Purdue may not have received enough votes to earn a spot in the Associated Press's preseason poll to start the 2026-27 college basketball season, but it will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself. The Boilermakers will play nine games against eight opponents ranked in the initial top 25 this year.

The highest-ranked opponent that Purdue will play this season is Illinois, which opens the year ranked No. 3 nationally. The best non-conference squad the Boilermakers will face is Tennessee, starting out in the No. 8 spot.

Here's a complete rundown of the preseason ranked teams the Boilermakers will face during the 2026-27 season.

No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs (Nov. 2)

Purdue's first matchup against a ranked opponent comes in its season opener on Nov. 2. The Boilermakers will play Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Tipoff in Las Vegas, a tough start to the 2026-27 campaign for Matt Painter's team. It will be a great test to see how Purdue stacks up against one of the top squads in the country immediately out of the gate.

No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones (Dec. 5)

After the opener against Gonzaga, Purdue won't play another team ranked in the preseason poll for another month. It's the return game against a top-20 Iowa State team. Last year, the Cyclones walked into Mackey Arena and controlled the game from start to finish, defeating the Boilermakers 81-58. This game will be played at Hilton Coliseum, but the Cyclones will be without key guard Killyan Toure, who is out until January with an injury.

No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (Dec. 11)

Less than a week after traveling to Ames, Iowa, Purdue will return to Mackey Arena to host a top-10 Tennessee team. Painter's teams have had some epic battles with Rick Barnes' Volunteers over the years. This will be Purdue's first major opportunity to take down a highly-ranked opponent at Mackey Arena during the 2026-27 season. This should be a fun Big Ten-SEC showdown between two programs that have become somewhat familiar with each other.

No. 21 USC Trojans (Dec. 30)

After rounding out non-conference play against Cal Baptist on Dec. 21, the Boilermakers get nine days to prepare for USC. It's a home game for Purdue, which should help quite a bit after a long winter break. The Boilermakers had some trouble with the Trojans last season in Los Angeles but ultimately pulled out a win. Getting a victory over USC would be a great way to start digging into the meat of Big Ten play.

No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (Jan. 5)

The first of Purdue's toughest two-game stretch on the schedule. Illinois has battled some injury issues in exhibition play, which could be problematic for Brad Underwood's team early in the year. This is going to be the Boilers' most difficult matchup, playing a team that is expected to compete for a Big Ten title and could be a legitimate national championship threat.

No. 16 Michigan Wolverines (Jan. 8)

Following the trip to Champaign, Purdue then heads to Ann Arbor to play the defending national champions. With several players from last year's team moving on and Dusty May taking a job in the NBA, this game doesn't look quite as daunting as it once did, but it's still the second game in a brutal two-game stretch. Plus, the Wolverines are still going to be a tough team to beat, especially on their home floor.

No. 6 Michigan State Spartans (Jan. 30)

Tom Izzo may have one of his most talented rosters in years. This is a team that will challenge Illinois atop the Big Ten standings. It's also an Spartans squad that can reach the Final Four at the end of the season. Unfortunately for Purdue, this is another tough road trip, making this late-January game even more challenging.

No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (Feb. 12)

Right now, Illinois is the only ranked opponent that Purdue will face twice during the 2026-27 season. The second matchup is slightly more advantageous because it will be played at Mackey Arena, but that didn't matter last year when the Fighting Illini came to West Lafayette. This will be a chance for Purdue to either sweep the season series (with a win in Champaign) or split with a talented Illini team.

No. 22 UCLA Bruins (Feb. 21)

Purdue's final ranked challenge comes near the end of February, hosting a UCLA team that just made the cut in the preseason poll. Mick Cronin's Bruins have struggled when playing games in the Midwest and East Coast, but now that UCLA is multiple years in, that shouldn't be as much of an issue this winter.