The Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team are the men's college basketball program that represent Purdue University. They compete in NCAA Division I and are a founding member of the Big Ten Conference.
Purdue basketball has the most Big Ten regular season championships with 26 conference titles, 3 Big Ten tournament championships, and in 2024 became the first Big Ten program to be ranked as the #1 team in America for three consecutive seasons. , Purdue also holds a winning record against all other Big Ten schools in head-to-head match ups.
The Boilermakers have reached three NCAA Tournament Final Fours and two NCAA championship games but have not won an NCAA Championship. The 1931–32 team was retroactively named a national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and was listed as the top team of the season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Neither the Helms nor Premo-Porretta designations are recognized by the NCAA as official national championships, despite the NCAA referencing Helms's historical findings. Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No. 1 picks in the NBA draft.
Purdue's main rival is the Indiana Hoosiers.
History
1896–1916: The early years
The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA, which they won 34–19. In the 1902–03 season, head coach C.I. Freeman, in his only season, led them to an undefeated 8–0 record. Upon conclusion of the season, the university recognized the popularity of the sport and made it part of the Purdue University Athletic Association. The Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference three years later, with its first championship coming in 1911 under the direction of Ralph Jones.
1917–1946: Ward Lambert era
In 1917, Ward "Piggy" Lambert, a former basketball player at Wabash College, was named head coach of the Boilermakers. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference and national level. Under Lambert, Purdue became a front-runner in the development of the fast-paced game as it is today. In 28 seasons, Lambert mentored 16 All-Americans and 31 First Team All-Big Ten selections, which included the 1932 National Player of the Year John Wooden. Wooden was the first college player to be named a Consensus All-American three times. Lambert compiled a career record of 371–152, a .709 winning percentage. His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indiana's Bob Knight, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Purdue's current head coach Matt Painter, and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady. Lambert won an unprecedented 11 Big Ten Championships, which Bobby Knight later tied for most in conference history. In 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively recognized Purdue as its national champion for 1932. The Premo-Porretta Power Poll later recognized the Boilermakers as the top team of the 1932 season as well. The NCAA, however, does not officially recognize this designation, although it does list the Helms findings in their record books.
1950–1965: Ray Eddy era
Ward Lambert announced his resignation on January 23, 1946. That same year and the year following, under new head coach Mel Taube, Purdue won both meetings against coach John Wooden's Indiana State team. On February 24, 1947, three students were killed (one of whom died the next day) and 166 people were taken to hospitals after the 3,400-student section of the Purdue Fieldhouse collapsed during a game against Wisconsin.
Center Paul Hoffman became the only Boiler to be named a First Team-All Big Ten selection four times in 1947. With third overall-picked teammate Ed "Bulbs" Ehlers (who played for John Wooden at South Bend Central High School), the two were the first players in the program's history to be selected in the NBA draft, while Paul Hoffman became the BAA's (original title of the NBA) first player named Rookie of the Year in 1948.
After Mel Taube's four-and-a-half seasons, Ray Eddy, a former player and teammate of Wooden's under Lambert, took over as head coach. During his 15-year tenure, he coached Terry Dischinger and Dave Schellhase, both Consensus All-Americans, and Ernie Hall, the first Purdue junior college transfer and African-American player to wear a Boilermaker uniform. In 1955, his team played one of the longest games in college basketball history, lasting six overtimes in a loss to Minnesota.
1966–1979: George King era
Over the next few decades the Boilermakers enjoyed moderate success, culminating in 1969 when they won their first conference title in 29 years and advanced to the 1969 NCAA Finals game under head coach George King and led by All-American Rick Mount, where they fell to former Purdue great John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins squad. Former Los Angeles Lakers coach/general manager, Fred Schaus, who also spent time as West Virginia's head coach, took over the program after George King stepped down to become solely the school's athletic director. Schaus led the Boilermakers to the 1974 NIT Championship, becoming the first Big Ten team to capture the NIT title. In the 1978–79 season, new head coach Lee Rose introduced Purdue basketball to a new approach with a slowed-down, controlled style of play. With All-American center Joe Barry Carroll, he led them to the 1979 NIT Finals and to a 1980 NCAA Final Four appearance.
