Purdue Set to Face Xavier at the Gavitt Games According to Jon Rothstein

As we wade in the desert that is offseason for both men’s basketball and football any drop of news will sate us for many days. Today we got news on next year’s men’s basketball schedule via the ever reliable, and March obsessed, Jon Rothstein.

Purdue will take on Xavier and the absolute sane and in no way unhinged man in that picture Sean Miller who somehow has a job despite (hand waving gesture) everything that happened with him the last few years.

This will be the fifth time Purdue has played in the Gavitt Games. Due to the nature of the games not every team competes each year. For those that need a quick reminder here is Purdue’s history in the event:

• 2016 - Loss to Villanova 79-76 at Mackey
• 2017 - Defeated Marquette 86-71 in Milwaukee
• 2019 - Loss to Marquette 65-55 in Milwaukee
• 2022 - Defeated Marquette 75-70 in Mackey

So, despite being in this thing four times previously Purdue has faced just two Big East teams. It’s sort of like the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (RIP) where Purdue seemingly only got to play Florida State and even though that’s not true it just feels true.

It will be nice to see a different opponent than normal. With the game taking place at Mackey it gives the fans another marquee matchup for the non-conference schedule. Since Rothstein is the one to provide us this news it’s only fair to use his way too early rankings to let you know that he has Purdue at #2 and Xavier at #27. Could very well be a ranked opponent when they come into Mackey Arena next season.

No date or time were announced for this matchup but that will be coming in the months ahead. Basketball schedules are notoriously slow to fully release. With Purdue sitting at 2-2 in the Gavitt Games it gives them a chance to move to a winning 3-2 record. Let’s make it happen!