These 4-Game Stretches Will Give Purdue Basketball the Most Trouble in 2026-27

Playing a daunting schedule is nothing new in West Lafayette. Matt Painter loves to challenge his Purdue teams early in the season, helping to prepare them for the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around.

This year, Purdue will play plenty of talented teams scattered throughout the year. But there are a pair of four-game stretches that are particularly intriguing. One comes in early December and the other is in early January.

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These two stretches will go a long way in defining just how good Purdue is this season, and whether it can make a run at another Big Ten championship.

A mix of Big Ten and non-conference games

Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12) completes a slam dunk. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Games

Tuesday, Dec. 1 – vs. Iowa

Saturday, Dec. 5 – at Iowa State

Tuesday, Dec. 8 – at Wisconsin

Friday, Dec. 11 – vs. Tennessee

Analysis

Just one month into the season, Purdue has a four-game stretch against teams that all reached the NCAA Tournament last year. Iowa and Tennessee played in the Elite Eight, Iowa State earned a Sweet 16 trip and Wisconsin was knocked out in the first round.

Iowa is going through changes with Bennett Stirtz gone, but Ben McCollum’s offensive philosophy could still give the Boilermakers some trouble. Purdue follows that with back-to-back trips into hostile environments, visiting Hilton Coliseum and the Kohl Center. Both the Cyclones and Badgers handled Purdue in Mackey Arena last year.

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To close out that four-game stretch, the Boilers will host a Tennessee squad that has won at least 25 games in each of the last five seasons and has made three straight trips to the Elite Eight. Purdue has the advantage of playing this game at home, but it’s not going to be easy.

The toughest conference stretch

Purdue Boilermakers forward Raleigh Burgess (34) rebounds the ball. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Games

Tuesday, Jan. 5 – at Illinois

Friday, Jan. 8 – at Michigan

Tuesday, Jan. 12 – vs. Ohio State

Sunday, Jan. 17 – at…

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Publish date : 2026-09-17 18:30:00

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