Purdue basketball’s key Big Ten road battles likely decide if championship run continues

INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue men’s basketball’s path to a third consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship begins and ends on the road.

The conference released game dates Thursday. The Boilermakers’ Big Ten slate starts Dec. 5 at Penn State, resumes in earnest Jan. 2 in Minnesota and concludes March 7 at Illinois.

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Purdue went 7-3 away from Mackey Arena in each of the past two seasons while extending its record number of Big Ten regular season championships to 27. Two-time national player of the year Zach Edey’s post presence obviously traveled well. With him off to the NBA, the Boilermakers must find new ways to win in hostile environments in search of the conference’s first three-peat of outright champions since Purdue’s 1994-96 run.

The last two weeks of the regular season include five games — three on the road — against Michigan State, Indiana, UCLA, Rutgers and Illinois. Any of those five could emerge as the main challenge to the Boilermakers’ control of the conference.

Hold off on Hoosiers

While many dynamics around Purdue will change after the departure of Zach Edey, others remain constant. That includes seeking to extend its upper hand in the IU series, having won 12 of the past 15 — including eight of the past nine at home.

The Hoosiers come to Mackey Arena on Jan. 31. The Boilermakers visit Assembly Hall on Feb. 23.

Indiana swept two competitive games in the rivalry series in 2022-23. Purdue rolled to two victories last season. Too early to tell who might benefit more from both games against Indiana occurring in the back half of the schedule.

Indiana is relying heavily on transfer portal additions in an attempt to turn things around in Mike Woodson’s fourth season. Whatever help the Boilermakers receive from their five-man freshman class should be apparent by the end of January.

West Coast swing

The Big Ten scheduled west coast trips in tandem. Purdue plays at Washington on Jan. 15, then at Oregon three days later. The team will spend five days together between Seattle and Eugene — a preferable solution over making separate trips spaced farther apart in the season.

Whatever disruption to routine and body clock, if any, may be offset by an extended home stretch. Three straight in Mackey — against Ohio State, Michigan and IU — follow the Pacific Northwest jaunt. The team won’t return to the air until a Feb. 4 trip to Iowa.

USC (Feb. 7) and UCLA (Feb. 28) make their first Big Ten-branded visits to Mackey Arena. Of course, the Bruins have a seminal history with the building. They beat Purdue 73-71 on Dec. 2, 1967, in the building’s first game — also the debut of Rick Mount.

Other key dates

Prior to last season’s win at Rutgers, Purdue had not won in Piscataway since 2018. The Scarlet Knights may be a preseason top-25 team in part due to the exepctations for five-star prospects Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. The Boilermakers enter the RAC on Jan. 9, with Rutgers returning on March 4 for the home finale.

The only game with Maryland comes Dec. 8 in the Big Ten home opener. This could feature a battle of talented freshmen big man, with Daniel Jacobsen tangling with top-15 Terrapin prospect Derik Queen.

On the flip side, two road-only opponents loom as crucial late-season matchups. Purdue travels to Michigan State on Feb. 18. Its last three games there have been decided by five points. The regular season concludes at Illinois on March 7. That roster has turned over significantly from its Elite Eight run, but that could be a tough closing challenge if the Big Ten championship race comes down to the final game.

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball’s Big Ten road battles determine championship path