Purdue men’s basketball has another upper-tier nonconference series in the works,
Villanova coach Kevin Willard said on the “Inside College Basketball Now” podcast the Wildcats are working on scheduling a home-and-home series with the Boilermakers to begin in 2027. IndyStar confirmed the programs have discussed scheduling each other.
Willard did not specify whether Villanova’s home game would be played on campus at Finneran Pavilion, or in downtown Philadelphia at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Purdue has looked for semi-neutral return agreements as part of the Indy Classic, including a recent series against Auburn.
Purdue is already scheduled to play Tennessee in Knoxville on Dec. 11, 2027. It traditionally plays two or three power conference or high-major opponents in addition to two or three games in a multi-team event around Thanksgiving. This coming season, for instance, it plays Gonzaga on a neutral court, at Iowa State to conclude a home-and-home agreement, and at home against the Volunteers to begin one.
Purdue and Villanova have played three times since 2016 in one-off games. The Wildcats won 79-76 in 2016 as part of the Gavitt Games series between the Big Ten and Big East. Carsen Edwards scored 42 points in an 87-61 victory in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Purdue also won 80-74 in the championship game of the 2021 Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena.
All of those games came with Jay Wright as the Wildcats’ coach. Purdue has a relationship with Willard from his recent three-year stint at Maryland. Last season was his first with Villanova, going 24-9 and finishing third in the Big East.
Villanova plays Big Ten teams Michigan and Wisconsin in the season ahead. He said tournament expansion to 76 teams further encouraged him to schedule “as many good games as possible.
He also said more resources spent on teams should in turn create more major matchups. Villanova does not offer FBS football, which allow it use more of the revenue share cap – over $21 million for 2026-27 – to men’s basketball.
“I think everyone in college basketball should push to play more big-level games,” Willard told Jon Rothstein on the podcast. “Especially with what some of these NIL payrolls are. If we’re going to spend $20 million on payroll – the NBA doesn’t play bye games. The NBA plays everybody.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Big East coach hints at scheduling series with Purdue basketball. What we know
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
