10 Reasons to be Excited About Purdue Basketball's 2025-26 Season

A new Purdue basketball season gets underway on Tuesday, Nov. 4, as the Boilermakers host Evansville at Mackey Arena. This season is one with high expectations, as Matt Painter's team is the favorite to win the Big Ten and win a national title at the end of the season.

But there's so much more to the 2025-26 season. Here are 10 reasons to be excited that Purdue basketball returns on Tuesday.

Braden Smith chasing the all-time assist record

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) passes the ball | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Smith has already secured his spot as Purdue's all-time assist leader. Can he etch his name in the NCAA history books? The star guard needs 319 assists to pass Duke's Bobby Hurley (1,076) as college basketball's top assist man. Last year, Smith finished with 313 dimes and averaged 8.7 assists per game. With so many skilled shooters surrounding him, Smith has a chance to either match or improve upon that mark and chase history.

So many shooters

Purdue has been an elite three-point shooting team for years, and it may be even better this season. Fletcher Loyer was a 44.4% shooter from distance last season, CJ Cox knocked down 39.8% from distance, and Smith converted at a 38.1% clip. Gicarri Harris only shot 31% from three-point range last season, but the number was closer to 40% in Big Ten play. Plus, the Boilers added Liam Murphy, a 42% three-point shooter at North Florida last season. It's arguably the best collection of shooters Purdue has had on one roster. And, if you want to talk about inside the three-point line, Trey Kaufman-Renn was a 59.5% shooter, and Oscar Cluff made more than 63% of his shots last year.

Matt Painter hitting career milestones

We're going to see Painter make history at least once this season. He enters the 2025-26 campaign with 496 career wins, needing just four victories to hit the 500-win milestone. At Purdue, Painter has won 471 games, which puts him 29 away from hitting 500 career wins with the Boilermakers. There's a great chance that the longtime head coach hits both marks in the same season.

Sophomore leaps for Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox

Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Both Harris and Cox played major roles for the Boilermakers as freshmen last season. At times, though, you could tell both players were thinking more than playing. With a full year under their belts, the game has really slowed down for both guards, allowing them to play with more instinct and rhythm than last season. Both guys are tremendous shooters and strong perimeter defenders. One or both could be sophomore sensations this year.

West Lob-fayette

Yes, I'm going to be using this poor "dad joke" frequently this season. With Daniel Jacobsen back from injury, expect to see the 7-foot-4 center throw down a lot of alley-oops throughout the year. We've already seen glimpses of Jacobsen's ability to throw it down in Purdue's two exhibition games. He can score a lot of points on those lobs, providing the Boilers with an offensive weapon that it simply didn't have last year.

Any 2,000-point scorers?

Purdue's veteran trio of Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn has all reached the 1,000-point club, each hitting that milestone during the 2024-25 campaign. Smith is at 1,375, Loyer has scored 1,281 points, and Kaufman-Renn sits at 1,131. There are several capable scorers on the roster this season, so hitting 2,000 career points won't come easily. But it is something to keep an eye on, especially if the Boilers make a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Great non-conference matchups

We all know Big Ten play is going to be a lot of fun, but how about Purdue's non-conference schedule? No, this isn't something new for the Boilers, as Painter loves scheduling tough games to prepare his team for conference play and the NCAA Tournament. Purdue has games against No. 15 Alabama, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 20 Auburn, and Marquette on the slate this year. Plus, the Boilermakers will play Memphis and could see No. 10 Texas Tech in the Baha Mar Championship.

Trey Kaufman-Renn finally getting some respect

Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) shoots the ball | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Kaufman-Renn was one of college basketball's most under-appreciated players last season. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season, while shooting 59.5% from the floor. However, he wasn't a finalist for any national individual awards and was omitted from most All-American lists. This year, the senior forward is a preseason All-Big Ten selection and was named to the Karl Malone Award preseason watch list. Kaufman-Renn is also on the Naismith Player of the Year watch list.

Getting back into Mackey Arena

No matter the year, getting back into Mackey Arena is always a reason to celebrate the return of Purdue basketball. It's the best environment in college basketball and is one of the loudest sports venues in the country. Plus, the Boilermakers are 65-5 in their last 70 games on their home court.

"Championship or bust" mindset

Since last season ended, everyone in Purdue's locker room has talked about winning a national championship. It's the reason Smith, Kaufman-Renn, and Loyer wanted to come back for their senior seasons. It's the reason why Cluff joined the team out of the transfer portal. This team has had "national champions" written on its whiteboard in the locker room. Can they accomplish the mission and bring an NCAA title back to West Lafayette?