What to know about Purdue's big preseason showdown with Kentucky
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Boilermaker fans are getting an early dose of March Madness. Photo: Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The Boilermaker basketball team is heading south to Kentucky to try to tame the Wildcats Friday night.
Why it matters: Purdue's unprecedented No. 1 preseason ranking makes the primetime matchup with the perennial college hoops powerhouse a potential NCAA Tournament preview.
The intrigue: This week's early dose of March Madness is made possible by new NCAA rule changes.
- Previously, Division I men's basketball teams could only face off in an exhibition if the game was played for charity.
- Now, teams are allowed to play up to two preseason games against any other D-I school without a special waiver as long as no class time is missed.
- The rule change also cleared the way for Sunday afternoon's Indy Showdown game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse between Indiana University and Baylor.
What they're saying: "From our standpoint, there's probably nothing better than to get tested in a good environment on the road," Elliot Bloom, Purdue's director of basketball operations, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "So that's where a lot of the value in it comes for us."
Flashback: Purdue and Kentucky have only played each other eight times, with the most recent game being on Dec. 3, 1997.
- Back then, No. 5 Purdue lost to No. 7 Kentucky with a final score of 89-75.
Between the lines: The exhibition arrives shortly after Matt Painter's team has done something no other Boilermaker basketball team has done before: climb to the top of AP's Top 25 poll before the start of the regular season.
Zoom out: AP voters also showed some love for Boilermaker guard Braden Smith, naming the Westfield native a unanimous selection to its preseason All-American team.
Stunning stat: Smith — last season's Big Ten Player of the Year — is the only player in Big Ten history and one of 16 players in NCAA history to reach 1,300 career points, 700 assists and 500 rebounds.
- With a full season ahead of him, Smith needs 125 points and 242 assists to become the first player in NCAA history with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
What's next: Purdue vs. Kentucky tips off at 6pm Friday on the SEC Network.