The 2026–27 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team will represent Purdue University in the 2026–27 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach is Matt Painter, who is in his 22nd season with the Boilermakers. The Boilermakers will play their home games at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana as members of the Big Ten Conference.
Previous season The Boilermakers entered the 2025–26 season ranked #1 overall. Prior to the regular season, they won the Bahamas Championship, defeating Texas Tech in the final. The Boilermakers finished the regular season 23–8 (13–7 in the Big Ten). They then won the Big Ten Championship, defeating Michigan in the final. As champions, they received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region. There they defeated Queens in the first round and Miami in the second round to make the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row. They then defeated Texas to make the Elite 8, where they lost to Arizona.
Offseason Coaching changes On April 14, 2026, Purdue assistant coach Terry Johnson announced he was stepping down from his position as assistant coach, citing a desire to "pursue other professional opportunities". Johnson had been an assistant coach for 5 years, starting in the 2021–22 season. He is being replaced by former Purdue player Kenneth Lowe, who played for Purdue from 1999 to 2004 and was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Lowe previously spent time on the coaching staff of St. Thomas (Minnesota) and Miami (Ohio). Additionally, P.J. Thompson was promoted to associate head coach.
Departures Purdue departures Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure 2 G 6'5" 180 Sr Fort Wayne, IN Graduated. Declared for the 2026 NBA draft; signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as undrafted free agent. 3 G 6'0" 170 Sr Westfield, IN Graduated. Declared for the 2026 NBA draft; selected 38th overall by the Chicago Bulls (traded to Indiana Pacers). 4 F 6'9" 240 Sr Sellersburg, IN Graduated. Declared for the 2026 NBA draft; selected 59th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. 5 F 6'8" 225 Sr Staten Island, NY Graduated 6 G 6'2" 190 Fr Noblesville, IN Transferred to Ball State 45 C 6'11" 255 Sr Sunshine Coast, Australia Graduated. Declared for the 2026 NBA draft; signed with the Houston Rockets as undrafted free agent.
Incoming transfers On February 13, 2026, former Princeton forward Caden Pierce committed to play for Purdue over offers from UConn, Duke, Louisville, and Gonzaga. Pierce is a 6'7" forward, and averaged 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game across 3 seasons. He was named the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year after averaging 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. He is the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce. Purdue incoming transfersNameNumberPosHeightWeightYearHometownPrevious schoolYears remainingDate eligible 8 F 6'7" 220 Rs-Sr Glen Ellyn, IL Princeton 1 October 1, 2026
Recruiting classes 2026 recruiting class
2027 recruiting class
Preseason Going into the 2026–27 season, Purdue is losing over 60% of the 2025-26 scoring production. Andy Katz of NCAA.com ranked Purdue at #19 in his preseason Power 44 rankings.
Roster
Schedule and results
!colspan=9 style="" |Summer International Trip
!colspan=9 style=""|Exhibition
!colspan=9 style=""|Regular season
!colspan=9 style=""|
Source
Rankings
References