Arizona and Purdue are finalizing a two-year series that would give Wildcats center Oumar Ballo the chance to face off against college basketball's reigning national player of the year, 7-4 center Zach Edey, next season.
College Hoops Today first reported Friday that Purdue and UA would meet 聽in Indianapolis next season, while the teams are also expected to play in Las Vegas during the 2024-25 season and complete what would be a semi-neutral home-and-home series.
Adding Purdue would give the Wildcats a fifth high-major non-conference opponent next season and a second consensus top-five preseason opponent after Duke. The Wildcats are also scheduled to face Michigan State, Wisconsin and Alabama next season before Pac-12 play begins after Christmas.
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Arizona hasn't played Purdue since losing 89-64 to the Boilermakers to finish its disastrous 0-3 showing in the 2017-18 Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas, after which the Wildcats dropped from No. 2 to completely out of the Associated Press Top 25.
Purdue also beat UA in what became Lute Olson's final game as head coach, 72-63 in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament in New Orleans. Arizona is 5-7 overall against Purdue, last beating the Boilermakers 79-66 in the 2001-02 season at Anaheim, Calif.
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