Live Game Thread & Updates for No. 5 Purdue vs. Washington

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the first time, No. 5 Purdue will host Washington at Mackey Arena. The Huskies have traveled to West Lafayette twice, but that was before the iconic hoops cathedral opened its doors.

Purdue Boilermakers on SI will have a live game thread to provide news, analysis, and updates live throughout the night. Refresh this page often for the latest information as the Boilers host the Huskies in a Big Ten clash.

#5 Purdue vs. Washington live game blog

2nd half

FINAL — Purdue 81, Washington 73. Things got interesting at the end, with the Huskies making a late push and the Boilermakers leaving the door cracked.

Braden Smith ended the night with 23 points and 7 assists. Trey Kaufman-Renn had 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. CJ Cox had 11 points.

Washington was led by Hannes Steinbach, who scored 17 points. Quimari Peterson had 15, Zoom Diallo finished with 14 and Franck Kepnang ended with 10.

3:49 — Oscar Cluff was whistle for a foul and, after review, it was upgraded to a flagrant. Big call as Purdue's lead is now down to 12 points after Hannes Steinbach knocks down one of two free throws.

4:10 — Washington is hanging around. It would take a lot, but the lead for Purdue is down to 13 points at 71-58.

6:56 — We've hit the third media timeout and Purdue's lead is 69-53. Omer Mayer hit another big three to push Purdue's lead back up to 16 points. He has eight for the night.

8:13 — After Purdue owned a 21-point lead at one point in this second half, Washington has cut it down to 14 at 64-50. Matt Painter has taken a timeout. The Boilermakers have missed their last four shots and haven't scored in two minutes. The Huskies are on an 8-0 run.

9:14 — Washington's Frank Kepnang fouls out after essentially tossing Daniel Jacobsen to the floor. Jacobsen then immediately picks up his third foul trying to go for an offensive rebound.

11:53 — Second media tiemout and Purdue leads 60-40. Braden Smith came in after sitting to start the second half and quickly scored five points and dished out an assist. He's up to 13 points and five assists for the game. Trey Kaufman-Renn on the verge of another double-double with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

15:58 — A goaltending call against Purdue takes us to the first media timeout of the second half with the Boilermakers leading 53-34. Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn have each scored four points in the first four minutes of the half.

17:54 — The second half is starting similar to the first half. The Boilermakers open up a 6-0 run and take a 51-28 advantage, their largest lead of the game.

20:00 — Due to his three fouls, Braden Smith did not start the second half.

Highlights

Omer Mayer before the buzzer 👏 @BoilerBall

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/Q6uUMOPhNY
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 8, 2026

Great look by Braden Smith 🤩 @BoilerBall

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/i62F4bxqfZ
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 8, 2026

Daniel Jacobsen with the slam 💪 @BoilerBall

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/nFtbkI3VNz
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 8, 2026

The Boilermakers get things started early 👏 @BoilerBall

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/Yp9tBGsFZe
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 8, 2026

1st half

HALF — Purdue 45, Washington 28. Omer Mayer hits a fadeaway shot as time expires to end the half. It wasn't a pretty half, but the Boilermakers still lead the Huskies by 17 points. Purdue's CJ Cox and Washington's Zoom Diallo both have 9 points to lead all scorers. Trey Kaufman-Renn has 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Braden Smith has 8 points, 4 assists and 3 fouls.

3:45 — Final media timeout of the half and Purdue leads 38-22. CJ Cox leads Purdue with 9 points and Washington is led by Zoom Diallo with 7. The Huskies currently have more turnovers (8) than field goals (7).

4:21 — Braden Smith just picked up his third foul and will take a seat, presumably for the remainder of the half. Purdue still leads Washington 36-22, but that's a significant hit for the Boilers.

7:07 — Purdue comes out of the timeout and gets a bucket from Trey Kaufman-Renn and a four-point play from CJ Cox. The Boilermakers' lead is suddenly up to 16 points after two big possessions.

7:51 — We've reached the third media timeout and Purdue leads Washington 25-15. The Boilers got off to that hot start, but Washington has essentially played even the rest of the way. The Huskies are just 5-of-18 from the floor and have 8 turnovers.

9:25 — Big development as Braden Smith picked up his second foul early in the first half. He's been able to play through fouls in the second halves of games this year, but this one came too early and he takes a seat. How will the Boilers respond?

10:58 — Second media timeout and Purdue leads Washington 21-13. Daniel Jacobsen has come in and has been a lot for the Huskies to handle. He has six points, scoring four off of alley-oops. Braden Smith still leads the way with eight points for the Boilermakers.

15:51 — After jumping out to a 9-0 lead, Washington hit a couple of three-pointers to quiet down the Mackey Arena crowd, at least momentarily. We've reached the first media timeout and Purdue owns an 11-6 advantage. Both Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith have four early points. Washington has four turnovers.

18:37 — Purdue could not have asked for a better start. The Boilermakers have forced two turnovers and an airball from Washington so far. The Boilermakers have an early 7-0 lead.

Pregame

Braden Smith is honored as the Big Ten's career assist leader and receives a nice ovation from the crowd.

Washington's starters — #0 Quimari Peterson (G), #1 Desmond Claude (G), #5 Zoom Diallo (G), #6 Hannes Steinbach (F), #11 Franck Kepnang (C).

Purdue's starters — #0 CJ Cox (G), #2 Fletcher Loyer (G), #3 Braden Smith (G), #4 Trey Kaufman-Renn (F), #45 Oscar Cluff (C).

Availability reports have been released. Purdue has a clean bill of health. Washington will be without Jasir Richardson, Mady Traore, Lathan Sommerville, and Jacob Ognacevic. Wesley Yates III is questionable.

Tipoff between No. 5 Purdue and Washington is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on Big Ten Network.

How to watch #5 Purdue vs. Washington

What: Big Ten Conference game
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026
Tipoff time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876 capacity)
TV: Big Ten Network
App: FOX Sports
Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Jordan Taylor (analyst), Andy Katz (reporter)
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 132 or 195; 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. Washington 6-1
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Purdue has a 91.9% chance to defeat Washington

Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter!