Purdue Basketball Preseason Primer

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue men's basketball team officially starts its 2022-23 campaign with its first practice Tuesday in Mackey Arena.

Some facts about Purdue Basketball as it enters the 125th season of collegiate basketball in West Lafayette.

DATES TO KNOW

• Sept. 27 – First official practice
• Oct. 11 – Big Ten Media Day (Minneapolis / Target Center)
• Oct. 18 – Single-game tickets on sale, beginning with higher levels of John Purdue Club
• Oct. 21 – Single-game tickets on sale to the general public
• Oct. 22 – Fan Day (details coming soon)
• Nov. 2 – Exhibition game vs. Truman State (Mackey Arena)
• Nov. 8 – Season opener vs. Milwaukee (Mackey Arena)

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QUICK FACTS TO KNOW

• Purdue returns two starters (Zach Edey, Mason Gillis) and eight letterwinners from last year's team that finished 29-8 and was ranked inside the Associated Press Top 10 all season long. Eight newcomers, including redshirt-freshmen Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell and grad transfer David Jenkins Jr., will be in the lineup.
• Purdue's 71 returning starts from a year ago are the fewest since the 2018-19 team returned just 41 starts. That team made the Elite Eight and won the Big Ten regular-season title. The Boilermakers return just
• Purdue has made four Sweet 16s in the last five tournaments. Only Michigan and Gonzaga have made more during that span (Gonzaga, Michigan – 5; Purdue – 4; Eight Schools – 3).
• The Boilermakers have made seven straight NCAA Tournaments, the sixth-longest streak in the country.
• Purdue has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 22 straight weeks, the sixth-longest streak in the country.
• Purdue's 30 wins over AP Top 25 teams since the 2016-17 season are the seventh most nationally.
• Purdue and Kansas are the only programs to be a top-five seed in each of the six NCAA Tournaments.
• Purdue's six first-team All-Big Ten selections since the 2015-16 season are the most in the conference.
• Since the 2016-17 season, Purdue owns the Big Ten's best record (81-34) by 5.5 games over Michigan State (76-40).
• Zach Edey is one of three returning Big Ten players, and one of 21 nationally, to average 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks per game last season. He is the only returning player to do so in under 28.0 minutes per game, averaging just 19.0 minutes per contest last season.
• David Jenkins Jr.'s 323 career 3-pointers are third among all active players (Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis – 429; Liberty's Darius McGhee – 366).
• Jenkins Jr.'s 1,857 career points ranks eighth among all active players.
• With Zach Edey (7-4) and Will Berg (7-2) on the roster, Purdue will have had a 7-footer in 11 straight seasons. It will have had a player that is 7-2 or taller in nine straight years, the longest streak in the nation.
• Purdue has finished in the top three of the Big Ten standings in 10 of the last 15 seasons. It has finished in the top four in twelve of the last 16 seasons.
• Matt Painter needs 16 wins to become the fifth coach in Big Ten history with 400 wins in the league (Bob Knight, Tom Izzo, Gene Keady, Lou Henson).
• Purdue has earned a double-bye in every Big Ten Tournament that has been played since the league went to 14 teams (seven tournaments). Wisconsin and Michigan State are next with four tournaments with double-byes.
• Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Purdue is 65-10 against Big Ten opponents at Mackey Arena, the league's best home mark by 5.5 games (Michigan State – 60-16).
• Purdue is 29-3 under Matt Painter at Mackey Arena against in-state teams.
• Over the last two seasons, Purdue is 27-2 (.931) at Mackey Arena.
• Purdue owns the eighth-best home record (101-11; .902) in the country since the 2015-16 season (In order by winning percentage: South Dakota State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Belmont, Villanova, Houston, New Mexico State, Purdue, Florida State, Kentucky).