Villanova Scheduling: Purdue Home-and-Home in the Works?

Villanova head coach Kevin Willard appeared on an episode of college basketball insider Jon Rothstein’s podcast published on Tuesday, July 7 and revealed a scheduling possibility for the 2027-28 season. Willard told Rothstein that the Wildcats have a home-and-home series with the Purdue Boilermakers in the works.

Purdue has been one of the most consistent programs in college basketball under head coach Matt Painter, now entering his 22nd season at the helm. They made an Elite Eight this past season and lost in the national championship game in 2024; they’ve also appeared at No. 1 in the AP Poll in 17 different weeks since the start of the 2021-22 season, the best mark of any team in college basketball.

While the Boilermakers haven’t managed to break through and win when it matters most, any Villanova fan who watched the Jay Wright era will know that a reversal of fortune can happen at any time… and a lack of postseason success doesn’t preclude Purdue from providing a substantial regular season challenge for the Wildcats.

Out-of-conference strength of schedule has played a critical role for teams crafting an NCAA Tournament resume in recent seasons, and the planned home-and-home — if the two sides can hash out all the details — would give Villanova an early measuring stick in the coming seasons.