A Look at Purdue's Record vs. No. 1 Teams as Top-Ranked Michigan Comes to Town

When Michigan walks into Mackey Arena on Tuesday night, it will have the No. 1 ranking beside its name. It will mark the 24th time Purdue has played the top-ranked team in the country, but it hasn't had much success in these games.

Per Purdue's media guide, the Boilermakers are just 3-20 in games against the No. 1 team in the country. Oddly enough, two of those wins came against Arizona, defeating the Wildcats in Indianapolis in 2000 and again in 2023.

Purdue has only defeated the No. 1 team at Mackey Arena once, beating Michigan State 52-50 during the 1978-79 season. The last time the Boilermakers hosted the nation's top-ranked team was in 2005, suffering a 68-59 loss to Illinois.

Michigan enters Tuesday's game against Purdue with a 24-1 record. The Wolverines are 14-1 in Big Ten play, sitting atop the conference standings. Their only loss this season came on Jan. 10, a 91-88 defeat at the hands of Wisconsin.

It's going to be a daunting task for Purdue, but the Boilermakers are playing extremely well right now. They're ranked No. 8 in the country, fresh off back-to-back road wins over then-No. 7 Nebraska and Iowa. Purdue is 21-4 on the year and 11-3 in Big Ten play. It is ranked No. 7 in this week's Associated Press poll.

Purdue vs. No. 1 teams