Purdue basketball’s scheduled non-conference trip to the West underwent a change Thursday when two of the previous participants opted out of their contracts. Notre Dame and Arkansas, who were originally in the four-team field, are out and will be replaced by North Carolina State and Ole Miss.
The field is undergoing changes ahead of what will be the second annual Rady Children’s Invitational Tournament. The event will be November 28-29, with the championship and third-place games taking place on the second day. The first round clashes will be announced.
Purdue is quite familiar with one of the new teams in the field, having just played North Carolina State in the 2024 Final Four, where the Boilermakers won 63-50. The Wolfpack will look very different, though, losing key players like DJ Burns, DJ Horne and Casey Morsell from last year’s Cinderella team. In seven games all-time, Purdue is 3-4 against North Carolina State, but has won each of the last three games.
As has been the case in recent years, Purdue’s non-conference slate is expected to be challenging. Possible matchups with NC State, Ole Miss and BYU are now in addition to Alabama, Marquette and Texas A&M.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25345079/STK468_APPLE_ANTITRUST_CVIRGINIA_K.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1)
