Purdue gets back on the floor Monday night with a home matchup against Illinois State, and the Boilermakers are still sorting out their early-season identity after a pair of tight losses. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Daniel Jacobsen and C.J. Cox have been the early anchors for Purdue.
Jacobsen is averaging 25.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Cox has chipped in 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. Caden Pierce, Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris have also started for the Boilermakers.
Illinois State comes in with some offensive pop of its own. Johnny Kinzinger has been the big scorer so far, putting up 23.0 points while shooting 68% from 3-point range.
Malik Messina-Moore has added 17.0 points and is hitting 53.8% of his threes, and Nick Allen is averaging 10.0 points. The Redbirds are 0-1 against Division I opponents after an overtime loss to Saint Mary’s.
The matchup also features a clear gap in the computer rankings. Purdue is 41 in EvanMiya and 42 in Torvik, while Illinois State sits 114 in EvanMiya and 106 in Torvik.
Here’s Purdue’s roster for 2026-27:
0, C.J. Cox, 6-3, 3rd
1, Antoine West, 6-3, 1st
2, Luke Ertel, 6-2, 1st
7, Sam King, 6-9, 5th
8, Caden Pierce, 6-7, 4th/Princeton
9, Jack Lusk, 6-4, 4th
11, Jacob Webber, 6-6, 1st
12, Daniel Jacobsen, 7-4, 3rd
14, Jack Benter, 6-6, 2nd
17, Omer Mayer, 6-4, 2nd
18, Enzo Shahrvin, 6-9, 4th/France
21, Rivers Knight, 6-10, 1st
24, Gicarri Harris, 6-3, 3rd
32, Jace Rayl, 5-11, 4th
33, Sinan Huan, 7-1, 1st
34, Raleigh Burgess, 6-11, 2nd
Matt Painter is in his 21st season at Purdue and owns a 501-225 record with the Boilermakers, 526-230 overall. He led Purdue to the 2024 national championship game, where it lost to UConn.
Ryan Pedon is in his fifth season at Illinois State and has a 72-66 record. The Redbirds have improved in each of his previous seasons, and he went 23-13 in 2025-26.
Purdue’s schedule continues after Monday with home games against Ohio, Lipscomb and Oakland before a trip to the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Boilermakers also have dates ahead with Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Colorado, Cal Baptist, USC, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Penn State, Maryland, Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Indiana, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.
In Other News...
Purdue May Have Found The Answer It Needed Most
Purdue needed a response, and it got one against Illinois State after staring at an 0-3 start. The Boilermakers were pushed late in the second half, but they steadied themselves well enough to avoid an early-season stumble that would have put even more pressure on a team still trying to settle in.
Antione West Jr. was a big reason the night turned in Purdues favor, giving the offense a needed lift with efficient shooting and timely perimeter production. Just as important, the Boilermakers showed they could absorb a challenge and still finish with control, a trait that will matter as the schedule toughens and the search for reliable answers continues. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Heads Into Iowa Facing A Harsh Reality Check
Purdue heads to Iowa City on Saturday night facing a stiff test and a much different mood than the one it carried into the season. Kickoff against the AP No. 16 Hawkeyes is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and the Boilermakers are trying to steady themselves after a loss to Maryland prompted the firing of defensive coordinator Kevin Kane.
Iowa comes in at 7-2 and still has College Football Playoff aspirations in play, which only sharpens the challenge for a Purdue team listed as a 16.5-point underdog. For the Boilermakers, this is less about the betting line than about whether they can show any signs of resilience against one of the Big Ten's more complete teams on its home field. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Already Has An Early Resume Problem Under Its New Coach
Early-season losses can linger all winter in college basketball, and Purdue is already part of that conversation after an unexpected setback at home. Around the sport, several teams have picked up damaging defeats in the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season, with results that could matter later when the NCAA Tournament committee starts sorting out resumes and quality wins.
For the Boilermakers, the concern is less about one bad night than the kind of loss it was, the sort that can sit in the Quad 3 or Quad 4 range and leave little margin for error down the road. Oklahoma and Dayton have also stumbled early, while Kansas State has already shown how quickly a rough result can complicate an otherwise promising start, even if a rebound win follows soon after. [Read more 🡒]