Arkansas men’s basketball team to host Purdue in exhibition charity game

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the second straight year, the Arkansas men’s basketball program will play in a preseason charity exhibition game that features two top 25 teams. The Razorbacks, a top 20 selection in the early polls, will welcome Purdue, generally tabbed among the nation’s top three teams this summer, on Oct. 28 at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.

The game will not be part of the 2023-24 men’s basketball season ticket package and proceeds from the game will go to the United Way to assist with relief efforts from the tornados that affected Arkansas this past spring. Reserved seating in the upper and lower bowl will go on sale to the general public at a later date. Current courtside members and suite holders will receive information in the near future on purchasing their seats for this game.

Broadcast information and complete ticket information, including when tickets will go on sale, will be announced at a later time.

“We are really excited to be hosting one of the premier programs in the country for an exhibition game,” Arkansas men’s coach Eric Musselman said. ”They will come to Bud Walton Arena with a preseason ranking among the top 5. Both programs will be playing in highlevel, Thanksgiving tournaments (Arkansas at the Battle 4 Atlantis and Purdue in the Maui Invitation), so this game will have an incredible level of competition to help prepare us both early on and through March, much like the Texas game did for us last year.

“(Purdue head coach) Matt Painter’s teams are known for having great toughness, execution and consistency while winning at a high level. I can’t thank Coach Painter enough for bringing his Boilermaker team to Fayetteville. What a great experience it will be for our fans to see a game of this caliber so early in the year.”

Purdue was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA East Regional this past season after posting a 29-5 record and winning both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships. The Boilermakers feature 7-4 center Zach Edey, who was the consensus 2022-23 National Player of the Year.

Arkansas and Purdue have only met on two previous occasions with each team winning once and both coming on neutral courts. The first meeting was on Dec. 28, 1938, and the Boilermakers won 57-51 in the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans. The last meeting was in 1983 when the Razorbacks defeated Purdue 78-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Tampa, Fla.