Purdue may be lining up another heavyweight for its non-conference future, and this one would come from the Big East.
Villanova head coach Kevin Willard said in an interview with college basketball insider Jon Rothstein that his program is working toward a home-and-home series with Matt Painter’s Boilermakers. Willard said the two-game set would begin in the 2027-28 season.
"I think we're starting a home-and-home with Purdue next year," Willard told Rothstein on Inside College Basketball. "I don't know if we've got that finalized yet."
Willard didn’t offer any other specifics about the possible series.
If it gets done, the matchup would fit right into the way Painter has built Purdue’s non-conference calendar. The Boilermakers have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 11 seasons, and they’ve earned a top-four seed in nine straight years. That’s the longest active streak in college basketball.
Purdue and Villanova have crossed paths before, and the results have leaned the Boilermakers’ way in recent years. Purdue beat Villanova 80-74 in the 2021 Hall of Fame Tip Off Championship Game and rolled to an 87-61 win in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Villanova’s most recent trip to Mackey Arena ended with a 79-76 win on Nov. 14, 2016.
The Wildcats would be the second power conference opponent already attached to Purdue’s 2027-28 schedule. The Boilermakers are also set to travel to Knoxville that season for a game against Tennessee.
That Tennessee matchup is part of a home-and-home series. The teams are scheduled to meet Friday, Dec. 11 at Mackey Arena this season, with the return game also listed for Dec. 11 in Knoxville.
Purdue’s 2027-28 slate could end up looking loaded before it even takes shape. The Boilermakers will have at least five power conference opponents on the regular-season schedule, with a possible sixth depending on the Indy Classic.
This season, Purdue already has a demanding list of opponents lined up: Gonzaga on Nov. 2, DePaul on Nov.
24, Oklahoma on Nov. 26, Iowa State on Dec. 5 and Tennessee on Dec.
- The Indy Classic is set for Dec.
The Boilermakers will also face UConn in an exhibition game at a neutral site, adding another major test to a schedule built to challenge Painter’s team before Big Ten play and the NCAA Tournament.