Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball


The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball has the most Big Ten Championships with 24. The Boilermakers have reached two NCAA Tournament Final Fours. The 1931–32 team was retroactively named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No. 1 picks in the NBA draft.

1896–1916: The early years

The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA. 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 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 1932 national champion as well.

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 would win both meetings against coach John Wooden's Indiana State team. On February 24, 1947, three students were killed 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, 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 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 would enjoy 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 would fall 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 and 17 NCAA Tournament appearances with two Elite Eights. 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. 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, Pittsburgh head coach Kevin Stallings, Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber, Wisconsin-Green Bay head coach Linc Darner, UNC Charlotte head coach Alan Major, Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin, Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk and 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

As the Keady era came to a close in 2005, the Matt Painter era began. Painter played for 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 Coach Keady for the 2004–05 season as Keady's associate head coach. After a disappointing 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 relative disappointment, however, as Junior Robbie Hummel was sidelined with an ACL injury in February of that season. The following year, and with the anticipated return of Hummel, E'Twaun Moore, and Johnson, Purdue looked poised to have one of its program's finest seasons. 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 got back on track, finishing 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 tourny, 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 would go on to win the Silver Medal at the Games, winning every game until losing to Lithuania in the Gold Medal game.
Purdue won the outright 2017 Big Ten Conference title, along with Caleb Swanigan being named unanimous B1G Player of the Year. In the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Purdue reached the Sweet Sixteen, losing to #1 seed Kansas. In the 2017-2018 season, Purdue, led by seniors Vince Edwards, Isaac Haas, PJ Thompson, Dakota Mathias and sophomore Carsen Edwards, spent several weeks at #3 while being on a program record and nation-leading 19-game winning streak. During that time, the Boilers led the nation in scoring margin, points per game, three-point shooting, and was one of only two teams with a top 3 ranking in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Purdue missed out on a consecutive B1G title after losing to Wisconsin, finishing 2nd in the conference at 15–3. The Boilers were seeded 4th in the Big Ten Tournament, where they beat Rutgers and Penn State to reach the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the second time in three years. They faced a familiar opponent in Michigan, whom they had already faced two other times throughout that season, Purdue winning both meetings. However, Michigan beat Purdue 75–66 to become Big Ten Tournament Champions for the second straight season.
Purdue was seeded 2nd in the East Region of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, their highest seed in recent history. In the first round, they faced Cal State Fullerton Titans, winning 74-48. However, many Purdue fan's hearts broke in the second half of the game, as senior Center Isaac Haas fell on his elbow as he fought for a rebound, and broke his elbow as he hit the ground, ending his Purdue Basketball career. Purdue's second round game was against Butler Bulldogs, whom Purdue had already played earlier in the season. The Boilers would win the game on a last second shot by Dakota Mathias, winning 76–73 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season. In the Sweet Sixteen, Purdue faced the third seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Boilers would go on to lose in disappointing fashion 65-78, ending their season with 30 wins, the most wins in program history.
In 2019, Purdue was seeded 3rd in the South Region of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, after another strong season. In the first round, they destroyed a 26–8 Old Dominion team that was coming off a Conference USA championship, winning 61–48. In the second round, they handedly defeated #6 seed Villanova, sending the defending champs home early after an 87–61 victory, and advancing to their third straight Sweet Sixteen under Matt Painter. The Boilermakers ran into their first real test with the #2 Tennessee Volunteers. After a back and forth contest that included 17 lead changes and needed overtime to be decided, Purdue came out victorious, beating the Vols 99–94 to reach their first Elite Eight in nearly 20 years. In the Elite Eight, Purdue faced the #1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers in what would be another back and forth thriller. After several lead changes throughout the game, Purdue led 70–67 with 5.9 seconds left and looked to be headed to their first Final Four since 1980 when Virginia's Ty Jerome missed the second free throw of two. Virginia was able to come up with the offensive rebound however, and after chasing down the loose ball, Mamadi Diakite nailed a Hail Mary - type jumpshot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. The Boilers were once again looking towards the big dance, leading 75–74 with 43 seconds to go, but Virginia was able to hold Purdue scoreless over the final minute and prevailed 80–75, ending the Boilermakers season with 26 wins and their first Elite Eight appearance since 2000.

