# 2021–22 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Matt Painter in his 17th season with the Boilermakers. The Boilermakers played their home games at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana as members of the Big Ten Conference.
On December 6, 2021, Purdue was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in school history, receiving all 61 first-place votes. They were also ranked No. 1 in the Coaches poll.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Boilermakers finished the 2020–21 season 18–10, 13–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament to Ohio State. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South region where they were upset in the First Round by No. 13-seeded North Texas.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Aaron Wheeler | 1 | F | 6'9" | 205 | RS Junior | Stamford, CT | Transferred to St. John's |
| Emmanuel Dowuona | 4 | C | 6'10" | 245 | RS Sophomore | Miami, FL | Transferred to Tennessee State |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Trey Kaufman-Renn PF | Sellersburg, IN | Silver Creek (IN) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 30, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Caleb Furst PF / C | Fort Wayne, IN | Blackhawk Christian School (IN) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Mar 2, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Brian Waddell SF | Carmel, IN | Carmel High School (IN) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 21, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: — 247Sports: 34 ESPN: — ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Purdue 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2021 Purdue Boilermakers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. ||||||

#### 2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Fletcher Loyer SG | Fort Wayne, IN | Homestead (IN) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Nov 23, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Braden Smith SG | Westfield, IN | Westfield (IN) | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Apr 29, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Camden Heide SF | Plymouth, MN | Wayzata High School (MN) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 15, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: — 247Sports: 34 ESPN: — |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Purdue 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2022 Purdue Boilermakers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. |||||||

#### 2023 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Myles Colvin SG | Indianapolis, IN | Heritage Christian School (IN) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jul 7, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: — 247Sports: 34 ESPN: — |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Purdue 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2023 Purdue Boilermakers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021. |||||||

