Purdue’s 2026-27 basketball calendar now has its tipoff times locked in, and the Boilermakers will get a mix of early starts, prime-time windows and a few TBD spots as the season takes shape.
The first public look at the schedule comes with two exhibition dates in October. Ball State visits for an exhibition at 2 p.m. on the BIG+, then Purdue heads to Fort Wayne for an exhibition against Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. on BIG+. A second exhibition follows against Connecticut on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., with television still listed as TBD.
The nonconference slate opens with a heavyweight trip to Las Vegas, where Purdue faces Gonzaga in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. on TNT/TBS and Tru. From there, the Boilermakers move into a packed November that includes home games against Valparaiso, Illinois State, Ohio, Lipscomb and Oakland, plus a trip to the Fort Meyers Tip-Off for matchups with DePaul and Oklahoma.
That stretch also brings several notable broadcast windows. Valparaiso is set for 6:30 p.m. on BTN on Friday, Nov.
6, Illinois State follows at 8:30 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, Nov. 9, and Ohio is scheduled for 7 p.m. on BIG+ on Friday, Nov. 13.
Lipscomb lands at 6:30 p.m. on BTN on Tuesday, Nov. 17, while Oakland is set for 7 p.m. on BTN on Friday, Nov. 20.
In Fort Myers, Purdue plays DePaul on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. on FS1 and Oklahoma on Thursday, Nov. 26 at noon on FOX.
December turns into a dense run of conference and high-profile nonconference dates. Iowa visits on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. on Peacock, followed by a road game at Iowa State on Saturday, Dec. 5 with no tip time listed.
Purdue then goes to Wisconsin on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 9 p.m. on Peacock/NBC Sports, hosts Tennessee on Friday, Dec. 11 at 8 p.m. on FOX, and meets Colorado in the Indy Classic on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m. on FS1. Cal Baptist comes to town on Monday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. on BTN, and USC closes out the month on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. on BTN.
The Big Ten schedule starts fast in January. Rutgers visits on Saturday, Jan. 2 at noon on BTN, and Purdue then goes to Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. on Peacock/NBC Sports.
The next road test is at Michigan on Friday, Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. on FOX, before Ohio State comes to West Lafayette on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. on Peacock/NBC Sports. The month continues with trips to Minnesota and Penn State, plus home dates against Maryland and Nebraska.
The late-winter stretch is loaded, too. Purdue visits Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 30 with the start time listed as 3 or 8 p.m. on FOX, then heads to Rutgers on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. on BTN. Northwestern comes in on Saturday, Feb. 6 at noon on FS1, Illinois visits on Friday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. on FOX, and the Boilermakers travel to Indiana on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. on Peacock/NBC Sports.
March brings a marquee home game against UCLA on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. on CBS, then road trips to Oregon and Washington. Purdue plays at Oregon on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 10:30 p.m. on BTN and at Washington on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 8:30 p.m. on BTN. The regular season ends with Indiana at home on Friday, March 5 at 8 p.m. on FOX, before the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis runs from March 9-14.
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Gearlds also made it clear that the preseason challenge is about more than simply filling minutes. Purdue wants to play with more offensive tempo, adjust defensively around the injury situation and keep pushing up the Big Ten ladder after spending the offseason focused on what it will take to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. With Kyndall Hunter and Hannah Wickstrom joining their coach in Indianapolis, the Boilermakers sounded like a team still defining itself, but with a clear sense of where the bar is set. [Read more 🡒]