Purdue Basketball's All-Time Record, Biggest Moments in Indianapolis
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This weekend, No. 6 Purdue will make the 66-mile trek down I-65 to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a top-25 showdown with No. 21 Auburn. It will be the fourth playing of the Indy Classic, an event for which the Boilermakers have enjoyed some success over the last three seasons.
With Purdue headed to Indiana's state capital for the weekend, I was curious to know what the team's all-time record was in games played in Indianapolis.
Purdue owns a 37-37 record in Indianapolis heading into Saturday's Indy Classic game against Auburn. Under coach Matt Painter, the Boilermakers are 22-22.
Over its last 12 games played in the season, the Boilers are 8-4. That record includes Big Ten and NCAA Tournament games. Three of those losses came last season, as Purdue suffered losses to Texas A&M in the Indy Classic, Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament, and Houston in the Sweet 16.
Here's a better breakdown of Purdue's performances in Indianapolis over the years.
Indy Classic
Purdue is 2-1 in the Indy Classic in the first three years of its existence. The Boilermakers logged wins over Davidson in 2022 and No. 1 Arizona in 2023 in the event's first two seasons. Last year, Purdue suffered a loss to Texas A&M.
Painter and his team are looking to improve to 3-1 in the Indy Classic with a win over Auburn on Saturday.
Results
- Dec. 17, 2022 — #1 Purdue def. Davidson 69-61
- Dec. 16, 2023 — #3 Purdue def. #1 Arizona 92-84
- Dec. 14, 2024 — #17 Texas A&M def. #11 Purdue 70-66
Purdue in Indy since 2016
The Boilermakers have enjoyed a lot of success in Indianapolis for the past decade. Since the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, Purdue has posted a 13-6 record in games played inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Purdue has struggled against ranked opponents in that stretch, though. Five of Purdue's six losses in that span have come to teams ranked in the Associated Press' top 25.
If you combine Purdue's record in the Crossroads Classic and the Indy Classic since 2016, the Boilermakers are 6-3.
Big wins in the Circle City
Purdue has had some monumental moments in Indianapolis over the years. We won't recap all of them, but here are a few of the biggest wins and moments the Boilermakers have enjoyed over the last 25 years inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse
2009 Big Ten Tournament champions
The Boilers finished tied for second in the Big Ten regular season standings with a nucleus that consisted of Robbie Hummel, Chris Kramer, E'Twaun Moore, and JaJuan Johnson. That group took its regular-season success and translated it into the Big Ten Tournament.
Purdue defeated Penn State, No. 25 Illinois, and Ohio State to win the program's first ever Big Ten Tournament title. Hummel was named the tournament's MVP and Moore and Johnson received All-Tournament Team honors.
Beating No. 1 Arizona twice
Both Painter and Gene Keady have had success against a top-ranked Arizona squad in Indianapolis. Keady's came first in 2000, when he guided an unranked Boilermaker team to a surprising 72-69 upset of the No. 1 Wildcats in the John Wooden Tradition game. Rodney Smith led the team with 20 points and Brett Buscher blocked a shot late in the game to seal the win.
Fast forward to the 2023-24 season, and Purdue played No. 1 Arizona again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, this time under Painter. The trio of Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith, and Zach Edey accounted for 75 of Purdue's 92 points and posted an impressive 92-84 victory over the Wildcats to improve to 10-1 on the year.
17-point comeback vs. Notre Dame
You have to go back to the 2016-17 campaign for this one. In a battle between the 15th-ranked Boilers and 21st-ranked Fighting Irish, all signs pointed to an easy Notre Dame win. Mike Brey's team jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first half and owned a 52-38 advantage at halftime.
Caleb Swanigan and Vincent Edwards had big performances in the second half, though, leading Purdue to a brilliant comeback and an 86-81 win. Swanigan ended the game with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Edwards had 22 points, also with 10 boards.
Run to the Final Four starts in Indy
Purdue's run to the Final Four in 2024 began in Indianapolis. A No. 1 seed for a second straight year, the Boilers played No. 16 Grambling and No. 8 Utah State in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilers had no trouble in either game, winning by a combined average margin of victory of 33.5 points. Fans don't need a reminder that Purdue would then go on to defeat Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 and Tennessee in the Elite Eight in Detroit to advance to the program's first Final Four since 1980.
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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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