Purdue Appreciative of Nonconference Winning Streak, Not Satisfied
Nobody on Purdue's current roster knows the feeling of losing a nonconference game in the regular season. After Friday night's victory over Alabama, the Boilermakers extended their winning streak to 39 games against nonconference opponents in the regular season.
Tuesday night, Purdue will look for its 40th consecutive win, one of the most impressive marks in NCAA history. It won't come easy, as the Boilers travel to Milwaukee to play No. 15 Marquette in a premier college basketball game.
Caleb Furst, Purdue's lone senior on the 2024-25 roster, says he's come to appreciate the fact that, in his first three-and-a-half seasons, the program has not dropped a game outside of conference play.
"I have a little bit," Furst said with a laugh. "Obviously that's a streak I hope to continue and hopefully stay undefeated throughout my whole career in nonconference."
Junior Trey Kaufman-Renn said it's not just about the nonconference streak. He carries a winning mentality into every game he plays in, regardless of the opponent.
"I don't plan on losing any game that I go into to," he said. "I've been lucky throughout my career, I've played on really good teams. Every single game I go into, I expect to win."
Purdue hasn't racked up 39 wins against cupcake schedules over the last three-and-a-half seasons. Included in that streak are seven wins vs. teams ranked inside the top-10. Some of those marquee wins since the 2021-22 season include:
- No. 18 North Carolina (Hall of Fame Tipoff, 2021)
- No. 5 Villanova (Hall of Fame Tipoff, 2021)
- No. 6 Gonzaga (Phil Knight Legacy, 2022)
- No. 8 Duke (Phil Knight Legacy, 2022)
- No. 11 Gonzaga (Maui Invitational, 2023)
- No. 7 Tennessee (Maui Invitational, 2023)
- No. 4 Marquette (Maui Invitational, 2023)
- No. 1 Arizona (Indy Classic, 2023)
- No. 2 Alabama (2024)
What's been Purdue's "secret sauce" when it comes to nonconference success? Furst believes all the work in the summer and fall has the Boilermakers prepared for the start of every season.
"If I had to guess, it's the amount of hours we put in preseason," he said. "We're one of if not the most ready team at the beginning of the season every year."
When it comes to acknowledging Purdue's success in nonconference games, coach Matt Painter understands the significance of the accomplishment. But he's not looking in the rearview mirror.
The focus still has to be on the task at hand and finding success in the current season.
"We just try to take it for this season. I don't think we've been bad in our first three games, but I don't think we've been great," Painter said. "The streak is cool, but it's more the streak of this year is what we're trying to work on."
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