Colorado men’s basketball is adding another heavyweight to a nonconference slate that already stretches from coast to coast.
The Buffaloes announced Thursday that they will meet Purdue on Dec. 19 at the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It’s a marquee test against a Big Ten program that has been a fixture in March and a reminder that CU’s third trip through the Big 12 won’t come with any easy nights.
The matchup is only the third between the schools and the first in 38 years. Colorado beat Purdue 67-66 on Dec. 4, 1988, at the Mile High Classic in Denver. The previous season, the Buffs lost at Purdue.
Game time and television details will be announced later. Georgia Tech and Butler will play in the other game of the doubleheader.
Purdue arrives with plenty of recent success behind it. The Boilermakers went 30-9 last season, won the Big Ten tournament title and reached the Elite Eight, where they lost to Arizona.
It was Purdue’s third 30-win season. The program has also made 11 straight NCAA Tournaments, earned a top-four seed in each of the past nine, and played in the 2024 national championship game before falling to UConn.
There’s also a family link in the matchup. Colorado freshman Eric Jacobsen is the younger brother of Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen, who played in all 39 games last season and averaged 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
The Purdue date is just one piece of a demanding nonconference schedule. Colorado will finish a home-and-home series with Providence in the Friars’ first trip to Boulder, and will also face San Diego State in the first Bill Walton Classic on Nov. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
The Buffs are also scheduled to return to the Acrisure Series for two games in Palm Desert, California, during Thanksgiving week, with opponents still to be determined. Colorado played in that event last season and beat San Francisco and Washington.
The home portion of the nonconference schedule is still being finalized, but it will include Colorado State in the final game of the rivals’ current series agreement.
By the time Colorado gets to Indianapolis, the roster will look very different. The Buffs are expected to have seven true freshmen and 10 newcomers when they take on Purdue at a building where they already have a memorable NCAA Tournament win. Colorado beat Florida there in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, 102-100, on KJ Simpson’s baseline jumper with 1.7 seconds left.
Big 12 play will bring its own grind. Colorado will play home-and-home series against Baylor, Houston and Utah, while also hosting Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. Road trips are set for Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU and UCF.
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