LOOK: 'Purdue Still Loves Mason Gillis' Sign Spotted at Duke-Virginia Game
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Mason Gillis may have traded in his Purdue uniform for a Duke jersey, but the former Boilermaker is still beloved by fans of his former school. Just in case he had doubts about that, one Virginia band member wanted to remind him of it.
Monday night, Duke traveled to Virginia for an ACC showdown. Gillis played 15 minutes, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out an assist in an 80-62 win for the third-ranked Blue Devils.
At one point in the game, a member of the UVA band held up a sign that read, "Purdue still loves Mason Gillis." It was captured on television for all to see.
Seen on TV during Duke game.
— Kelly Hallinan (@kellyhals) February 18, 2025
Virginia band member showing Mason Gillis some love. pic.twitter.com/pmMFYyitnp
Gillis spent five years at Purdue, redshirting in 2019-20 before becoming an integral member of the team over the next four seasons. With one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 waiver, Gillis decided to transfer to Duke for his final season.
In his four seasons at Purdue, Gillis averaged 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He was a member of a program that won two Big Ten regular season championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and reached the National Championship Game in 2024.
Gillis set a Mackey Arena record in 2023, making nine 3-pointers against Penn State. In 2024, he was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.
So far this season, Gillis is averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game for the Blue Devils.
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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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