Boilermaker home courts

Results by season (1980–present)

NCAA tournament results

The Boilermakers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 31 times. Their combined record is 42–31; due to use of an ineligible player, Purdue vacated one win and one loss from the 1996 NCAA Tournament, resulting in an adjusted official NCAA Tournament record of 41–30.
1969Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship		Miami
Marquette
North Carolina
UCLA		W 91–71
W 75–73
W 92–65
L 72–95
1977First RoundNorth CarolinaL 66–69
1980#6First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game		#11 La Salle
  1. 3 St. John's
  2. 2 Indiana
  3. 4 Duke
  4. 8 UCLA
  5. 5 Iowa
W 90–82W 87–72
W 76–69
W 68–60
L 62–67
W 75–58
1983#5First Round
Second Round		#12 Robert Morris
  1. 4 Arkansas
W 55–53L 68–78
1984#3Second Round#6 MemphisL 48–66
1985#6First Round#11 AuburnL 58–59
1986#6First Round#11 LSUL 87–94 2OT
1987#3First Round
Second Round		#14 Northeastern
  1. 6 Florida
W 104–95L 66–85
1988#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#16 Fairleigh Dickinson
  1. 9 Memphis
  2. 4 Kansas State
W 94–79W 100–73
L 70–73
1990#2First Round
Second Round		#15 Northeast Louisiana
  1. 10 Texas
W 75–63L 72–73
1991#7First Round#10 TempleL 63–80
1993#9First Round#8 Rhode IslandL 68–74
1994#1First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#16 UCF
  1. 9 Alabama
  2. 4 Kansas
  3. 2 Duke
W 98–67W 83–73
W 83–78
L 60–69
1995#3First Round
Second Round		#14 Green Bay
  1. 6 Memphis
W 49–48L 73–75
1996#1First Round
Second Round		#16 Western Carolina
  1. 8 Georgia
W 73–71*L 69–76*
1997#8First Round
Second Round		#9 Rhode Island
  1. 1 Kansas
W 83–76 OTL 61–75
1998#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#15 Delaware
  1. 10 Detroit
  2. 3 Stanford
W 95–56W 80–65
L 59–67
1999#10First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#7 Texas
  1. 2 Miami
  2. 6 Temple
W 58–54W 73–63
L 55–77
2000#6First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#11 Dayton
  1. 3 Oklahoma
  2. 10 Gonzaga
  3. 8 Wisconsin
W 62–61W 66–62
W 75–66
L 60–64
2003#9First Round
Second Round		#8 LSU
  1. 1 Texas
W 80–56L 67–77
2007#9First Round
Second Round		#8 Arizona
  1. 1 Florida
W 72–63L 67–74
2008#6First Round
Second Round		#11 Baylor
  1. 3 Xavier
W 90–79L 78–85
2009#5First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#12 Northern Iowa
  1. 4 Washington
  2. 1 Connecticut
W 61–56W 76–74
L 60–72
2010#4First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#13 Siena
  1. 5 Texas A&M
  2. 1 Duke
W 72–64W 63–61 OT
L 57–70
2011#3First Round
Second Round		#14 Saint Peter's
  1. 11 VCU
W 65–43L 76–94
2012#10First Round
Second Round		#7 Saint Mary's
  1. 2 Kansas
W 72–69L 60–63
2015#9First Round#8 CincinnatiL 65–66 OT
2016#5First Round#12 Little RockL 83–85 2OT
2017#4First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#13 Vermont
  1. 5 Iowa State
  2. 1 Kansas
W 80–70W 80–76
L 66–98
2018#2First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		#15 Cal State Fullerton
  1. 10 Butler
  2. 3 Texas Tech
W 74–48W 76–73
L 65–78
2019#3First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		#14 Old Dominion
  1. 6 Villanova
  2. 2 Tennessee
  3. 1 Virginia
W 61–48W 87–61
W 99–94 OT
L 75–80 OT

