Details Released for Purdue-Kentucky Exhibition Game
In this story:
The wait is over for those curious to know the details regarding Purdue's exhibition game against Kentucky in October. Information about the highly anticipated matchup was released on Thursday.
Purdue and Kentucky are scheduled to play an exhibition contest on Friday, Oct. 24, in Lexington. Here are the details for the preseason matchup:
- What — Purdue vs. Kentucky (exhibition game)
- Where — Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
- When — Friday, Oct. 24
- Tipoff time — 6 p.m. ET
- TV information — SEC Network
No mention of ticket information was made available at the time of the announcement.
This will be the first of two exhibition games the Boilermakers will play this season. They will also host the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Purdue then opens regular-season play at Mackey Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 4, against Evansville.
Purdue has scheduled high-quality exhibition games each of the last two years. In 2023, the Boilermakers traveled to play Arkansas. Last year, coach Matt Painter took his team to Omaha to play Creighton.
This should be a great preseason matchup between two programs expected to make deep runs in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Purdue 2025-26 schedule
- Friday, Oct. 24: at Kentucky (Exhibition)
- Wednesday, Oct. 29: vs. UIndy (Exhibition)
- Tuesday, Nov. 4: vs. Evansville
- Friday, Nov. 7: vs. Oakland
- Thursday, Nov. 13: at Alabama
- Sunday, Nov. 16: vs. Akron
- Thursday, Nov. 20: vs. Memphis (Baha Mar Challenge in the Bahamas)
- Friday, Nov. 21: vs. Texas Tech/Wake Forest (Baha Mar Challenge in the Bahamas)
- Friday, Nov. 28: vs. Eastern Illinois
- Tuesday, Dec. 2: at Rutgers
- Saturday, Dec. 6: vs. Iowa State
- Wednesday, Dec. 10: vs. Minnesota
- Saturday, Dec. 13: vs. Marquette
- Saturday, Dec. 20: vs. Auburn (Indy Classic)
- Monday, Dec. 29: vs. Kent State
- Saturday, Jan. 3: at Wisconsin
- Wednesday, Jan. 7: vs. Washington
- Saturday, Jan. 10: vs. Penn State
- Wednesday, Jan. 14: vs. Iowa
- Saturday, Jan. 17: at USC
- Tuesday, Jan. 20: at UCLA
- Saturday, Jan. 24: vs. Illinois
- Tuesday, Jan. 27: at Indiana
- Sunday, Feb. 1: at Maryland
- Saturday, Feb. 7: vs. Oregon
- Tuesday, Feb. 10: at Nebraska
- Saturday, Feb. 14: at Iowa
- Tuesday, Feb. 17: vs. Michigan
- Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Indiana
- Thursday, Feb. 26: vs. Michigan State
- Sunday, March 1: at Ohio State
- Wednesday, March 4: at Northwestern
- Saturday, March 7: vs. Wisconsin
Related stories on Purdue basketball
BENTER PUTS HIMSELF IN POSITION TO PLAY: Jack Benter used his freshman season as a redshirt year. After one year in Purdue's program, he's put himself in "a good position" to play for the Boilermakers. CLICK HERE
CHALLENGES OF A DEEP ROSTER: Depth is generally a positive for a college basketball team. But it also creates some complexities, something Matt Painter talked about recently. CLICK HERE
PURDUE'S PRACTICE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO: On Wednesday, Purdue held its first official practice for the 2025-26 college basketball season. The creative team shared a highlight video from Day 1. CLICK HERE
TWO WORDS ON PURDUE'S WHITEBOARD: The expectations are as high as ever in West Lafayette ahead of the 2025-26 college basketball season. Purdue has written two words on its whiteboard for motivation. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
Follow SchutteDustin