Bahamas, Hollywood and Nebraska: Where Purdue basketball is headed in Big Ten play, and more
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue basketball's quest for a third Big Ten regular season title in four years now has its path.
On paper, the Boilermakers' 2025-26 20-game league schedule appears to be a favorable path.
Purdue faces rival Indiana, as well as Iowa and Wisconsin twice each, once on the road and once at Mackey Arena.
Other Purdue Big Ten home games: Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State and Washington.
Other Purdue Big Ten road games: Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA and USC.
Purdue's west coast trip, after traveling to Washington and Oregon last season, will be the double dip in Los Angeles, marking its first appearance at USC's Galen Center and its first game at Pauley Pavilion since 1999 when former Purdue coach Gene Keady faced former Boilermaker assistant Steve Lavin.
The dates and times for Purdue's Big Ten contests will be finalized at a later date.
Purdue is expected to be one of the favorites to win the conference, returning Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith along with seniors Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, a first-team all-Big Ten selection in 2025.
Purdue also returns pivotal pieces Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox and gets center Daniel Jacobsen back from a fractured tibia suffered last season. The Boilermakers also add incoming freshmen Omer Mayer and Antione West to package with transfers Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy.
In addition to 20 Big Ten games, Purdue's schedule also includes a trip to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar on Nov. 20-21 (field not yet announced). Purdue's known non-conference schedule also includes a game at Alabama, Auburn in a neutral site game in Indianapolis and home contests Iowa State, Kent State and Marquette in non-conference play.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Paying players, private equity, roster limits: What House settlement means for Purdue
Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski has publicly welcomed the revenue sharing era of college sports as a way to even the playing field and stabilize a volatile name, image and likeness market. When judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval to terms of the House vs. NCAA settlement last week, Bobinski's letter to the Purdue community stressed the competitive upside — and the financial urgency — for the Boilermakers. The initial $20.5 million which can be shared — and which Bobinski has said Purdue will fully utilize — is not the only added expense. Bobinski said Purdue will increase the number of athletic scholarships awarded in some sports. He asked for expanded support for the John Purdue Club, the primary athletics fundraising organization. He also urged contributions to athletics through the university's "Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue" initiative. "This moment requires all of us — alumni, fans, donor and friends — to step up and be bold," Bobinski wrote. "… Your support is not just appreciated — it is absolutely essential." Here's what we know about what the settlement term means for Purdue, and how it is moving forward. Bobinski stated early and often Purdue will participate fully in revenue sharing. That $20.5 million obligation would have equated to 15.2% of the athletic department's income for the 2023-24 fiscal year based on its annual report to the NCAA. (Figures for 2024-25 are not yet available.) Additionally, the NCAA's agreement to pay $2.6 billion in back pay damages to former athletes come out of its annual distributions to member schools. Purdue expects to receive about $1.2 million per year less from the NCAA for the next decade. It received $4.47 million in 2023-24. Dating back to the hire of Barry Odom in December, both Bobinski and President Mung Chiang have suggested a change to the university's financial relationship with athletics will help close the budget gap. Per records compiled by the USA Today Network in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, Purdue was one of 11 Division I athletic programs from the more than 230 public schools in the 2023 fiscal year which either received no revenue from its university (eight) or returned any revenue it received (three). Among the ways the university could help athletics would be to take on debt obligations. Purdue listed $14.5 million in "debt service, leases or rental fees" on its 2023-24 NCAA financial report. Direct overhead and administrative expenses — things like facilities maintenance, security, insurance and utilities — accounted for almost $13 million in expenses. An announcement on the specific details will come. Whatever the solution, belt-tightening alone won't get an already lean athletic department to its $20.5 million goal. It remains to be seen how transparent Purdue will be about which sports receive what percentage of the revenue-sharing pool. However, based on reports from around the country, estimates have power conference schools allotting 70% to 75% to football and 15% to 20% to men's basketball. The sports which by far bring in the most money will receive the lion's share. Not much will change for Purdue's marquee sports. Odom said he expects to operate on the traditional 85-scholarship limit within the new roster limit of 105. Walk-ons can make up that gap. Men's basketball can use up to 15 scholarships, but don't expect coach Matt Painter to fill up that allotment often, if at all. Keeping 13 players satisfied with their roles in any given year is difficult enough. Also, teams have the option of grandfathering in current athletes who would otherwise put them over those roster limits. This most likely applies to walk-ons who will be allowed to keep their spot until their career is over. Bobinski's mention of adding scholarships might impact the non-full scholarship