Purdue’s preseason tune-up against UConn now has a date, a time and a site.
The Boilermakers will head to the East Coast on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for an exhibition matchup with the Huskies at People’s Bank Arena in Hartford, Conn. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and no television information has been announced.
It’ll be Purdue’s third exhibition game of the year. Matt Painter’s team opens with Ball State on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Mackey Arena, then travels to face Purdue Fort Wayne at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, Oct. 22 before taking on UConn.
The Huskies are also lining up three exhibition games, all against power conference opponents. Their preseason slate includes Syracuse, Michigan State and Purdue.
This one comes with a built-in rematch angle. Purdue and UConn last met in the 2024 National Championship Game, where the Huskies beat the Boilermakers 75-60.
Painter has made a habit of putting his team through a road test before the games count. Purdue has played exhibition games away from West Lafayette in each of the last three seasons, going to Arkansas in 2023, Creighton in 2024 and Kentucky last year.
The results in those games haven’t shown up in the win column. Purdue lost all three exhibition contests.
Still, the bigger picture has been stronger, with the Boilermakers reaching the Sweet 16 in each of the last three years. That stretch includes a run to the National Championship Game to finish the 2023-24 season and an Elite Eight trip last season.
Once the exhibitions wrap, Purdue goes straight into a demanding start to the 2026-27 season. The Boilermakers open Monday, Nov. 2 against Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Opening Night game in Las Vegas.
A neutral-site meeting with UConn - even one that will feel a lot like a home game for the Huskies - gives Purdue another chance to get ready for the kind of non-conference and Big Ten grind that’s waiting right around the corner.
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