The Colorado men’s basketball team will face another uphill climb in the quest for relevancy in the Big 12.
Yet when the Buffaloes set off on their third run through the conference slate since rejoining the league, CU will do so on the heels of what is shaping up to be a competitive and challenging nonconference schedule.
On Thursday, CU announced it will play Big Ten power Purdue at the Indy Classic on Dec. 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It will be only the third matchup between the programs and the first in 38 years, dating back to a 67-66 CU win against the Boilermakers on Dec. 4, 1988 at the Mile High Classic in Denver. The Buffs lost the previous season at Purdue.
The game time and television information will be released at a later date. Georgia Tech will face Butler in the other game of the Indy Classic doubleheader.
Purdue is coming off a 30-9 season, the program’s third 30-win season, that ended with a loss against Arizona in the Elite Eight. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten tournament title and have advanced to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, landing a top-four seed in the past nine, and reached the 2024 national championship game before losing to UConn.
There is a personal connection between the teams, as CU freshman Eric Jacobsen is the younger brother of Purdue center Daniel Jacobsen, who averaged 5.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season while appearing in all 39 games.
The date with perennial power Purdue adds to a nonconference schedule that will take the Buffs from coast to coast. CU will complete a home-and-home series with the program’s first visit to Providence, and will face San Diego State in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic on Nov. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
CU also is set to return to the Acrisure Series for a pair of games in Palm Desert, California the week of Thanksgiving against opponents still to be determined. The Buffaloes played at the tournament last season, posting wins against San Franciso and Washington.
CU still is finalizing the home portion of the nonconference schedule, but it will include a matchup against Colorado State in the final game of the rivals’ latest series agreement.
The Buffs’ roster will include seven true freshmen and 10 newcomers when they take on Purdue at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where CU defeated Florida in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in a memorable 102-100 thriller capped by KJ Simpson’s winning baseline jumper with 1.7 seconds remaining.
In Big 12 play, the Buffs will play home-and-home series against Baylor, Houston and Utah, and also will host home dates against Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. CU will play road dates at Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU and UCF.