on March 7, at Illinois. It marks the second straight year that Purdue’s final road game will be in Champaign.

The Big Ten Tournament will be held at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse March 12-16.