1980–2005: Gene Keady era
In 1980, Gene Keady, the head coach of Western Kentucky and former assistant to Eddie Sutton with the Arkansas Razorbacks, was named the new head coach of the Boilermakers. Over the next 25 years, Keady led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten Championships, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances with two Elite Eights and no Final Fours. Purdue received their highest Associated Press and Coaches Poll ranking in its program's history during the 1987–88 season, where they were ranked as high as 2nd in the nation. (They were ranked 1st in the nation for the first time during the 2021–2022 season.) In 1991, Keady and assistant coach Frank Kendrick recruited Glenn Robinson, who ultimately became an All-American and Purdue's second-named National Player of the Year. A few years later, Purdue managed to recruit the program's first of several foreign players when they picked up Matt ten Dam from the Netherlands. In December 1997, Keady became Purdue's all-time winningest head coach, surpassing Lambert with his 372nd win. He also became the second-winningest coach in Big Ten history behind Indiana's Bobby Knight, against whom Keady went 21–20 in head-to-head meetings. Soon afterward, the playing surface at Mackey Arena was named Keady Court in his honor.
Many of Keady's former assistant coaches and players throughout the years have gone on to enjoy success as head coaches. Included in the Gene Keady coaching tree is current Purdue head coach Matt Painter, former St. John's head coach Steve Lavin, former Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Stallings, former Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber, former Wisconsin-Green Bay head coach Linc Darner, former UNC Charlotte head coach Alan Major, former Missouri and current Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin, former Missouri State head coach and current Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk, and former Illinois State head coach Dan Muller.
Following the 1998–99 season, the NCAA placed Purdue on two years' probation due to minor violations over recruiting, benefits, and ethics. Purdue also lost one scholarship per season for the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons. Most severely, Purdue assistant Frank Kendrick was found to have provided an illegal benefit to Purdue player Luther Clay, who transferred to Rhode Island after his freshman year, namely a $4,000 bank loan. Clay was found to be ineligible due to his extra benefit, so Purdue forfeited all 19 victories in which Clay played, including one win in the 1996 NCAA tournament.
2005–present: Matt Painter era
Matt Painter played for Gene Keady during the early 1990s, with Keady naming him captain in his senior year in 1993. After one season at Southern Illinois as the head coach after Bruce Weber left north for Illinois, Painter was hired as a planned replacement for Keady for the 2004–05 season as Keady's associate head coach. After a first season marred with injuries and suspensions from off-court altercations, Painter re-energized Purdue basketball in the summer of 2006 by signing the top recruiting class in the conference and made one of the biggest turnarounds in the program's history. His "Baby Boilers" developed into three eventual All-Americans, including 2011 consensus selection JaJuan Johnson, that led Purdue to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances, a Big Ten title, and a conference tournament championship.
During the 2010 season, Matt Painter led the Boilermakers to a school record-tying 14–0 start, as well with the most wins in a season with a 29–6 record and a Big Ten title. The season ended in disappointment, however, as Junior Robbie Hummel was sidelined with an ACL injury in February of that season. The following year anticipated the return of Hummel, E'Twaun Moore, and Johnson. This excitement was quickly tempered when Hummel re-tore his ACL on the first practice of the season, sidelining him for its duration once again. Despite Hummel's absence, Purdue remained in the top ten most of the season, being ranked as high as 6th and finished the regular season with a 26–8 record. At the conclusion of the 2010–2011 season, Johnson and Moore declared for the NBA draft. On June 23, 2011, both Johnson and Moore were drafted to the Boston Celtics in the first and second rounds, respectively.
Purdue began the 2012 season with a 12–3 record, holding the fifth best home winning streak in the nation with 27, before leading the nation with the fewest turnover average per game. The home winning streak was lost during the 2012 season to Alabama. They finished with a 10–8 conference record, giving Purdue its sixth consecutive 22+ win season, the best in the program's history. In the 2012 NBA draft, Robbie Hummel was the 58th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The following two seasons brought slim success, missing out on both the NCAA Tournament and the NIT. They accepted a bid in the 2013 CBI, where they lost in the second round to Santa Clara. After a moderate 8–5 preseason campaign during the 2015 season, Purdue finished 3rd in the conference after finishing last the season prior. The 2015 season ended after losing to Cincinnati in overtime. It was the first time the program lost its opener in the NCAA Tournament since 1993, breaking a 14-game win streak. After making it back to the NCAA tourney, the program landed its biggest recruit in nearly a quarter century when Fort Wayne native Caleb Swanigan, a top ten recruit, de-committed from Michigan State. They opened the 2016 season with an 11–0 record, while setting a program record with consecutive double-digit victories and were ranked as high as 9th in the nation. That season ended with an NCAA First Round loss to Little Rock with a 26–9 record. In May 2016, it was announced that the 2017–18 Purdue team would represent the U.S. at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei. The team went on to win the silver medal at the Games, winning every game until losing to Lithuania in the gold medal game.