## Schedule and results

Purdue's game against Michigan on January 11, 2022 was postposed due to COVID-19 protocols at Michigan. The game was rescheduled for February 10.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 7 | Indianapolis | W 86–64 | | 20 – Edey | 6 – Williams | 4 – Williams | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 7 | Bellarmine | W 96–67 | 1–0 | 23 – Stefanovic | 9 – Tied | 4 – Thompson | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| November 12, 2021* 8:30 p.m., BTN | No. 7 | Indiana State | W 92–67 | 2–0 | 27 – Ivey | 10 – Edey | 4 – Tied | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 6 | Wright State | W 96–52 | 3–0 | 20 – Williams | 13 – Williams | 4 – Hunter Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| November 20, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPNews | No. 6 | vs. No. 18 North Carolina Hall of Fame Tip Off semifinals | W 93–84 | 4–0 | 23 – Stefanovic | 10 – Ivey | 8 – Stefanovic | Mohegan Sun Arena (9,176) Uncasville, CT |
| November 21, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ABC | No. 6 | vs. No. 5 Villanova Hall of Fame Tip Off championship | W 80–74 | 5–0 | 21 – Edey | 7 – Ivey | 7 – Ivey | Mohegan Sun Arena (9,100) Uncasville, CT |
| November 26, 2021* 2:00 p.m., BTN+ | No. 3 | Omaha | W 97–40 | 6–0 | 20 – Edey | 10 – Williams | 5 – Stefanovic | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| November 30, 2021* 7:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 2 | Florida State ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 93–65 | 7–0 | 18 – Ivey | 6 – Tied | 8 – Stefanovic | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| December 3, 2021 9:00 p.m., BTN | No. 2 | Iowa | W 77–70 | 8–0 (1–0) | 19 – Ivey | 18 – Williams | 3 – Williams | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| December 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 1 | at Rutgers | L 68–70 | 8–1 (1–1) | 21 – Williams | 11 – Williams | 3 – Ivey | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 12, 2021* 2:00 p.m., BTN | No. 1 | vs. NC State Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational | W 82–72 $^{OT}$ | 9–1 | 22 – Williams | 12 – Williams | 9 – Williams | Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY |
| December 18, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 3 | vs. Butler Crossroads Classic | W 77–48 | 10–1 | 22 – Ivey | 11 – Edey | 3 – Stefanovic | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,905) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 20, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 3 | Incarnate Word | W 79–59 | 11–1 | 13 – Edey | 9 – Edey | 4 – Tied | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| December 29, 2021* 5:00 p.m., BTN | No. 3 | Nicholls | W 104–90 | 12–1 | 21 – Edey | 11 – Williams | 8 – Williams | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 3, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 3 | No. 23 Wisconsin | L 69–74 | 12–2 (1–2) | 24 – Edey | 10 – Edey | 4 – Morton | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 8, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN | No. 3 | at Penn State | W 74–67 | 13–2 (2–2) | 21 – Williams | 9 – William | 6 – Stefanovic | Bryce Jordan Center (10,464) University Park, PA |
| January 14, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 7 | Nebraska | W 92–65 | 14–2 (3–2) | 22 – Edey | 9 – Edey | 5 – Ivey | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 17, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 4 | at No. 17 Illinois | W 96–88 $^{2OT}$ | 15–2 (4–2) | 22 – Stefanovic | 8 – Tied | 5 – Williams | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 20, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 4 | at Indiana Rivalry/Indiana National Guard Governor's Cup | L 65–68 | 15–3 (4–3) | 21 – Ivey | 9 – Edey | 3 – Edey | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| January 23, 2022 1:00 p.m., BTN | No. 4 | Northwestern | W 80–60 | 16–3 (5–3) | 22 – Stefanovic | 10 – Tied | 5 – Hunter Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| January 27, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 6 | at Iowa | W 83–73 | 17–3 (6–3) | 18 – Thompson | 10 – Williams | 5 – Williams | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,723) Iowa City, IA |
| January 30, 2022 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 6 | No. 16 Ohio State | W 81–78 | 18–3 (7–3) | 21 – Ivey | 11 – Gillis | 5 – Hunter Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 4 | at Minnesota | W 88–73 | 19–3 (8–3) | 21 – Ivey | 12 – Edey | 7 – Stefanovic | Williams Arena (9,975) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 5, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX | No. 4 | Michigan | W 82–76 | 20–3 (9–3) | 23 – Ivey | 9 – Edey | 7 – Ivey | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 8, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | No. 13 Illinois | W 84–68 | 21–3 (10–3) | 26 – Ivey | 9 – Gillis | 6 – Ivey | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 10, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | at Michigan Rescheduled from January 11 | L 58–82 | 21–4 (10–4) | 18 – Ivey | 6 – Edey | 2 – Williams | Crisler Center (11,542) Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 3 | Maryland | W 62–61 | 22–4 (11–4) | 17 – Stefanovic | 11 – Edey | 4 – Williams | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 16, 2022 9:00 p.m., BTN | No. 5 | at Northwestern | W 70–64 | 23–4 (12–4) | 14 – Edey | 8 – Edey | 5 – Williams | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| February 20, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 5 | Rutgers | W 84–72 | 24–4 (13–4) | 25 – Ivey | 7 – Edey | 4 – Tied | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 26, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | at Michigan State | L 65–68 | 24–5 (13–5) | 25 – Edey | 7 – Gillis | 4 – Stefanovic | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| March 1, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | at No. 10 Wisconsin | L 67–70 | 24–6 (13–6) | 22 – Ivey | 9 – Edey | 5 – Ivey | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| March 5, 2022 2:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | Indiana Rivalry/Indiana National Guard Governor's Cup | W 69–67 | 25–6 (14–6) | 17 – Hunter Jr. | 11 – Edey | 5 – Hunter Jr. | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2022 9:00 p.m., BTN | (3) No. 9 | vs. (11) Penn State Quarterfinals | W 69–61 | 26–6 | 17 – Ivey | 7 – Ivey | 5 – Williams | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (16,415) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 12, 2022 3:30 p.m., CBS | (3) No. 9 | vs. (7) Michigan State Semifinals | W 75–70 | 27–6 | 22 – Ivey | 10 – Edey | 5 – Ivey | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,762) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 13, 2022 3:30 p.m., CBS | (3) No. 9 | vs. (5) No. 24 Iowa Championship | L 66–75 | 27–7 | 20 – Ivey | 14 – Edey | 6 – Ivey | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,732) Indianapolis, IN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2022 2:00 p.m., TBS | (3 E) No. 10 | vs. (14 E) Yale First Round | W 78–56 | 28–7 | 22 – Ivey | 10 – Williams | 4 – Tied | Fiserv Forum (17,500) Milwaukee, WI |
| March 20, 2022 8:40 p.m., TNT | (3 E) No. 10 | vs. (6 E) No. 25 Texas Second Round | W 81–71 | 29–7 | 22 – Williams | 10 – Edey | 3 – Tied | Fiserv Forum (17,500) Milwaukee, WI |
| March 25, 2022 7:09 p.m., CBS | (3 E) No. 10 | vs. (15 E) Saint Peter's Sweet Sixteen | L 64–67 | 29–8 | 16 – Williams | 8 – Tied | 4 – Gillis | Wells Fargo Center (20,136) Philadelphia, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 7 | 6 | 3 (1) | 2 (9) | 1 (61) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 9т | 10 | Not released |
| Coaches | 7 | 7^ | 4 | 2 (10) | 1 (29) | 4т | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.