The Boilermakers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament eight times. Their combined record is 20–7. They were NIT champions in 1974.
1971First RoundSt. BonaventureL 79–94
1974First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final		North Carolina
Hawaii
Jacksonville
Utah		W 82–71
W 85–72
W 78–63
W 87–81
1979First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final		Central Michigan
Dayton
Old Dominion
Alabama
Indiana		W 97–80
W 84–70
W 67–59
W 87–68
L 52–53
1981First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game		Rhode Island
Dayton
Duke
Syracuse
West Virginia		W 84–58
W 50–46
W 81–69
L 63–70
W 75–72
1982First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final		WKU
Rutgers
Texas A&M
Georgia
Bradley		W 72–65
W 98–65
W 86–69
W 61–60
L 58–67
1992First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Butler
TCU
Florida		W 82–56
W 67–51
L 52–73
2001First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals		Illinois State
Auburn
Alabama		W 90–79
W 90–60
L 77–85
2004First RoundNotre DameL 59–71

CBI results

The Boilermakers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational one time. Their record is 1–1.
2013First Round
Quarterfinals		Western Illinois
Santa Clara		W 81–67
L 83–86

NCIT results

The Boilermakers appeared in one of the only two ever National Commissioners Invitational Tournaments. Their record is 1–1.
1975Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Missouri
Arizona		W 87–74
L 96–102

Awards and honors

National Awards

National Player of the Year (2)

Consensus All-American Selections (19)

State Farm*
USA Today^
NABC#

Third Team All-Americans (8)

Fox Sports*
Yahoo.com**
The Sporting News^

Honorable Mention All-Americans (7)

Second Team*

Big Ten Conference awards

Big Ten Player of the Year">Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year">Big Ten Player of the Year (4)

All data taken from

Academic All-Big Ten (72)

Record vs. Big Ten opponents

The Purdue Boilermakers lead the all-time series with every Big Ten opponent except Ohio State.
OpponentWinsLossesPct.Streak
Illinois10287.537Purdue 4
Indiana12289.578Purdue 5
Iowa9076.542Purdue 2
Maryland53.625Maryland 1
Michigan8871.553Michigan 2
Michigan State6955.556Purdue 1
Minnesota10485.550Minnesota 2
Nebraska165.762Purdue 3
Northwestern12946.737Purdue 6
Ohio State8890.494Purdue 2
Penn State3912.765Purdue 9
Rutgers121.923Purdue 10
Wisconsin10971.606Purdue 1

As of the completion of 2018–19 season.

Individual career records

  1. Rick Mount
  2. Joe Barry Carroll
  3. E'Twaun Moore
  4. Dave Schellhase
  5. Troy Lewis
  6. Terry Dischinger
  7. Carsen Edwards
  8. JaJuan Johnson
  9. Walter Jordan
  10. Robbie Hummel
  11. Keith Edmonson
  12. Glenn Robinson
  13. Todd Mitchell
  14. Chad Austin
  15. Cuonzo Martin
  16. Vincent Edwards
  17. John Garrett
  18. Jaraan Cornell
  19. A. J. Hammons
  20. Brian Cardinal
  21. Isaac Haas
  22. Mel McCants
  23. Brad Miller
  24. Russell Cross
  25. Eugene Parker
  26. David Teague
  27. Willie Deane
  28. Mike Robinson
  29. Terone Johnson
  30. Frank Kendrick
  31. Drake Morris
  32. Bob Ford
  33. Mel Garland
  34. Bruce Parkinson
  35. Carl Landry
  36. Matt Waddell
  37. Jerry Sichting
  38. Steve Scheffler
  39. Dakota Mathias
  40. Herm Gilliam
  41. Larry Weatherford
  42. Joe Sexson
  43. Steve Reid
  44. Kenneth Lowe
  45. Woody Austin
  46. Bob Purkhiser
  47. Billy Keller
  48. Everette Stephens
  49. Tony Jones
  50. Keaton Grant
  52. Wayne Walls
  54. Dennis Blind
  55. Rapheal Davis
All data taken from

Boilermakers in the NBA, ABA, NBL

played in the ABA* NBL**

NBA All-Star selections (8)

Purdue is one of just fourteen schools in the nation that has produced more than one No. 1
NBA Draft pick.
transferred after freshman season*

Second round draft picks (13)

BAA

CBA *

Assistant coaches (3)

U.S. Olympic Team

^ – replaced due to injury

U.S. Senior National Team

Traditional
3x3 Tournament
^ - During the 2017 World University Games, Purdue was selected to represent Team USA.

FIBA U21 World Championship