Biggest Takeaways From Purdue Women's Basketball's 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule
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Less than two months remain until the Purdue women's basketball team officially tips off the 2026-27 campaign. On Thursday, the Boilermakers officially released their complete non-conference schedule for the upcoming year.
Purdue is coming off a 2025-26 season in which it posted a 13-17 record and went 5-13 in conference play. The Boilermakers earned the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Coach Katie Gearlds and her staff hit the transfer portal in the offseason and brought in six new players from the transfer portal and four more from overseas. In total, the Boilermakers have seven international players on the roster and return four players from last year's squad: Avery Gordon, McKenna Layden, Saige Stahl and Taylor Henderson.
Let's take a look at Purdue's non-conference schedule, followed by a few thoughts about the slate.
Purdue's 2026-27 non-conference schedule
The Boilermakers will play 12 non-conference games this coming season. Here's the complete schedule. Home games are in bold:
- Saturday, Oct. 24 — vs. UIC (exhibition)
- Monday, Nov. 2 — vs. IU Indy
- Thursday, Nov. 5 — vs. Eastern Michigan
- Tuesday, Nov. 10 — vs. Southeast Missouri State
- Sunday, Nov. 15 — vs. Samford
- Thursday, Nov. 19 — vs. Florida State (WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Fla.)
- Saturday, Nov. 21 — vs. Texas Tech (WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Fla.)
- Wednesday, Nov. 25 — vs. Murray State
- Sunday, Nov. 29 — vs. UT-Martin
- Thursday, Dec. 10 — vs. Central Michigan
- Sunday, Dec. 13 — vs. Eastern Illinois
- Saturday, Dec. 19 — at Dayton
- Tuesday, Dec. 22 — vs. Western Michigan
75% of the non-conference slate is at home
Purdue has the benefit of playing a majority of its non-conference games at home this year. The Boilermakers will be in Mackey Arena for nine of the team's 12 contests, with only one true road game (Dec. 19 at Dayton).
Last year, Gearlds' team went on the road three times, suffering losses to No. 20 Kentucky, Central Michigan and Purdue-Fort Wayne. This year, the Boilermakers are only playing one mid-major opponent away from Mackey Arena.
The Boilers also open the year with four straight home games, five if you include the exhibition contest. It's a beneficial schedule to begin the year with a brand new team.
Only two power conference opponents
Because the Big Ten is such a grueling league, it's important for Purdue to collect wins early in the season. This year, it will only play two opponents from power conferences. The Boilermakers are headed to the WBCA Showcase to play Florida State and Texas Tech at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex.
Those will likely be the two most challenging games for the Boilermakers in non-conference play. Florida State ended the 2025-26 season with a 10-21 record and a 5-13 mark in the ACC. Texas Tech, on the other hand, went 26-8, was ranked No. 22 nationally and earned a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
An opportunity to gain momentum before Big Ten play
With nine home games and 10 matchups with mid-major programs, Purdue has a tremendous opportunity ahead. The Boilermakers are giving themselves a chance to rack up some wins in non-conference play and head into the Big Ten with some momentum.
The conference is expected to be a grind again during the 2026-27 season, making wins difficult to come by. If Purdue can get some confidence early in the year, it may help this group of newcomers develop chemistry and perform at a higher level when league play rolls around.
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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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