Mi State Vs Purdue: No. 8 Purdue hosts No. 13 Michigan State at Mackey Arena
mi state vs purdue is set for Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 8 p. m. ET in Mackey Arena, a meeting that pairs identically paced teams—each 22-5 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play—and matters to Purdue as it looks to remain in the hunt for a top-two seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
Mi State Vs Purdue: Purdue's metrics and season numbers
Purdue enters the matchup at 22-5 overall and 12-4 in Big Ten play, with a home record of 12-3, an away record of 7-2 and a 3-0 record in neutral-site games. The Boilermakers' quarter splits are 8-5 in Q1, 4-0 in Q2, 7-0 in Q3 and 3-0 in Q4. Nationally, Purdue's NCAA NET sits at 6 and KenPom at 7, with offensive efficiency ranked 2nd and defensive efficiency 23rd. The NCAA strength of schedule is listed at 7 while the KenPom strength of schedule is 8.
Mackey Arena, broadcast logistics and recent form
The game is scheduled for 8 p. m. ET Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind., at Mackey Arena, which is listed with a capacity of 14, 876. Television coverage is set for NBCSN and Peacock with Brandon Gaudin and Robbie Hummel calling the game. Radio coverage will come from the Purdue Global Radio Network with Rob Blackman and Bobby Riddell on the call. Purdue is closing out a three-game homestand and the month of February and is playing its second-to-last home game; the Boilermakers come into the contest after a 93-64 win over Indiana.
Schedule path: what's next for Purdue after Michigan State
After the Michigan State game, Purdue's schedule takes it on the road to Ohio State on March 1 and to Northwestern on March 4. Of Purdue's remaining four games, three are listed as quad-1 contests—Michigan State, Ohio State and Northwestern—and the other opponent, Wisconsin, is described as right on the cusp of being quad-1 (Wisconsin - 32). A win over Michigan State would give Purdue a 6-1 record in February, which would match the program's best mark in the month since the 2016-17 squad went 7-1; the 2018-19 team also went 6-1 in February.
Series history and individual matchup notes
The meeting is the 135th in series history, with Purdue owning a 77-57 advantage in the all-time ledger. Purdue has won nine of the last 11 meetings with Michigan State, a stretch dating to a Jan. 27, 2019, 73-63 Purdue victory. At Mackey Arena, Purdue has won seven straight home games against Michigan State by a combined 89 points; only two of those matchups were decided by single digits, in 2024 and 2016. One of the teams has been nationally ranked in 31 of the last 33 meetings between the programs (including this Thursday), with Purdue listed as ranked 21 times and Michigan State 21 times in that span. When both teams are nationally ranked, Purdue is 5-2 at Mackey Arena against Michigan State.
Player note and efficiency context
Fletcher Loyer is highlighted for his success against Michigan State, listed as 10-of-16 (. 625) for his career from 3-point range against the Spartans; his brother, Foster Loyer, played at Michigan State from 2019-21. On the efficiency front, Purdue is credited with the fourth-best overall efficiency in February behind Michigan, Florida and Illinois, ranking second offensively and 19th defensively. The Boilermakers are one of just eight teams in America with at least eight quad-1 victories (Duke - 12; Arizona - 11; Michigan - 10; Purdue - 8; Florida - 8; Kansas - 8; Illinois - 8; Vanderbilt - 8).
Quad records, strength of schedule and national rankings
Purdue stands 19-5 in the first three quads, the fifth-most wins in the first three quads nationally behind Michigan, Arizona, Gonzaga and UConn. The program is playing one of the nation's toughest schedules, listed as the eighth-most difficult in America; its strength of schedule ranking is 8th for 2025-26, 8th for 2024-25 and 2nd for 2023-24. National category rankings list Purdue in the top 25 in assist/turnover ratio (1st), offensive efficiency (2nd), assists per game (3rd), turnovers per game (10th), field goal percentage (15th), scoring margin (18th), 3-point percentage (20th), rebound margin (21st) and defensive efficiency (23rd). Purdue is one of 11 teams to rank in the top 2 unclear in the provided context.
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