Purdue basketball charity exhibition at Creighton another early test. It worked last year.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Purdue basketball's gauntlet of top-shelf nonconference opponents will begin before the season officially starts.

Details of the Boilermakers' charity exhibition game against Creighton were announced Friday. The teams will play 8 p.m. on Oct. 26 at CHI Health Center in Omaha. That Saturday is the second open weekend for the Purdue football team.

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The game will benefit United Way of the Midlands Disaster Relief Fund. According to Purdue's news release, tornadoes which hit the greater Omaha area caused an estimated $2.1 billion in damage.

Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m., Aug. 26 via Ticketmaster. Donations to the United Way of the Midlands Disaster Relief Fund can be made at UnitedWayMidlands.org/DisasterRelief .

Last season, Purdue played a charity exhibition at Arkansas, also to assist with tornado damage relief. It was a precursor to one of the best seasons in program history, including 34 victories, another Big Ten championship and a run to the national championship game.

Creighton has won 20 or more games in nine straight seasons under Greg McDermott. That tenure include two assistant coaches who went on to join the Boilermakers — Steve Lutz, now head coach at Oklahoma State, and current assistant Paul Lusk.

The Bluejays reached the Sweet 16 in three of the past four seasons, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2023. Three of the top six scorers return from last season's 25-win team, including star center Ryan Kalkbrenner. He adds to a long list of strong post players Purdue will face in its first season after the departure of two-time national player of the year Zach Edey.

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"Creighton is an outstanding program led by an outstanding coach in Coach McDermott and this game will really help us prepare for the season, much the same way the Arkansas charity game a year ago helped us," Purdue coach Matt Painter said in the news release.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball charity exhibition at Creighton another early test. It worked last year.