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Men's Basketball

Wildcats To Play Purdue in Indianapolis

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Arizona men's basketball program has announced another non-conference opponent for the 2023-24 season, as the Wildcats will take on Purdue at the second annual Indy Classic in Indianapolis.  
 
The game will be played on Dec. 16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. Game time and TV information will be announced at a later date.  
 
Arizona is a preseason Top 15 team heading into the 2023-24 season with a strong returning nucleus of Oumar Ballo, Pelle Larsson and Kylan Boswell coupled with a trio of outstanding incoming transfers in Keshad Johnson (San Diego State), Jaden Bradley (Alabama) and Caleb Love (North Carolina).  
 
Purdue is prominently featured as a preseason Top 5 team in the country highlighted by the return of Zach Edey, the 2022-23 National Player of the Year. 
 
Arizona and Purdue have squared off 12 times previously, dating all the way to the first meeting in West Lafayette, Ind., in 1934. The most recent matchup came during the 2017-18 season in Nassau, Bahamas as part of the Battle for Atlantis. The complete list of the all-time series can be found below. This will be the second time the Wildcats and Boilermakers have met in Indianapolis after Purdue came away with a 72-69 win in Gainbridge Fieldhouse (at the time it was Conseco Fieldhouse) on Nov. 25, 2000. 
 
Here's a look at the Wildcats' officially announced non-conference games for the 2023-24 season: 
 
11/10/2023 - #11 Arizona at #2 Duke 
11/23/2023 - #11 Arizona vs. #4 Michigan State in Palm Springs, Calif. 
12/9/2023 - (rv) Wisconsin at #11 Arizona 
12/16/2023 - #11 Arizona vs. #3 Purdue in Indianapolis 
Date TBA - #11 Arizona at Southern (Baton Rouge, La.) as part of the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series 
 
 
In addition to the Arizona-Purdue matchup, Indiana State will play Ball State as part of this year's Indy Classic.  
 
This game is the first in a potential series of neutral site games moving forward, with dates and locations to be determined at a later date. 
 
Tickets for the 2023 Indy Classic will go on sale later this summer through Ticketmaster.com. For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, visit IndianaSportsCorp.org. 
 
Arizona vs. Purdue All-Time Series (Purdue leads, 7-5) 
1/1/1934 - Purdue won, 34-23, in West Lafayette, Ind. 
12/26/1968 - Purdue won, 98-72, in Honolulu, Hawaii 
12/27/1972 - Arizona won, 83-80, in Las Vegas, Nev. 
3/15/1975 - Arizona won, 102-96, in Louisville, Ky. 
12/22/1976 - Arizona won, 85-76, in West Lafayette, Ind. 
12/10, 1977 – Purdue won, 80-78, in Tucson, Ariz. 
12/1/1985 - Purdue won, 81-74, in Anchorage, Alaska 
12/30/1989 - Arizona won, 85-66, in Tucson, Ariz. 
11/25/2000 - Purdue won, 72-69, in Indianapolis, Ind. 
12/8/2001 - Arizona won, 79-66, in Anaheim, Calif. 
3/16/2007 - Purdue won, 72-63, in New Orleans, La. 
11/24/2017 - Purdue won, 89-64, in Nassau Bahamas 
 
#BearDown 
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Players Mentioned

Oumar Ballo

#11 Oumar Ballo

C
7' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R-Jr.
Pelle Larsson

#3 Pelle Larsson

G
6' 5"
Junior
Jr.
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

G
6' 2"
Freshman
Fr.

Players Mentioned

Oumar Ballo

#11 Oumar Ballo

7' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R-Jr.
C
Pelle Larsson

#3 Pelle Larsson

6' 5"
Junior
Jr.
G
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

6' 2"
Freshman
Fr.
G
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