How to Watch No. 6 Purdue vs. Marquette with TV Info, Key Stats, and Preview
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For the fourth consecutive year, Purdue and Marquette are going head-to-head in a non-conference battle. The Boilermakers have controlled the series, but the Golden Eagles won last year's meeting convincingly in Milwaukee.
Purdue is hoping to build off a blowout win over Minnesota on Wednesday, while Marquette wants to bounce back from a 20-point loss to Wisconsin.
Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's matchup in West Lafayette.
#6 Purdue (9-1) vs. Marquette (5-5)
- What: Non-conference game
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
- Tipoff time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
- TV: Peacock
- App: Peacock
- TV announcers: John Fanta (play-by-play), Jess Settles (analyst)
- Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network — WAZY 96.5 FM (Lafayette); WKJG 100.9 FM (Fort Wayne); WNDE 1260 AM (Indianapolis); WGBF 1280 (Evansville); Sirius XM 85; View all listings: CLICK HERE
- Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst), Wes Scott (producer).
- Live stats: Purdue.StatBroadcast.com
- All-time series: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Marquette 11-2
- Most recent: Marquette defeated Purdue 76-58 on Nov. 19, 2024, in Milwaukee
- ESPN Matchup Predictor: Purdue has a 92% chance to defeat Marquette
Rankings
Purdue Boilermakers
- Associated Press — Purdue is ranked No. 6
- Coaches — Purdue is ranked No. 6
- KenPom — Purdue is ranked No. 5
- NCAA NET — Purdue is ranked No. 8
Marquette Golden Eagles
- Associated Press — Marquette is not ranked
- Coaches — Marquette is not ranked
- KenPom — Marquette is ranked No. 93
- NCAA NET — Marquette is ranked No. 168
Team Stats
Stats (per game) | Marquette | #6 Purdue |
|---|---|---|
Scoring | 80.9 ppg | 85.2 ppg |
Points allowed | 76.4 ppg | 67.9 ppg |
FG% | 42.5% | 50.2% |
3FG% | 31.1% | 40.3% |
Rebounds | 38.5 rpg | 40.6 rpg |
Assists | 15.7 apg | 20.4 apg |
Steals | 9.9 spg | 5.2 spg |
Blocks | 2.6 bpg | 3.8 bpg |
Turnovers | 11.5 topg | 10.0 topg |
Key Players
Purdue Boilermakers
- Braden Smith, G — Smith is coming off one of his best all-around performances against Minnesota on Wednesday. The senior guard scored 15 points, dished out 12 assists, grabbed six rebounds, recorded five steals, and had two blocks. That's National Player of the Year worthy. Through the first 10 games, Smith is averaging 13.3 points, 9.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, which includes a 29-point performance against Alabama this year.
- Fletcher Loyer, G — Loyer is Purdue's top scorer right now and has been a threat from long range, much like he has been throughout his career. He's averaging 14.0 points per game while shooting 45.9% from three-point range. He scored 30 in the opener against Evansville and was named MVP of the Baha Mar Championship after averaging 15 points in two games.
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, F — Kaufman-Renn has been a dynamite scorer in the post, but he's also improved tremendously as a rebounder. After missing the first two games, the senior forward is averaging 13.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 59.5% from the floor. In eight games, Kaumfan-Renn has recorded five double-doubles for the Boilermakers.
- Oscar Cluff, C — Cluff has really established himself as a true center in the early portion of the season. Sometimes, it takes a little bit to get going, but he's been a consistent presence in the post for the Boilers. He's scoring 11.4 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game. He had another solid outing against Minnesota, scoring 14 points and collecting 11 boards.
Marquette Golden Eagles
- Chase Ross, G — Ross has been Marquette's most outstanding player through 10 games, leading the team with 19.5 points and 3.6 assists per game. He's a tough player to defend, as he can slash to get to the basket and score through contact. Ross has already hit the 20-point mark in four games this season, which included a 31-point outing against Maryland. Defensively, the 6-foot-5 guard is aggressive on the ball, and his size can cause problems.
- Nigel James Jr., G — James is a freshman who has made a quick impact in Milwaukee. He's scored 20 points or more in two of Marquette's last three games and has posted a double-digit scoring total six times in 10 contests. He's also an extremely skilled passer for a freshman and can get the ball to his teammates in good spots. For the year, James is averaging 12.2 points and 3.6 assists per game.
