Barry Odom didn't have to rely on the transfer portal nearly as much to build a roster as he did last season, but Purdue was still active during the offseason.
Purdue's best opportunity to climb up the Big Ten standings and secure its place in the conference tournament comes in the span of the next 10 days. From Feb.
Before the season started, Purdue was expected to be one of the No. 1 seeds in the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. A three-game losing streak to end the month of January put the Boilermakers behind the 8-ball in that discussion, but they still have a chance to improve their status before March Madness.
Purdue may not have experienced the same mass exodus from the program this season compared to last year, but there were still several members of the 2025 roster who entered the transfer portal.
The second matchup between No. 12 Purdue and Iowa now has a tipoff time and a designated television network. Both schools confirmed the update with social media posts on Monday.
There was probably nobody happier to rip the January page out of the calendar than Fletcher Loyer. Purdue's sharp-shooting senior guard made just 30% of his three-point attempts in eight Big Ten games and ended the month averaging just 6.5 points per contest in the last four to end the month.
Purdue finally put an end to its losing streak on Sunday afternoon in College Park. The Boilermakers bludgeoned Maryland 93-63 to get a victory after losing its previous three games.
Purdue needed a win in the worst way. Entering Sunday's game against Maryland, the 12th-ranked Boilermakers had suffered three straight losses, putting them two games back in the race for a Big Ten title.
Purdue has had just one McDonald's All-American player commit to the program under coach Matt Painter. That could change this year, though, as all four members of the Boilermakers' 2026 recruiting class have been listed as nominees this year.
Purdue snapped out of its funk in a big way in College Park on Sunday. The 12th-ranked Boilermakers walked into the Xfinity Center and took care of Maryland without much issue, defeating the Terrapins 93-63.
Before the 2025-26 season tipped off, Purdue was penciled in as a strong candidate to have the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. Now, as February approaches, the Boilermakers are 17-4 on the season and are trying to keep themselves in position to earn a top-four seed for March Madness.
For the fourth time in its last five games, Purdue is back on the road. The Boilermakers travel to College Park this weekend for a matchup against Maryland.
The chatter about Purdue's recent slide has gotten louder, but Braden Smith says it's Purdue's job to block out the noise. After suffering a third straight loss on Tuesday night, he knows the Boilermakers have critics, but said the outside noise doesn't have an impact on the locker room.
Things have really slipped away from Purdue over the last two weeks. The Boilermakers have dropped three straight games, which include a road loss to Indiana in Assembly Hall on Tuesday.
Jaxson Davis, the top prospect out of Illinois in the 2027 class and the state's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2025, has scheduled an unofficial visit to Purdue.
Purdue still has to go through spring practices, summer workout and fall camp before kicking off the 2026 season. In other words, the official start of Barry Odom's second season is still several months away.
Tuesday night was another disappointing one for Purdue. The 12th-ranked Boilermakers dropped their third straight game, falling 72-67 to arch-rival Indiana.
Katie Gearlds hit a career milestone on Sunday after leading Purdue to an 80-69 victory over Indiana at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers leader secured her 300th career victory as a head coach, though it was not something she paid attention to before or after the game.
College basketball's best rivalry adds a new chapter on Tuesday night, as No. 12 Purdue heads to Bloomington to take on Indiana. The Boilermakers are hoping to snap a two-game losing skid, while the Hoosiers are looking for their first marquee win of the season.
If two schools were ever considered the most intertwined in college basketball lore, Purdue and UCLA would have a strong case. The most decorated head coach in NCAA history, John Wooden, had deep-seated ties to both schools.