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Pair of 2024 Men's Final Four Teams Announces Home-and-Home Over Next Two Seasons

Patrick Andres|
Dec 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Rylan Griffen (3) drives to the basket against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) during the first half at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Dec 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Rylan Griffen (3) drives to the basket against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) during the first half at Coca-Cola Coliseum. | John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Alabama Crimson TidePurdue Boilermakers

After a meeting last season in Toronto—and trips to the men's Final Four by both teams—Purdue and Alabama have decided to keep the fun going.

The Boilermakers and Crimson Tide will play a home-and-home over the next two seasons, Purdue announced Tuesday afternoon. The two schools will play in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 15 and in Tuscaloosa, Ala. during the 2026 season.

Coach Matt Painter's Boilermakers are 6-3 all-time against Alabama in a series that began in Nov. 1976. That includes meetings in the 1994 NCAA tournament (won by Purdue) and in the 1979 and 2001 NITs (split between the programs).

In 2024, both teams found success. The Boilermakers reached the national championship for the first time since 1969, and the Crimson Tide reached their first Final Four ever.

Before their respective tournament runs, then-No. 4 Purdue beat Alabama 92-86 in Canada on Dec. 9 in a homecoming game for Boilermakers center Zach Edey.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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