- Ben Gold, F — At 6-foot-11, Gold is the best post player and rebounder on the Golden Eagles' roster this season. He's collecting 7.2 boards per game and is scoring an eyelash under 10 points per game. Gold has had some trouble matching up against teams that have similar size this season, and really struggled against Wisconsin, finishing that game with just seven points and two rebounds. Still, he's someone to account for in the painted area.
- Adrien Stevens, G — Stevens is actually the seventh-leading scorer on Marquette's squad this year, but he's been the most effective three-point shooter. The freshman is playing 19 minutes per game, but is shooting the triple at a 34.2% clip. That's not a tremendous average, but he's been the best perimeter weapon for the Golden Eagles so far this season.
The Coaches
Matt Painter, Purdue
Painter is in his 21st season at Purdue and his 22nd year overall with the Boilermakers. In that time, he's led the program to five Big Ten regular season championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, and a trip to the National Championship Game in 2024.
A lot of Purdue's success has come in the last decade, with the Boilers adding four Big Ten championships to their collection since the start of the 2016-17 season. Painter has had four different players win the Big Ten Player of the Year Award five times: JaJuan Johnson (2010), Caleb Swanigan (2017), Zach Edey (2023, 2024), and Braden Smith (2025).
Painter is a Purdue alum, playing under legendary coach Gene Keady from 1989-93. After his playing career ended, he jumped right into coaching, working as an assistant at Washington & Jefferson (Division III) and Barton (Division II) before getting a job at Eastern Illinois (1995 to 1998). Painter then joined former Purdue assistant coach Bruce Weber at Southern Illinois as an assistant from 1998 through 2003. Painter then became head coach of the Salukis for the 2003-04 season.
In 2004, Painter returned to Purdue as the associate head coach alongside Keady before taking over the program for the 2005-06 season. In a win over Akron on Nov. 16, 2025, Painter won his 500th career game as a head coach.
- Overall record: 505-221
- Record at Purdue: 480-216
Shaka Smart, Marquette
Smart is in his 17th season as a head coach and his fifth at Marquette. He's had success at every stop along the way, as he's approaching 400 career victories as a head coach.
Smart is most famously known for leading VCU to the Final Four during the 2010-11 season, just his second season at the helm. He spent six total years with the Rams, making five NCAA Tournament appearances and winning 163 games in that span. The young head coach was then offered the head coaching job at Texas before the 2015-16 season.
In six years with the Longhorns, Smart's teams won at least 19 games five times, made three NCAA Tournament trips, and won the NIT in 2019. Following the 2020-21 campaign, Smart took the job at Marquette.
A Wisconsin native, Smart experienced nothing but success in his first four years with the Golden Eagles. Marquette won the Big East regular season and tournament titles at the end of the 2022-23 season. The program has played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last four seasons.
- Overall record: 375-188
- Record at Marquette: 103-46
Preview
It feels like Purdue-Marquette has become an annual non-conference matchup between the two programs. This will be the fourth straight year the Boilermakers and Golden Eagles have played, with some entertaining battles in the recent past.
That may not be the case this year. Marquette enters Saturday's game with a 5-5 record and has yet to defeat a power conference opponent. Purdue, on the other hand, is 9-1 and has suffered its only loss to a top-five Iowa State squad.
Shaka Smart has a program built on returning talent and incoming freshmen. The Golden Eagles didn't take a single player out of the transfer portal, which may have been a miss this season. Marquette still has some quality players in Chase Ross, Ben Gold, and Nigel James Jr., but Marquette struggles to defend and doesn't have a lot of quality depth.
Marquette is playing a Purdue team that is one of the top three-point shooting squads in the country, shooting better than 40% from distance. Smart's defense has been one of the worst at defending the three-point line this year.
Furthermore, Marquette doesn't force turnovers the same way it has in the past. Purdue should be able to get several quality looks in the paint and from long range, which could result in another blowout win for the Boilermakers.
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5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MARQUETTE: No. 6 Purdue hosts Marquette on Saturday afternoon in Mackey Arena. Here are five things to know about the Golden Eagles ahead of this weekend's matchup. 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.
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