Hawaii, Canada to Indy Classic, how Purdue's nonconference schedule came together

Purdue at the Maui Invitational. Arizona in Indianapolis. Zach Edey’s homecoming game in Toronto against Alabama.

Add the last year of the Gavitt Games and the mid-majors visiting Mackey Arena, and Purdue is likely facing one of its toughest nonconference schedules in program history.

How did the nonconference schedule come together?

The Boilermakers certainly have the team to take on this rugged schedule and are 3-0 with wins over Samford, Morehead State and Xavier in advance of playing in Hawaii.

The schedule is designed to give Purdue the best possible NET ranking, one data point used for selecting and seeding the NCAA tournament.

“At the end of the day, we want to have the best NET we can going into March,” said Elliot Bloom, the program’s director of basketball administration and operations, who handles scheduling.

PURDUE IN MAUI INVITATIONAL

The program makes its fourth appearance in the tournament, but its first since 2014. When the eight-team field was announced one day after the 2022 national championship game, it was already being billed as “may be the best one, at least on paper, that we’ve ever had.”

That was tournament director David Odom about 20 months ago. Nothing has changed.

The latest AP rankings: No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Purdue, No. 4 Marquette, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 11 Gonzaga.  Those five are also ranked among the top 10 on kenpom.com. Syracuse, UCLA and Chaminade, the host school, aren’t ranked, but kenpom.com has the Bruins listed at No. 36.

“We knew it was going to be good, but I don’t think we knew it was going to be this good and this great,” Bloom said. “Arguably, this is the greatest field in the history of Maui with the number of highly ranked teams.”

The tournament was moved to Honolulu after wildfires swept through the Island of Maui earlier this year.

The Boilermakers face Gonzaga (5 p.m., ESPN2) in Monday’s opening round but could take on Tennessee and either Kansas or Marquette if they advance through the winner’s bracket. A top-10 matchup could be on the consolation side of the bracket, another nod to the quality of the field.

“You feel like you’re going to come out of there with three quality games,” Bloom said.

HEADING NORTH

The idea for the Boilermakers to play in Toronto started in the middle of last season.

“What if we got Zach back home if he came back and did a game in Toronto?” Bloom asked.

Not knowing whether Edey would return for another season, Bloom said it was “maybe a little bit of the role of the dice with the Toronto game.”

Word about the game in Canada surfaced before Edey announced his decision to return for another season. Bloom said Purdue would’ve played in Toronto even if Edey didn’t return. Alabama had a player from Canada on its roster, but center Charles Bediako declared for the NBA Draft.

The Naismith Hall of Fame helped find the teams for the doubleheader, which includes Clemson playing Texas Christian and secured the Dec. 9 date and the television partner. Purdue’s game will air on FOX at 1:30 p.m.

Bloom worked with the same group when the Boilermakers played North Carolina State two years ago in Brooklyn.

Taking Edey back to his hometown is part of the program’s recruiting philosophy when signing out-of-state players.

“We did it first and foremost for Zach, but the byproduct of it is it’s good for recruiting because you can tell recruits: ‘If you make the commitment to come far from home and be here with us, we’ll make a commitment to try and get you home at some point in your career.’ We can’t do it for everybody, but we try to do it when we can,” Bloom said.

Purdue isn’t scheduled to face Alabama next season.

The Boilermakers have played several neutral site games across the country, but Bloom said the matchup in Toronto has raised the interest to another level.

“There’s been a handful of games over the years that our fans hit me with, ‘I can’t wait to go to that game. I’m going to that game,’ ” Bloom said. “This is at or near the top of the list. I’ve heard from more Purdue people planning to take that game in.

“I’m anxious to see when we walk out for warmups how many Purdue fans are in the building. I think it’s going to be eye-opening how many people wearing gold and black are going to be in the gym. It’s exciting to see how many people are excited about going up there.”

INDY CLASSIC

Here’s a nugget: Arizona was the first choice to play the Boilermakers in Toronto. But the Wildcats couldn’t make the date work and they went in a different direction.

Bloom had talked to Arizona about a potential home-and-home and thought a game against the Wildcats wouldn’t materialize this season.

“I thought that was done,” he said.

But the annual game in Indianapolis was the last one Bloom needed to put together. Last year, the Boilermakers played Davidson, featuring a matchup of Foster and Fletcher Loyer, but weren’t required to make a return trip.

He circled back with Arizona one last time. The Wildcats proposed a return trip during the 2024-25 season in Las Vegas, likely the last game before the holiday break.

“You know, let’s push all of our chips in the middle and let’s do it,” Bloom said.

The Dec. 16 showdown at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has the potential to be played before a full house. Purdue is ranked No. 2; Arizona is No. 3 following its win at Duke.

The rankings of both teams will shuffle around, but two of the top teams in the nation, regardless of the numbers next to their names, will square off in a marquee matchup before a national television audience. Ball State and Indiana State will play in the first game.

“We had a great crowd last year, but this crowd has the potential to be the best,” Bloom said. “The Crossroads was always sold out. We had great crowds, but those are split with the other schools in the state. This will be a predominantly Purdue crowd to see a big-time opponent.”

Bloom said the program will try and continue to play in Indianapolis. It’s important to have a presence, but finding the caliber of Arizona every season is challenging.

One idea is to include Notre Dame and stage a doubleheader. Micah Shrewsberry, a former Purdue assistant under Matt Painter in his first season as the Irish’s head coach, wants to bring his program to his hometown of Indianapolis.

It doesn’t mean Purdue and Notre Dame would play each other, but the option isn’t off the table, either.

“Shrews likes that event and wants to have a presence in Indy,” Bloom said. “That’s a departure from the line of thinking from the previous coach. That’s a welcomed deal.

“There’s a little synergy there with him and Paint having the relationship they have. Does that mean we play them down there? I don’t know if that will happen or if those guys want to play.”

Link: Maui Invitational bracket

WHAT’S NEXT

Along with facing Arizona in 2024-25, the Boilermakers will play in the four-team Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego on Nov. 28 and 29. The rest of the field includes Arkansas, Notre Dame and Brigham Young.

There’s a transition period in MTEs (Multi-Team Events), reducing the games from three to two. Bloom said programs have more interest in scheduling home-and-home matchups, and with the possible increase in conference games due to realignment, the number of nonconference matchups will be reduced.

“More and more schools I talk to are reluctant to jump into eight-team events,” Bloom said. “You’re seeing a renewed interest in trying to get home and home games. Some people believe in that, and we’re included. The market has changed a great deal without the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and the Gavitt Games. It’s certainly changed among Big Ten teams.”

Playing two games in San Diego next season created an opportunity to secure the two-game series with Arizona.

“I favor two because I think three games in three days is a lot, and a lot of teams feel that way,” Bloom said. “There’s never a scenario out there where you do that. The two games make a lot more sense. Going down to two gave us the ability to attract Arizona to Indy.”