Meet the Opponent: Purdue Finishes Nonconference Schedule With Florida A&M
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball closes the curtains on its nonconference slate Thursday when it takes on Florida A&M at Mackey Arena, the team's 12th matchup outside the Big Ten to start the 2022-23 season.
The Boilermakers made a big splash away from the conference, using a dominant run in the Phil Knight Legacy invitational tournament to catapult into the national rankings after starting the year unranked. The team took down then-No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Duke in back-to-back games while also earning a victory over West Virginia.
All three teams are ranked in the latest Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 poll, and Purdue has since ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the nation. It has maintained the top spot for three straight weeks and now sits with a 12-0 record.
The Rattlers will be the weakest nonconference opponent the Boilermakers have faced so far this season, coming in at No. 357 out of 363 teams in the KenPom rankings. They step into West Lafayette with a 2-8 overall record, which includes losses to Oregon, Miami, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky.
Here's where all of Purdue's nonconference opponents stand in the KenPom.com rankings, if applicable:
- Gonzaga (11)
- Duke (14)
- Marquette (27)
- Davidson (134)
- Hofstra (140)
- Florida State (150)
- Austin Peay (244)
- Milwaukee (257)
- New Orleans (344)
- Florida A&M (357)
Florida A&M's only victories this season have come against Albany State and Edward Waters, which were both at home. It will enter league play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference following the team's matchup at Purdue.
The school — located in Tallahassee, Fla. — is one of the nation’s largest historically black universities by enrollment. It has nearly 10,000 students, and this will be the first time the basketball program has tipped off against the Boilermakers.
The Rattlers are led by junior forward Jaylen Bates, who paces the team with 10.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Jordan Tillman is the only other player on this year's roster averaging double figures through 10 games.
Florida A&M also features redshirt freshman guard Austin Ezell, a native of Carmel, Ind., who attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis. He's appeared in two games for the Rattlers this season.
Florida A&M is coached by Birmingham, Ala., native Robert McCullum, who is in his sixth season with the program. He's also had head coaching stints with Western Michigan and South Florida throughout his career at the collegiate ranks.
McCullum has served as an assistant for several college programs, including a stop in the Big Ten with Illinois, and also spent one season in the same role with the Guangzhou Loong Lions in China.
Purdue looks to have star center Zach Edey at full strength for Thursday's matchup after the junior missed the team's game last week against New Orleans due to an illness. Edey is putting up 22.6 points and 13.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 62.8% from the field. He has nine double-doubles in 11 appearances so far this season.
The matchup between the Boilermakers and Rattlers is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue Remains No. 1 for Third Straight Week: After a victory over New Orleans last week at Mackey Arena, Purdue basketball remained No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the third straight week. The Boilermakers are 12-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play so far this season. CLICK HERE
- Matt Painter on Bringing the No. 1 Team to Mackey Arena: Purdue basketball played in Mackey Arena as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in program history on Wednesday night. The last Big Ten program to hold the top spot in the national rankings in consecutive seasons was Indiana back in 1974-75 and 1975-76 when the Hoosiers spent a total of 28 weeks as the highest-ranked team. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.