Purdue’s new season has opened with a jolt, and not the good kind. The Boilermakers came within striking distance of top-15 Gonzaga before falling 78-72, then followed that up with an even tougher result: an 83-80 overtime loss at home to Valparaiso, a setback that could land as a Quad 3 or 4 blemish on the resume.
That’s a rough way to start for a program that has spent the past decade near the top of the Big Ten, reached the NCAA Tournament every year in that stretch, and even played for the national championship in 2024. But with the golden-era core now gone - including All-Americans Zach Edey and Braden Smith - Purdue is trying to build around a new group, and the early returns have been uneven at best.
The first issue is the backcourt, where the Boilermakers have yet to find a true breakout scorer. Coming into the year, Purdue was counting on returning rotation guards CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris to take a step forward.
They’ve had preseason moments that hinted at more, but through two games they’ve combined for 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game without looking like clear No. 1 options in the offense. There’s still time for both to grow into all-league type players, but right now that leap hasn’t happened.
The bigger concern may be what’s happening at point guard. Replacing Braden Smith was always going to be a massive task, and Purdue turned to underclassmen Omer Mayer and Luke Ertel to help fill the void.
So far, the results have been shaky. Mayer, a top-tier international prospect, is averaging 5.0 ppg and 5.0 apg in 26 mpg, but he’s shooting just 1/10 from the field.
Ertel, a former top-40 freshman prospect, has only five points in 24 total minutes off the bench. With the point guard play still unsettled, it’s easy to see why the rest of the backcourt hasn’t settled in either.
The one clear bright spot has been Daniel Jacobsen. The 7’4 center was a backup last season, averaging 5.5 ppg in 12 mpg, but he’s stepped into a full-time starting role and immediately become the team’s most productive player.
Jacobsen is leading Purdue with 25 ppg and 8.5 rpg, including 22 points and seven rebounds against Gonzaga in the opener. He’s not going to keep scoring at that rate forever, but his emergence as a real inside focal point gives Purdue something to build around, especially with a backcourt that needs the floor spaced around it.
There’s still a long way to go, and Purdue has enough time to straighten things out and play like a top-25 team again. But after two games, the warning lights are already flashing. If the Boilermakers don’t clean up the issues in the backcourt, they could find themselves fighting to stay above the bubble instead of looking like a safe NCAA Tournament team.
In Other News...
Purdues Latest Collapse Exposed A Bigger Problem For Barry Odom
Purdues 34-29 loss to Maryland left Barry Odom searching for answers, and the postgame mood around the program reflected just how much this one stung. Odom met with the media alongside Ryan Browne, Charles Correa and DNylon Morrisette, and the coach framed the defeat as a painful step backward for a team that expected more from itself in a game that slipped away in key moments.
The bigger concern for Purdue was how the loss unfolded, with Odom pointing to defensive breakdowns and situational mistakes as the kind of problems that cant keep showing up if the Boilermakers want to stabilize. The result was disappointing on its own, but it also raised a tougher question for Odom and his staff about whether this was simply a bad night or a sign of deeper issues that still need fixing. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Makes A Late Defensive Change As Barry Odom Tries To Stop Slide
Purdues search for answers on defense took a sharp turn after the Maryland loss, with head coach Barry Odom moving quickly to make a change in the middle of a season that has already been defined by too many breakdowns. Kevin Kane, who was hired after the 2025 season and had previously served as Purdues defensive coordinator in 2023 and 2024, is out effective immediately, a sign of just how urgent the situation has become in West Lafayette.
The Boilermakers have struggled to find any consistency on that side of the ball, and the latest setback left Odom with little room to wait for a turnaround. Bringing Kane back had been an attempt to restore familiarity and stability, but Purdues defensive slide has continued, forcing the program to reset again as it tries to salvage the season. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Already Faces An Early Test It Cant Afford To Flunk
Purdue is already staring at a tricky early-season checkup as it gets ready for Illinois State, and the timing could hardly be more uncomfortable. The Boilermakers are still trying to settle in after a rough opening stretch, with the most obvious issues showing up where they can least afford them right now: perimeter shooting and defense. Against a team that knows how to stretch the floor, Purdue will need a cleaner offensive rhythm and a sharper edge on the other end than it has shown so far.
One place the Boilermakers do have an answer is size, with Daniel Jacobsen giving them a height advantage they can try to turn into a problem for Illinois State. But that edge only matters if Purdue can make the Redbirds play on its terms, which means forcing turnovers, getting stops and finding some kind of lift from outside. Early-season games can be messy, but this one already feels like the kind Purdue has to handle before the questions around its start get any louder. [Read more 🡒]