The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a men's college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Purdue basketball holds the most Big Ten regular season championships, with 25. Purdue also holds a winning record against all other Big Ten schools in head-to-head match ups.
The Boilermakers have reached two NCAA Tournament Final Fours and one championship game, but have not won an NCAA Championship. The 1931–32 team was retroactively named a national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.
Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No. 1 picks in the NBA draft. Purdue has one main rivalry against the Indiana Hoosiers (see Indiana–Purdue Rivalry).
History
1896–1916: The early years
The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA. In the 1902–03 season, head coach C.I. Freeman, in his only season, led them to an undefeated 8–0 record. Upon conclusion of the season, the university recognized the popularity of the sport and made it part of the Purdue University Athletic Association. The Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference three years later, with its first championship coming in 1911 under the direction of Ralph Jones.
1917–1946: Ward Lambert era
In 1917, Ward "Piggy" Lambert, a former basketball player at Wabash College, was named head coach of the Boilermakers. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference and national level. Under Lambert, Purdue became a front-runner in the development of the fast-paced game as it is today. In 28 seasons, Lambert mentored 16 All-Americans and 31 First Team All-Big Ten selections, which included the 1932 National Player of the Year John Wooden. Wooden was the first college player to be named a Consensus All-American three times. Lambert compiled a career record of 371–152, a .709 winning percentage. His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indiana's Bob Knight, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady. Lambert won an unprecedented 11 Big Ten Championships, which Bobby Knight later tied for most in conference history. In 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively recognized Purdue as its national champion for 1932. The Premo-Porretta Power Poll later recognized the Boilermakers as the 1932 national champion as well.
1950–1965: Ray Eddy era
Ward Lambert announced his resignation on January 23, 1946. That same year and the year following, under new head coach Mel Taube, Purdue would win both meetings against coach John Wooden's Indiana State team. On February 24, 1947, three students were killed (one of whom died the next day) and 166 people were taken to hospitals after the 3,400-student section of the Purdue Fieldhouse collapsed during a game against Wisconsin.
Center Paul Hoffman became the only Boiler to be named a First Team-All Big Ten selection four times in 1947. With third overall-picked teammate Ed "Bulbs" Ehlers (who played for John Wooden at South Bend Central High School), the two were the first players in the program's history to be selected in the NBA draft, while Paul Hoffman became the BAA's (original title of the NBA) first player named Rookie of the Year in 1948.
After Mel Taube's four-and-a-half seasons, Ray Eddy, a former player and teammate of Wooden's under Lambert, took over as head coach. During his 15-year tenure, he coached Terry Dischinger and Dave Schellhase, both Consensus All-Americans, and Ernie Hall, the first Purdue junior college transfer and African-American player to wear a Boilermaker uniform. In 1955, his team played one of the longest games in college basketball history, lasting six overtimes in a loss to Minnesota.