After controlling the Big Ten for the last several years, Purdue basketball took a step back during the 2024-25 season. That, paired with a pretty massive leg injury for 7-foot-4 rising star Daniel Jacobsen , limited the Boilers. While he was out, Purdue was still in the top-six of the Big Ten.
Now, with Jacobsen and senior point guard Braden Smith returning to West Lafayette, the Boilermakers have their eye back on winning it all.
Purdue Basketball 2025-26 Preview: This Could Be The Year
Let’s take a closer look at why this could be the year for Purdue basketball.
Roster Make-Up
Smith is back and ready to chase down the Big Ten’s all-time assist mark currently held by former Michigan State guard Cassius Winston . Smith is only 132 assists away from doing so. That seems very obtainable, as he’ll have plenty of friends to feed the ball to with Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn also coming back for their senior campaigns.
Sheesh. Long range
. – @FletcherLoyer pic.twitter.com/6vB4R7nnsI
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) October 1, 2025
The transfers of Myles Colvin and Camden Heide are going to hurt. However, Purdue certainly didn’t let that stop them from retooling. A healthy Jacobsen is going to be very beneficial , and pairing him alongside South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff easily makes the Purdue frontcourt pretty stellar. Like many big men, Cluff was born to be a Boilermaker, averaging 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game last season.
Smith has certainly benefited from some high-level post-play in his time at Purdue. Indeed, that’s what makes the Boilermakers one of the favorites in the Big Ten. Yet, Purdue’s staff also brought in some good guard talent, as they were able to get four-star 2025 recruit Antoine West Jr. from Toledo and FIBA standout Omer Mayer from Israel. A big jump from sophomore CJ Cox should also fill out the roster well.
Best of the Rest:
Liam Murphy (Transfer)
Aaron Fine (RS-Freshman)
Jack Benter (RS-Freshman)
Gicarri Harris (Sophomore)
Raleigh Burgess (Sophomore)
Jace Rayl (Junior)
Jack Lusk (Junior)
Sam King (Senior)
Schedule Outlook
Like Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, Purdue head coach Matt Painter likes to challenge his team, and that’ll be no different in 2025-26.
It all begins with an exhibition clash with the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington on Oct. 4. The Boilermakers have one other exhibition contest before the season begins at home against Evansville on Nov. 4. In early November, they’ll have home non-conference games against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies and Akron Zips.
A month after their showdown against the Wildcats, they’ll face another SEC powerhouse, taking a trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Nov. 13. During the Thanksgiving holidays, Purdue will go to the Bahamas to partake in the Baha Mar Championship. Their first game is against Memphis on Nov. 20, their next opponent to be either Texas Tech or Wake Forest on Nov. 21.
In early Big Ten play, they go to New Jersey to compete against Rutgers on Dec, 2. They’ll be back at home when they get Minnesota on Dec. 10. That month, they’ll have three major clashes, facing Iowa State (Dec. 6) and Marquette (Dec. 13) at home and Auburn in Indianapolis on Dec. 20.
In general, the Boilermakers’ home slate in the Big Ten should be fun with Washington, Penn State, Iowa, Illinois, Oregon, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan State all having to visit Mackey Arena. That clash with the Spartans will be huge, as the Spartans beat Purdue at the Breslin last season. The Boilermakers will also be tested with a California road trip to face both USC and UCLA.
Purdue’s road visits to rival Indiana, Wisconsin, Maryland, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio State, and Northwestern are sure to be worth the price of admission.
Last Word On The Purdue Boilermakers
The Big Ten feels like an open contest between like six different teams.
Purdue is definitely among those six and they may even be the favorite. With that in mind, their West Coast trip will tell what the Boilermakers are made of. To that point, last season’s Big Ten Champion (Michigan State) lost both of their road conference games against UCLA and USC, and then only lost one other conference game against Indiana.
In the two seasons that immediately preceded 2024-25, Purdue was kicking butt just like that. And, with so much talent in West Lafayette, it’s pretty easy to say that Purdue basketball is going to be right at the top of the Big Ten. Honestly, they’ll even be in the hunt for the Big Prize in March Madness, with Smith challenging for National Player of the Year.
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