Purdue finalizes non-conference schedule

Purdue’s non-conference basketball schedule has been finalized, keeping up years of the team playing top competition before its Big 10 slate.

The finalization of a home-and-home series with Auburn sealed it Monday, raising the bar for the Boilers to stay perfect in the months of November and December, as they have the past three years.

Auburn was an elite team last season, finishing fifth in the NET and fourth in Kenpom, both algorithmic ratings.

The schedule features as many as seven games against KenPom top-100 teams and just one opponent that finished outside the top 200 from a year ago. That includes Alabama (14th in Kenpom last season), Marquette (13) and Texas A&M (35), with the possibility of seeing BYU (18) at the Rady Children’s Invitational in late November.

Dating back from last season, Purdue’s strength of schedule has ranked 2nd (2023-24), 32nd (2022-23), 33rd (2021-22), 17th (2020-21), 6th (2019-20) and 4th (2018-19).