Why Dan Hurley Considers Purdue Among the 'Best Programs' in College Basketball

Before UConn prepared to play Purdue in an exhibition game, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley paid an ultimate compliment to Matt Painter and the Boilermakers.

Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley shakes hands with Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Dan Hurley has only had to prepare for Purdue one time during his time at UConn, but he's not a stranger to the success Matt Painter and the Boilermakers have enjoyed.

On Tuesday night, Purdue and UConn will meet at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn., the final exhibition contest for both teams. It's the first meeting between the programs since the 2024 National Championship Game and just the second time Hurley and Painter have coached against each other.

Although Purdue is one of the top programs in college basketball, Hurley is excited to prepare for the Boilermakers. He also considers Painter's programs one of the best in the country.

"Purdue does it as well as anybody. You hold them in such high regard, with the Michigan States, the Dukes, all the best programs, very classy programs," Hurley said, per David Borgess of CTInsider.com. "They have great coaching, really talented players, class acts. From a coaching standpoint, even though you know you could lose, you enjoy preparing for them because you're watching really good basketball.

"You're watching a team with an offensive system and style where I'm going to steal things from. I'm not going to use it against them when we play them, because that would be kind of embarrassing. But once this game is over, I'm going to steal a couple of concepts I've watched them utilize in their first couple of exhibition games."

So, if you're watching an UConn games this season and see anything that looks familiar on television, it may be something Hurley copied from Painter's playbook.

Two successful programs

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UConn and Purdue have been among the most successful programs in college basketball since the 2022-23 season. The Huskies won back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024 and returning to the National Championship Game in 2026.

Purdue won Big Ten titles in 2023 and 2024, and also won two Big Ten Tournament championships in 2023 and 2026. The Boilermakers reached the National Championship Game in 2024 (falling to UConn) and have made it to the Sweet 16 each of the last three years.

Over the last four seasons, Purdue and UConn have combined to post an impressive 243-60 (.802) record.

Tuesday night's game won't count in the win-loss column, but it will serve as a great gauge for both programs moving forward. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed on UConn-Plus.

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