Less than two months remain until the Purdue women's basketball team officially tips off the 2026-27 campaign. On Thursday, the Boilermakers officially released their complete non-conference schedule for the upcoming year.
Purdue is coming off a 2025-26 season in which it posted a 13-17 record and went 5-13 in conference play. The Boilermakers earned the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Coach Katie Gearlds and her staff hit the transfer portal in the offseason and brought in six new players from the transfer portal and four more from overseas. In total, the Boilermakers have seven international players on the roster and return four players from last year's squad: Avery Gordon, McKenna Layden, Saige Stahl and Taylor Henderson.
Let's take a look at Purdue's non-conference schedule, followed by a few thoughts about the slate.
Purdue Boilermakers forward Avery Gordon (55) watches a free throw. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Boilermakers will play 12 non-conference games this coming season. Here's the complete schedule. Home games are in bold:
Saturday, Oct. 24 - vs. UIC (exhibition)
Monday, Nov. 2 - vs. IU Indy
Thursday, Nov. 5 - vs. Eastern Michigan
Tuesday, Nov. 10 - vs. Southeast Missouri State
Sunday, Nov. 15 - vs. Samford
Thursday, Nov. 19 - vs. Florida State (WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Fla.)
Saturday, Nov. 21 - vs. Texas Tech (WBCA Showcase in Orlando, Fla.)
Wednesday, Nov. 25 - vs. Murray State
Sunday, Nov. 29 - vs. UT-Martin
Thursday, Dec. 10 - vs. Central Michigan
Sunday, Dec. 13 - vs. Eastern Illinois
Saturday, Dec. 19 - at Dayton
Tuesday, Dec. 22 - vs. Western Michigan
Purdue Junior McKenna Layden (11) lines up a free-throw. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Purdue has the benefit of playing a majority of its non-conference games at home this year. The Boilermakers will be in Mackey Arena for nine of the team's 12 contests, with only one true road game (Dec. 19 at Dayton).
Last year, Gearlds' team went on the road three times, suffering losses to No. 20 Kentucky, Central Michigan and Purdue-Fort Wayne. This year, the Boilermakers are only playing one mid-major opponent away from Mackey Arena.
The Boilers also open the year with four straight home games, five if you include the exhibition contest. It's a beneficial schedule to begin the year with a brand new team.
Jan 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Katie Gearlds. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Because the Big Ten is such a grueling league, it's important for Purdue to collect wins early in the season. This year, it will only play two opponents from power conferences. The Boilermakers are headed to the WBCA Showcase to play Florida State and Texas Tech at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex.
Those will likely be the two most challenging games for the Boilermakers in non-conference play. Florida State ended the 2025-26 season with a 10-21 record and a 5-13 mark in the ACC. Texas Tech, on the other hand, went 26-8, was ranked No. 22 nationally and earned a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Purdue Junior Saige Stahl (13) looks for a lane through traffic. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
With nine home games and 10 matchups with mid-major programs, Purdue has a tremendous opportunity ahead. The Boilermakers are giving themselves a chance to rack up some wins in non-conference play and head into the Big Ten with some momentum.
The conference is expected to be a grind again during the 2026-27 season, making wins difficult to come by. If Purdue can get some confidence early in the year, it may help this group of newcomers develop chemistry and perform at a higher level when league play rolls around.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/purdue as Biggest Takeaways From Purdue Women's Basketball's 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule .
