The 2025 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament field is set after Sunday's results around the conference, and the Boilermakers now have their path in Indianapolis next week. Purdue earned the sixth seed in the Big Ten Tournament after finishing in a three-way tie with UCLA and Wisconsin for the fourth best mark in the conference, at 13-7. Despite that tie, the Boilermakers fall under the Badgers and Bruins due to tiebreakers.
Purdue will play its first game on Thursday night as the nightcap of a quadruple-header at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, facing either Rutgers (11th seed) or USC (14th seed).
Both teams Purdue dismantled in regular season meetings, beating the Trojans 90-71 on February 7th and dominating Rutgers 100-71 en route to a Senior Day triumph earlier this week. USC struggled in its Big Ten debut this season, having an overall record of 15-16, while having a 7-13 conference mark. Rutgers also finished the regular season with a 15-16 record and an 8-12 mark in conference play.
Should the Boilermakers best the winner of the 11 vs. 14 game, they will get a date with No. 3 seed Michigan on Friday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It would be the third meeting between the two top 25 foes this season, splitting the first two matchups. Purdue handed Michigan a 91-64 defeat in Mackey Arena on January 24th, while the Wolverines returned the favor with a 75-73 win over the Boilermakers in Ann Arbor.
After coming into the game with an 11-2 mark in conference play, that loss kickstarted a four-game skid for the Boilermakers that ultimately dropped them from the Big Ten lead to the sixth seed in less than a month.
It will be the first time Purdue plays on Thursday in the Big Ten Tournament since the 2014 season, when the Boilermakers were the 12th seed after finishing in last place of the then 12-team Big Ten. The Boilermakers also earned the 10th seed in 2020, but did not play that season due to the pandemic.
Purdue will play either USC or Rutgers on Thursday night on Big Ten Network, with the tipoff being 25 minutes after the first game of the session, which is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
