# Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
The program has won 26 Big Ten regular-season championships and 3 Big Ten tournament championships, reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four three times (1969, 1980, and 2024), and lost the 2024 national championship game to UConn, 75-60.[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf) • [2](https://www.si.com/college/purdue/basketball/purdue-march-madness-history-record-final-four-appearances-best-highlights) • [3](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) • [12](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten (first season of league play 1905-06)[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf) |
| Big Ten titles | 26 regular-season championships and 2 tournament championships, most recently in 2023[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf) • [12](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/) • [13](https://purduesports.com/news/2023/03/12/5-purdue-wins-big-ten-tournament-title-for-first-time-since-2009) |
| NCAA Tournament | 37 appearances with a 54-37 record, 3 Final Fours, 0 NCAA championships[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/men/polls.html) |
| Claimed national title | 1932 team selected as national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation, before the first NCAA tournament in 1939[5](https://purduesports.com/national-championships) |
| Final Fours | 1969, 1980, 2024; the 2024 team lost the title game 75-60 to UConn[2](https://www.si.com/college/purdue/basketball/purdue-march-madness-history-record-final-four-appearances-best-highlights) • [3](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
| Head coach | Matt Painter, 18th head coach, appointed April 8, 2005; second on the school's all-time wins list with 501 wins[6](https://purduesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/matt-painter) |
| Home arena | Mackey Arena, capacity 14,876[7](https://storage.googleapis.com/purduesports-com-prod/2025/06/25/aZzzlSidlQQSeqHeL5kklE5BG8B3AMJFdIpO7Jgj.pdf) |
## Early history and the 1932 Helms championship
Purdue began Big Ten men's basketball competition in 1905-06.[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf) The program's first national recognition came in 1932, when the Helms Athletic Foundation selected the Boilermakers as national champions; the first NCAA-sanctioned postseason tournament was not held until 1939, so the 1932 title is a claimed, retrospective championship rather than an NCAA one.[5](https://purduesports.com/national-championships)
## Big Ten success
The Boilermakers have claimed 26 regular-season championships in Big Ten play and 2 Big Ten tournament championships, the most recent in 2023.[1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf) • [12](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/) • [13](https://purduesports.com/news/2023/03/12/5-purdue-wins-big-ten-tournament-title-for-first-time-since-2009) The program has been unusually stable at the top: Purdue has had only two head coaches in the last 46 seasons, Gene Keady and [Matt Painter](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-painter), who together account for 983 wins and 11 Big Ten titles.[8](https://purduesports.com/news/2025/09/23/purdue-mens-basketball-preseason-primer)
## NCAA Tournament history
Purdue has made 37 NCAA Tournament appearances with a 54-37 record, three Final Fours, and no NCAA championship.[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/men/polls.html) The Final Four appearances came in 1969, 1980, and 2024.[2](https://www.si.com/college/purdue/basketball/purdue-march-madness-history-record-final-four-appearances-best-highlights) The 2024 run, the program's first Final Four in 44 years, ended with a 75-60 loss to UConn in the championship game in [Glendale, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/glendale-arizona).[3](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) The program has also suffered notable first-round upsets, including a 2023 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson, only the second No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed.[9](https://apnews.com/article/6ae521ae29d93beb42478bcc44c598de)
## The Matt Painter era
Matt Painter, a former Keady player, became the 18th head coach in Purdue history on April 8, 2005.[6](https://purduesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/matt-painter) Through the 2025-26 season he ranks second on the school's all-time wins list with 501 wins, behind the Hall of Fame coaches Gene Keady and Ward "Piggy" Lambert.[6](https://purduesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/matt-painter) Under Painter, Purdue became the first Big Ten school to have its players win three straight conference Player of the Year honors, with [Zach Edey](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-edey) in 2023 and 2024 and Braden Smith in 2025.[8](https://purduesports.com/news/2025/09/23/purdue-mens-basketball-preseason-primer) Entering the 2025-26 season, Purdue received its first preseason No. 1 ranking in the AP poll, earning 35 of 61 first-place votes.[10](https://apnews.com/article/d0ecf6a1b386ac7868c20fe6b09f78ea)
## Mackey Arena
Purdue plays home games at Mackey Arena, a 58-year-old facility with a listed capacity of 14,876.[7](https://storage.googleapis.com/purduesports-com-prod/2025/06/25/aZzzlSidlQQSeqHeL5kklE5BG8B3AMJFdIpO7Jgj.pdf) • [11](https://stories.purdue.edu/the-making-of-mackey-magic/) The program completed the 2024-25 season on a streak of 88 consecutive sellouts dating to 2019.[11](https://stories.purdue.edu/the-making-of-mackey-magic/)
## References
1. [Purdue Boilermakers, Big Ten Media Guide (2016-17)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/bigten.org/documents/2016/10/26/_big10_m_baskbl_2016_17_misc_non_event__Big_Ten_Media_Guide.pdf)
2. [Purdue's March Madness History, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/purdue/basketball/purdue-march-madness-history-record-final-four-appearances-best-highlights)
3. [DI Men's Basketball Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
4. [Purdue Men's Basketball AP Poll History, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/men/polls.html)
5. [National Championships, Purdue Boilermakers Official Athletics Website](https://purduesports.com/national-championships)
6. [Matt Painter, Purdue Boilermakers Official Athletics Website](https://purduesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/season/2025-26/staff/matt-painter)
7. [Purdue Game Notes (Nov. 13, 2023)](https://storage.googleapis.com/purduesports-com-prod/2025/06/25/aZzzlSidlQQSeqHeL5kklE5BG8B3AMJFdIpO7Jgj.pdf)
8. [Purdue Men's Basketball Preseason Primer, Purdue Boilermakers Official Athletics Website](https://purduesports.com/news/2025/09/23/purdue-mens-basketball-preseason-primer)
9. [Don't write off future Cinderellas, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6ae521ae29d93beb42478bcc44c598de)
10. [Boiler up! Purdue tops preseason AP Top 25 for first time, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d0ecf6a1b386ac7868c20fe6b09f78ea)
11. [The making of Mackey magic, Purdue Stories](https://stories.purdue.edu/the-making-of-mackey-magic/)
12. [Purdue Boilermakers Men's Basketball Index, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/purdue/)
13. [#5 Purdue Wins Big Ten Tournament Title for First Time Since 2009 - Purdue Boilermakers - Official Athletics Website](https://purduesports.com/news/2023/03/12/5-purdue-wins-big-ten-tournament-title-for-first-time-since-2009)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Men's team programs › Titles L to X*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license