[16] Purdue (8-3) vs. [2] Auburn (10-1)
4:30 p.m. ET | Birmingham, Alabana
Legacy Arena (17,654)
TELEVISION: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• The No. 16-ranked Purdue basketball team faces its stiffest challenge of the season on Saturday, facing off against No. 2-ranked Auburn in the Battle in Birmingham in Legacy Arena. It will be Purdue's final game before the Holiday break and only the third game in a 14-day span entering the break. It marks just the fourth (of five) games during the month of December for the Boilermakers.
• Four of Purdue's 11 non-conference games will come against the SEC, already defeating No. 2-ranked Alabama (87-78) and No. 17-ranked Ole Miss (80-78). The Boilermakers fell to No. 12-ranked Texas A&M (70-66).
• Auburn will be the fifth non-conference ranked team that the Boilermakers will have faced, setting a school record (and leading the country) in non-conference ranked teams. In addition to the four ranked SEC teams, Purdue also fell to Marquette, which is currently ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Boilermakers will have faced five of the top-17 ranked teams in this week's AP Top 25 poll. Nine of Purdue's 22 non-conference opponents since the start of last season have been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll at the time of the game.
• This marks Purdue's first trip to Birmingham and Legacy Arena since the 2003 NCAA Tournament, when the Boilermakers topped LSU in the opening round, before falling to top-seeded Texas in the round of 32. It was the final NCAA tournament game of Gene Keady's illustrious coaching career.
• Purdue's schedule currently ranks 10th nationally (KenPom), but is expected to move up after playing Auburn on Saturday. A year ago, Purdue played the nation's second-toughest schedule.
• In the last six games, Purdue is 97-of-127 (.764) from the free throw line. In the first five games, Purdue was just 79-of-116 (.681).
• In eight wins, Purdue averages 10.1 turnovers per game, while forcing 10.5. In the three losses, it averages 18.3 turnovers, while forcing 13.3.
• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue is 40-2 (.952) in regular-season, non-conference play. Kansas (43-6) owns the next best non-conference, regular-season record at 43-6 (.878).
• Purdue has won 25 straight games when holding its opponent under 70 points. The last loss came to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
• Purdue is 7-15 all-time against teams ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, but has won six of its last 12 games against teams ranked second, including an 87-78 win over Alabama earlier this year. Matt Painter is 3-4 against teams ranked No. 2 in the AP poll.
• In the last four years, Purdue has defeated teams ranked No. 1 (Arizona), No. 4 (Marquette), No. 5 (Villanova), No. 6 (Wisconsin, Tennessee, Gonzaga), No. 7 (Tennessee) and No. 8 (Duke) away from Mackey Arena.
• Purdue is now 100-22 since the start of the 2021-22 season, recording the second-most wins in the country (Houston – 103) during that span. The senior class of Caleb Furst (only senior) became the seventh class in school history with 100 career victories.
• The starting backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are 71-14 since their arrival at Purdue, starting every game of their tenure. The duo has combined for 1,890 points, 593 rebounds and 721 assists during their careers, shooting 263-of-657 from deep (.400).
• Matt Painter and Bruce Pearl are both in their 21st years of being a head coach, combining for 935 victories and averaging almost 45 wins a year between the two.
• Purdue, Duke, Gonzaga and Houston are the only programs in America to have made at least a Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four during their last five NCAA Tournament appearances. Purdue reached the Sweet 16 in 2022, the Elite 8 in 2019 and the Final Four in 2024.
• Braden Smith needs 45 points to be the first Big Ten player to have 1,000 points, 500 assists and 400 rebounds by the end of his junior year.