Purdue basketball adds NCAA Tournament team to non-conference schedule
Purdue basketball is adding Cal Baptist, a 2026 NCAA Tournament team, to its non-conference schedule on Dec. 21.
WEST LAFAYETTE − Purdue basketball is adding a non-conference game against a 2026 NCAA Tournament team this season. Cal Baptist will play at Purdue on Dec. 21, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported .
The Lancers are coming off a 25-9 season and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance where they lost to Kansas in the opening round. Cal Baptist transitioned from Division II to Division I in 2018. Purdue, coming off a 30-9 season and Elite Eight appearance has a non-conference schedule that includes Gonzaga on Nov.
2 in Las Vegas, a home game against Tennessee on Dec. 12 and a road trip to Iowa State , a return trip after the Cyclones played at Mackey Arena last season. Purdue also reportedly will host Valparaiso and Illinois State , where former Boilermaker Ethan Morton is director of basketball operations.
More: Purdue's Braden Smith defies size with NBA Draft Combine performance More: How Purdue basketball's Trey Kaufman-Renn improved his NBA Draft stock Purdue annually competes in a December game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and a multi-team event around Thanksgiving, though no announcements have been made on opponents. Purdue's Big Ten schedule was released on Monday and includes home-and-away games against Indiana, Illinois and Rutgers. Additionally, the Boilermakers will host Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA and USC and plays at Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Washington and Wisconsin.