Valparaiso walked into Mackey Arena and left with one of the biggest shocks of the young college basketball season.
The Beacons beat Purdue 83-80 in double overtime on Friday night, finishing the job with a corner 3-pointer from Justus McNair at the buzzer. The shot sealed Purdue’s second loss of the season and dropped the Boilermakers to 0-2 for the first time since the 1976-77 season.
Valparaiso had already forced the extra session in dramatic fashion. Rakim Chaney buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 70 and send it to double overtime. Purdue, meanwhile, had spent much of the night in control, building a lead as large as 15 points in the first half before the game slipped away.
The upset landed with extra force because of the numbers around it. Purdue entered the night as a 19.5-point favorite, and the loss extended a rough opening week for high-major programs after Oklahoma fell to East Texas A&M on opening night as a 28.5-point favorite.
It also snapped a long home run for the Boilermakers. Purdue had been riding a 23-game home winning streak in November, and the defeat was its first against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent at Mackey Arena since 1978, when Larry Bird’s Indiana State team won there.
Purdue is also trying to navigate a major roster reset after the departures of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer. That group was among the most experienced in the sport and helped Purdue reach the Elite Eight in their final season together. Kaufman-Renn is now playing his sixth season of college basketball with Kansas after being granted a motion for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA.
In Other News...
Purdue Just Let A Controlled Game Turn Into A Brutal Early Warning
Purdue spent enough of the night in a controlled, familiar kind of game that it should have been able to close the door. Instead, Valparaiso kept hanging around, got a standout effort from Rakim Chaney, and turned a matchup the Boilermakers expected to manage into something far more uncomfortable. For a program that usually leans on composure and structure, the loss was a jolt, especially with the kind of history attached to it.
Justus McNair delivered the game-winning basket in overtime, putting an exclamation point on a result that will linger well beyond one night. Matt Painters team is off to a rough start, and the bigger concern for Purdue is not just the record, but how a game that looked under control slipped away before it could be finished. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Suddenly Has A Backcourt Question Matt Painter Must Answer
Purdues season took an early jolt when Valparaiso walked out with an 83-80 double-overtime upset, a game that exposed how quickly a night can turn when the Boilermakers are not getting enough from the perimeter. The offense had chances to separate, but the shooting never really came around, and the missed opportunities piled up as the game stretched deeper into the evening.
Justus McNair was the difference for Valparaiso, pouring in 35 points and staying central to the action even after fouling out in double overtime. For Matt Painter, the larger concern is what this kind of loss says about Purdues backcourt balance and shot-making when games tighten, because the Boilermakers cant count on surviving nights when the outside touch disappears and the margin for error shrinks to almost nothing. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Roster Overhaul Raised Big Concerns In A Brutal Opener
The first night of Purdues new-look season brought plenty of curiosity to Mackey Arena, where four new starters were making their debut and the Boilermakers were trying to sort out a reshaped rotation on the fly. For stretches, the ball security was encouraging and the energy fit the occasion, but the offense never quite settled in, and a 32-point first half underscored how much work remains for a group still learning how to play together.
Purdue did get notable individual production and some useful answers from the bench and rotation decisions, yet the second half exposed the same issue that lingered early: too many possessions stalled when the game tightened. With a roster overhaul already forcing adjustments, the opener served as a reminder that the Boilermakers may need time to turn talent into consistency, especially when the offense is asked to carry them through a rough patch. [Read more 🡒]