sports, which is everything outside of football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Baseball used to be limited to 11.7 scholarships, distributed at the coach's discretion, on a roster three or four times that numberr. Going forward, teams are not beholden to those scholarship limits. However, they cannot exceed newly established roster limits. Baseball, for instance, can have up to 34 players on its roster. Purrdue's roster from this past season included 44 names. In most other sports, based on rosters posted on the athletics website, Purdue operated below or near the new limits. It has known this new structure was coming for months. Within the Big Ten, the impact will likely vary from school to school. In purely speculative example, historic wrestling powers Iowa and Penn State could offer more scholarships in that sport than most schools. Athletes can still earn income beyond their revenue share cut through those avenues currently associated with NIL: endorsements, brand campaigns, online influencing, etc. In his letter, Bobinski announced the formation of Boiler BrandWorks. Described as an "in-house student-athlete marketing and brand-building unit," this new arm of the athletic department will help athletes find and develop NIL deals with local and national businesses. 'Not everybody is marketable.' Purdue coach Matt Painter welcomes 'balance' House settlement brings Per the university's athletics careers website, it is hiring a director of NIL strategy and athlete marketing who will oversee Boiler BrandWorks. Even with revenue share, programs will need to show they can maximize the earnings potential of their most marketable athletes. (Think Zach Edey, Braden Smith or football quarterbacks.) This new administrator and department are responsible for making that happen. The 501c3 non-profit collective associated with the athletic department continues to operate. It was involved with the finalization of deal such as those struck by returning and incoming men's basketball players and football's two dozen-plus spring transfer portal additions. Last winter, though, Bobinski predicted the end of the philanthropic model of NIL fundraising. Schools will no longer need to hook players up with deals attached to charitable organizations or activities. However, a 501c6 entity known as Boiler Up Inc. also operates in conjunction with Boilermaker Alliance. The main difference between the two types of non-profits is Boiler Up Inc. can raise money through memberships or fundraising without any charitable endeavors. This setup or something similar is fairly common at power conference athletic programs. In recent months, more collectives have begun sunsetting their 501c3 to focus on their other platform — some of which are for-profit LLCs. IU's Hoosiers For Good announced last December it would cease operations early this year. Purdue could keep some version of the current collective to facilitate fundraising beyond the John Purdue Club and the new, in-house marketing arm. College athletic programs across the country have begun to partner with private equity firms, or are exploring the idea. These firms would not take a stake in the athletic program. Rather, they would offer a private source of credit paid back over time. Finance bump: Indiana, Purdue received roughly $62 million of Big Ten's $928 million in revenue. What it means Such a relationship could make sense for Purdue if it directly led to a long-term revenue enhancement. For example, taking private credit to fund an important facility or resource enhancement without asking for the money from the university. However, Purdue prides itself on fiscal responsibility. It typically does not lead the pack in creative ways to spend money it does not have. This could be a realistic opportunity in time, depending on how the market evolves.
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Washington Post
Zaltos, Mantzouranis go 1-2 in hammer to help Minnesota take lead in NCAA track championships
EUGENE, Ore. — Kostas Zaltos won the NCAA hammer throw and fellow Greek thrower Angelos Mantzouranis was second to help Minnesota take the Day 1 lead at the outdoor track and field championships Wednesday. Zaltos and Mantzouranis are the first teammates to go 1-2 in the NCAA hammer throw since Virginia Tech did it in 2011. Zaltos won with a throw of 256 feet, 2 inches in the fourth round to become the first Minnesota outdoor champion since 2018 and just the third since 1971. Mantzouranis, who finished third as a freshman last year, had a personal-best 252-6.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
BYU Basketball Shows Interest in Rising International Star
BYU Basketball Shows Interest in Rising International Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kevin Young and the BYU Cougars are targeting 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo. The 2026 recruit reportedly has the Cougars on a short, according to Joe Tipton of On3. Advertisement The big man is expected to be visiting a few Big Ten programs, but could make a trip to Provo in the near future. Louisville, Kentucky, and Texas A&M are also pursing. Suigo played last season for Olympia Milano and also stood out in the adidas Next Gen Tournament Euros earlier this year. In the title game of that event, he finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Related: BYU's Price for Winning Comes at a Cost to Fans During the 2024 U17 FIBA World Cup, Suigo averaged 7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Suigo was also one of 60 invitees to the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Europe, rising his international profile. Advertisement Related: CBS Sports Names BYU National Championship Contender Next Year What makes Suigo intriguing is his size, but Mhis Basketball IQ could be his most underrated characteristic. If BYU can make an impression early, they have a decent chance to land him. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
