THE SCENE SETTER
• For the first time during the 2025-26 season, the No. 1-ranked Purdue men's basketball team tips it off in Mackey Arena, hosting the University of Indianapolis in its final tune-up for the regular season. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the contest will be streamed online by B1G+.
• Purdue is looking to tighten up its game after falling at No. 9 Kentucky on Friday night 78-65. Purdue has won 35 straight exhibition games at Mackey Arena, dating to a loss to the Harlem Globetrotters in November 2002.
• Following the exhibition contest against UIndy, Purdue sets its sights on the regular-season when Evansville (Tuesday, Nov. 4) and Oakland (Friday, Nov. 7) visit during the opening week of play.
THE NOTES TO KNOW
• Although the game doesn't count in the official record, Purdue will be looking to bounce back from an exhibition loss to Kentucky on Friday in Wednesday's contest against UIndy. Purdue fell to No. 9 Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Friday night, marking the third straight season that Purdue has lost an exhibition game in a difficult road venue (Arkansas - 2023; Creighton - 2024; Kentucky - 2025).
• Purdue has won its last three home exhibition games by a total of 150 points (102-57 vs. Truman State; 98-51 vs. Grace; 99-41 vs. Grand Valley State).
• The Boilermakers shot just 22-of-57 (.386) from the field and an icy 3-of-17 (.176) from 3-point range, despite generating outstanding offensive looks throughout the game. Purdue only turned the ball over seven times, but was outrebounded 42-30. Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith combined for 44 points, but went just 14-of-42 (.333) from the field in the setback. The rest of the team went 8-of-15 (.533) from the field.
• Purdue is ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll for the first time in school history. It marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Purdue has achieved a No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, after never reaching No. 1 prior to the 2021-22 season.
• Purdue has now been ranked No. 1 in four of the last five seasons (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2025-26), becoming the seventh school in AP poll history to do so (Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Gonzaga, Purdue).
• Purdue's 14 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since the 2021-22 season are the most in the country (Auburn - 11; Houston 10; Gonzaga - 9).
• Among players returning nationally, Braden Smith is the top-returning assist man, Oscar Cluff is the second-leading rebounder and double-double man, Liam Murphy is ninth among all players in 3-pointers made last season and Trey Kaufman-Renn is the 10th-returning leading scorer.
• Braden Smith has been named as the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, while Trey Kaufman-Renn joined him on the first team.
• Braden Smith is already the only player in Big Ten conference history to amass 1,350 points, 750 assists, 500 rebounds and 175 steals in a career. He is one of 14 players in NCAA history to reach those marks.
• Purdue has had a consensus First- or Second-Team All-American in seven of the past nine seasons despite never enrolling a top-30 recruiting class or a top-30 prospect at any point during that span.
• Matt Painter ranks fourth on the Big Ten's list for career wins with 471, trailing only Tom Izzo (737), Bob Knight (662) and Gene Keady (512) in Big Ten history. Painter has 496 career victories and with four more victories, Painter will become the seventh-fastest active coach to reach 500 wins (Few, Calipari, Self, Pitino, Izzo, Bennett).
• Purdue has sold out its ticket allotment for the upcoming season, stretching its sellout streak in Mackey Arena to 106 games by the time the March 7, game against Wisconsin rolls around. Purdue enters the season with 89 straight sellouts dating to Jan. 15, 2019 (Rutgers).