Date Announced for Alabama Basketball's Meeting with Purdue

The Crimson Tide and Boilermakers are beginning a home-and-home series starting this fall.

Dec 9, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (12) drives to the basket against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports | John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama basketball officially announced its future home-and-home series with the Purdue Boilermakers that will begin this upcoming season. The two teams will play in West Lafayette this fall, with the return game in Tuscaloosa during the 2025-26 season.

The first meeting between the two teams will take place on Friday, Nov. 15 at Purdue's Mackey Arena, Purdue announced. It will be a very early test for both teams, coming before either team plays in their Thanksgiving week MTE.

The home-and-home also comes a year after the two teams played a one-off game in Toronto in December of the 2023-24 season, a game in which Purdue won 92-86.

Per usual with Nate Oats at the helm, Alabama has an incredibly difficult non-conference schedule on deck for the 2024-25 season. Alabama will take part in the Players Era Festival, an 8-team, NIL-based event in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week where the Crimson Tide will play three of Houston, Rutgers, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Creighton, Oregon and Notre Dame. Alabama also has a home game scheduled with Creighton in the return game of a home-and-home, as well as a game against Illinois scheduled to be played in Birmingham.

In addition to the number of high-major teams on the schedule, Oats has also added some tough mid-majors in McNeese and Kent State to the non-conference schedule.

Alabama should be one of the favorites in the SEC heading into the season after bringing in an elite transfer portal class to pair with the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country.