Purdue Boilermakers: Non-Conference Schedule Breakdown

By Mathew Muncy | Oct 9, 2015

35 days from now the Purdue Boilermakers will step on the court for their first game of the season, a season which comes with some of the loftiest expectations since the Baby Boiler era.

After making the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2012, returning the majority of that team and adding highly ranked Caleb Swanigan, anything short of a Final Four appearance will likely be considered a let down. To help their chances in the tournament, a high seed will be needed and their first chance to “wow” the selection committee starts in non-conference play.

Purdue plays 13 non-conference games this season. Last season they went 8-5, with losses to North Florida and Gardner-Webb that really came back to haunt them at tourney selection time. This year the Boilermakers will need to be perfect against schools like that, and they will have plenty of chances.

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Seven – eight depending on who they in their second game of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament – of their non-conference opponents finished with a record better than .500 last season.

Purdue opens their season with the Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament where they will play North Carolina A&T and University of Vermont at home.

North Carolina A&T 2014-2015 Stats: 9-23 (6-10 MEAC), 58.9 points per game, 33.3 rebounds per game, and 9.3 assists per game.

University of Vermont 2014-2015 Stats: 20-14 (12-4 America East), 66.2 ppg, 33.0 rpg, and 13.1 apg.

Incarnate Word comes to West Lafayette on November 18, giving the Boilermakers a final warm-up game before the real part of the Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament starts. Incarnate Word is an interesting matchup because they faced some decent competition last season and finished with wins over Princeton and Nebraska.

Incarnate Word 2014-2015 Stats: 18-11 (10-8 Southland), 79.6 ppg, 33.5 rpg, and 13.1 apg.

The Boilermakers travel to Connecticut after playing Incarnate Word, where they will finish up the Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena. Their first game comes against Old Dominion and depending on that game’s outcome they will either play the University of Florida or Saint Joseph’s University in the Consolation or Championship game.

Old Dominion 2014-2015 Stats: 27-8 (13-5 Conference-USA), 65.4 ppg, 35.8 rpg, and 13.3 apg.

University of Florida 2014-2015 Stats: 16-17 (8-10 SEC), 63.7 ppg, 33.2 rpg, and 13.1 apg.

Saint Joseph’s University 2014-2015 Stats: 13-18 (7-11 Atlantic 10), 61.7 ppg, 35.5 rpg, and 12.7 apg.

. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

After winning the Hall of Fame Tip Off tournament – yes, I’m calling this right here, right now – the Boilermakers will travel back home to take on Lehigh University.

Lehigh University 2014-2015 Stats: 16-14 (10-8 Patriot League), 68.1 ppg, 36.2 rpg, and 14.3 apg.

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge awaits Purdue next and they have to travel to Pittsburgh to take on Pitt. After 10-straight seasons of dominance, the ACC has yet to beat the Big Ten outright in the last six challenges. Purdue is 8-6 overall in the challenge and has won six straight. This will be the first time Purdue and Pittsburgh have matched up for the Challenge.

Pittsburgh University 2014-2015 Stats: 19-15 (8-10 ACC), 67.4 ppg, 33.2 rpg, and 16.5 apg.

You could argue that every game is a must win, but the next four opponents the Boilermakers play after Pittsburgh could really help or hurt their seeding selection. And somehow Purdue drew them all at home.

New Mexico University 2014-2015 Stats: 15-16 (7-11 Mountain West), 62.0 ppg, 34.9 rpg, and 12.8 apg.

IUPUI 2014-2015 Stats: 10-21 (6-10 Summit League), 60.7 ppg, 32.5 rpg, and 11.2 apg.

Howard University 2014-2015 Stats: 16-16 (10-6 MEAC), 63.5 ppg, 34.7 rpg, and 8.4 apg.

Youngstown State University 2014-2015 Stats: 11-21 (2-14 Horizon League), 71.5 ppg, 33.0 rpg, and 14.1 apg.

Purdue finishes up their non-conference schedule with possibly their two hardest opponents, Butler and Vanderbilt. The matchup against Butler will be played in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as part of the Crossroads Classic. These two teams faced each other two years ago in the Crossroads Classic, where Butler walked away with a 76-70 victory.

Butler University 2014-2015 Stats: 23-11 (12-6 Big East), 69.6 ppg, 36.7 rpg, and 11.5 apg.

To round out the non-conference schedule, Vanderbilt will travel to West Lafayette. Somehow Purdue snagged nine non-conference home games and you can almost say nine and a half since the game against Butler will basically be a split home game. These two squads met last year and Vanderbilt got the upper-hand with an 81-71 victory.

Vanderbilt University 2014-2015 Stats: 21-14 (9-9 SEC), 69.7 ppg, 33.9 rpg, and 15.2 apg.

It realistic to expect 10 or 11 non-conference victories out of the Boilermakers this season. A few losses won’t destroy their season, but those losses have to come against talented squads like Butler or Florida, not the North Carolina A&T’s of the world.

Next: Purdue needs victory over Minnesota

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