GAMEDAY INFORMATION
[6 / 6] Purdue (10-1) vs. [21 / 24] Auburn (8-3)
Saturday, December 20 | 6:30 PM ET
Indianapolis, Indiana | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (18,345)
TV: Peacock, NBCSN (Noah Eagle, Robbie Hummel, Cayleigh Griffen)
RADIO: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
THE SCENE SETTER
• Purdue closes out its pre-Holiday break schedule with one of its toughest tests to date, battling the No. 21-ranked Auburn Tigers on Saturday in the fourth annual Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Boilermakers will playing their lone game in a 16-day stretch (Dec. 14 to Dec. 29) and are looking for their second win over an SEC team from the state of Alabama this season.
• Following the Auburn contest, Purdue will host Kent State on Dec. 29, in Mackey Arena, for its final non-conference game of the year.
THE MATCHUP
• Meeting for just the fifth time in series history, Purdue and Auburn face off in the fourth annual Indy Classic. The game will tip at approximately 6:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of Butler vs. Northwestern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
• The two teams have each won two games against each other, with Auburn topping the Boilermakers a year ago in Birmingham, 87-69. Purdue won the previous two meetings by a combined 43 points, including a 96-71 victory in the 2016 Cancun Challenge title game.
• This marks the fourth rendition of the Indy Classic, with Purdue owning a 2-1 record in the annual event. The matchup with Auburn marks the third straight year with a top-25 foe after defeating No. 1 Arizona (92-84) in 2023 and falling to No. 17 Texas A&M last season (70-66).
• Purdue is 37-37 all-time in games played in Indy, including 22-22 under Painter. However, Purdue is 8-4 in its last 12 games played in the city (8-3 in Gainbridge).
• Purdue is 7-2 in its last nine games against teams currently in the SEC, dating to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
NEWS AND NOTES
• Purdue is coming off a 79-59 win over Marquette last Saturday, the Boilermakers fifth win this season of 20 or more points.
• Purdue has held non-conference foes to under 60 points in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 21 to 29, 2023 (Jacksonville, Eastern Kentucky). Opponents are shooting just 34.2 percent from the field in the last two games.
• The Boilermakers are now 10-1 (or better) for the seventh time under Matt Painter, including four times in the last five seasons (2010, 2011, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026).
• Purdue has won its first two Big Ten games by a combined 44 points, its highest combined margin of victory in its first two Big Ten games since the 1943-44 season (62 combined points).
• Purdue is one-of-nine schools to rank in the top 25 nationally in both offensive (1st) and defensive (24th) efficiency, via KenPom.
• Purdue is 10th nationally in assist rate (A / FGM), assisting on 65.3 percent of all its made field goals. Purdue is also fourth nationally in offensive rebound percentage (.423), trailing Tennessee, Florida and UCF.
• Purdue is just 19-of-60 (.324) from long range and 33-of-51 (.647) from the free throw line in the last three games.
• Purdue, however, is 46-of-72 (.639) from inside the 3-point arc in the last two games.
• Purdue players have recorded 11 double-doubles in 11 games this season. A year ago, Purdue had 14 double-doubles in 36 games. The school record for double-doubles in a season is 38 (2023-24).
• Oscar Cluff (1st) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (6th) rank in the top 10 in offensive rebound percentage, via KenPom. In addition, Cluff is second nationally in offensive rating.
• On the NCAA individual leaderboards, Braden Smith is second in assists per game (9.2), Oscar Cluff is second in field goal percentage (.753), Trey Kaufman-Renn is 10th in rebounds per game (10.4) and Daniel Jacobsen is 23rd in blocks per game (2.36).
• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Purdue leads the country in weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll (17). Auburn is tied for second with Houston at 11 weeks.