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Purdue Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Boilermakers

By Tristan Freeman

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 09: A general view of the Iowa Hawkeyes playing offense in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 9, 2011 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 09: A general view of the Iowa Hawkeyes playing offense in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 9, 2011 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Thompson and Haas (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – MARCH 18: Thompson and Haas (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Non-conference schedule for the Boilermakers

Nov. 6 (H) – Fairfield

Nov. 10 (H) – Ball State

Nov. 15-18 (N) – Gildan Charleston Classic (Opponents include Appalachian State, Wichita State or Davidson, and either Alabama, Virginia Tech, Ball State or Northeastern)

Nov. 23 (H) – Robert Morris

Nov. 28 (A) – Florida State (ACC-Big Ten Challenge)

Dec. 9 (A) – Texas

Dec. 15 (N) – Notre Dame in Crossroads Classic

Dec. 20 (H) – Ohio

Dec. 29 (H) – Belmont

This is a fairly tough schedule overall, with up to six teams figured to be in the running for an NCAA Tournament bid. The three-game stretch of high profiled matchups with Florida State, Texas and Notre Dame will have big implications on the Boilermakers’ resume but don’t overlook Belmont and Ohio, two typically strong mid-major programs.

When it comes to the Gildan Classic, all the teams involved are expected to be at the very least good teams – even the mid-majors. Purdue can ill-afford to slip up against App State in the opener game, which would cause them to avoid potential ranked opponents such as Virginia Tech and Alabama.

The goal for Purdue is to at least get two quality wins from this schedule. The Big Ten has plenty of opportunities for good wins but losses could also mount up, so finishing 8-3 or 7-4 would be ideal for the Boilermakers, with no awful losses occurring.

Big Ten Schedule quirks

This is the first season of the 20-game schedule, with games once again coming before the end of the new year. For Purdue, they’ll play Maryland, Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Ohio State twice. All of these teams are expected to be top-100 for this upcoming season so they wouldn’t count as a bad loss. They will only get teams such as Illinois and Rutgers once but it’ll also eliminate a possibly awful loss late in the season, in case Purdue finds itself in bubble territory.

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