Kentucky men’s basketball will face a premier school from the state of Indiana next season, and that’s on top of its regular season game against the Hoosiers.
The Wildcats announced that they will face off against the Purdue Boilermakers in preseason exhibition play, a major step up from last season’s preseason contests against Kentucky Wesleyan and Minnesota State-Mankato.
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The exhibition is scheduled to take place on Oct. 24 inside Rupp Arena.
Purdue has risen to national prominence with Head Coach Matt Painter, arguably surpassing Indiana as the best school in the state of Indiana.
Since Painter was hired in 2005, Purdue has been to 16 NCAA Tournaments, only missing the big dance in his first season and twice more in 2013-14. The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, meaning Purdue has never failed to make the tournament in 10 straight opportunities.
On top of just making the big dance, Purdue has been to the Sweet Sixteen eight times, including in three of the last four seasons, the Elite Eight twice, and was the NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2024 as a No. 1 seed.
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Last season, Purdue was a No. 4 seed and made it to the Sweet 16 before falling short at the buzzer against national runner-up Houston.
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Painter has once again built a strong staff, notably keeping Braden Smith from Kentucky, and was picked as the preseason No. 1 overall team by John Fanta in his way-too-early top 25. Kentucky is at No. 8.
The scheduling of Purdue is a massive move by UK Head Coach Mark Pope, showing his confidence in his upcoming squad and his desire to be tested early in the season.
Last year, the annual tune-up against Kentucky Wesleyan was scheduled alongside what could have been a strong test against the reigning NCAA Division II National Champion in Minnesota State-Mankato, but after falling 98-67 in Rupp Arena, the Mavericks went on to 20-12 and missed the D-II NCAA Tournament.
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Purdue will join a packed Kentucky schedule next season as the Wildcats are already scheduled to face off against Michigan State in the Champions Classic, Gonzaga in Nashville, Indiana in game one of the renewed rivalry deal, St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic and Louisville on the road… and that’s all before getting into SEC play.
All in all, while it’s possible the losses may be higher than fans are used to, by the time the Wildcats reach the big dance — assuming they make it — no one will be able to suggest they aren’t battle tested.
