Purdue Basketball: Breaking down Boilermakers 2024-25 non-conference schedule

In-Season Tournament Games & Events

November 28-29: Rady Children's Invitational

After winning the Maui Invitational last year, Purdue will again travel out west during Thanksgiving week, but instead to San Diego this time around for the Rady Children's Invitational. It will be the second year of the event after Oklahoma took home the hardware last November, and for the Boilermakers, will be an opportunity to prove themselves amongst a field that includes three other power conference teams.

A rematch of this past spring's Final Four matchup with NC State awaits, with the two programs set to collide once again, albeit with lowered stakes. The Boilermakers may have come away with a 13-point victory during their last meeting, but it wouldn't surprise if Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack have some magic up their sleeves this time around.

With Edey and D.J. Burns now gone, it will be the guard play that will define this matchup. Michael O'Connell and Jayden Taylor are both back for NC State and will look for vengeance after they were outclassed by Braden Smith and the Purdue backcourt this past spring. O'Connell in particular will be ready, after missing a big chunk of the Final Four game, robbing the Wolfpack of any late-game heroics.

If Purdue is able to come out victorious once more, the championship game will be against the winner of Ole Miss/BYU. Given that Purdue has played BYU just twice in program history and Ole Miss never, this isn't just a resume-boosting opportunity, but a chance for Painter and company to show what they can do against an unfamiliar foe on the national stage.

December 14: Indy Classic

Auburn and Alabama aren't the only SEC teams Purdue will have to deal with in the non-conference this winter, as they'll clash with the Texas A&M Aggies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. A&M will be another tough matchup, a team that ended 2023-24 strong and will be looking for a better showing in the non-conference this season.

Unlike others Purdue will see in the non-conference, the Aggies return the vast majority of their roster from last year and are loaded with experience. Jace Carter and Wade Taylor will headline a talented and exciting backcourt, and Solomon Washington is a breakout candidate after impressing in an expanded role in 2023-24. Add in Pharrel Payne up front, who the Boilermakers are very familiar with given his career began at Minnesota, the third and final SEC game on Purdue's non-conference slate may be the toughest of them all.

Matt Painter and the Boilermakers are never shy when it comes to scheduling tough non-conference games, and 2024-25 will be no exception. With three SEC teams on the schedule, along with a Thanksgiving week tournament and some tricky mid-major opponents, it's clear Purdue is out to prove they remain one of the best programs in college basketball. A slip up or two early may be expected as they transition away from Edey and ever-steady Lance Jones, but this roster remains superb top-to-bottom and with an elite coach leading the way, 2024-25 should be quite the encore for the reigning National Runner-Ups.