WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After dropping its season opener to Gonzaga in a hard-fought contest on Monday night, Purdue returns to Mackey Arena on Friday to host Valparaiso. It's the first home game of the season for the Boilermakers, an opportunity to even their record.

This is a skilled Valparaiso team, though, one that retained several key players from a season ago. Purdue may have the superior talent, but the Beacons will present some challenges on Friday night.

Here's everything you need to know for Purdue's home opener against Valpo.

How to follow along

• What: Valparaiso (1-0) vs. Purdue (0-1)
• When: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026
• Where: Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. (14,876)
• Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Stream: FOX One
• TV announcers: Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Bruce Weber (analyst)
• Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network | 96.5 FM WAZY (Lafayette), 100.9 FM WKJG (Fort Wayne), 1260 AM WNDE (Indianapolis), 99.5 FM WFNB (Terre Haute), 1450 AM WXVW (Louisville) | SiriusXM Channel 264
• Radio announcers: Rob Blackman (play-by-play), Bobby Riddell (analyst)
• Live stats: StatBroadcast
• Live game blog: Purdue Boilermakers On SI
• Series: Purdue leads the all-time series vs. Valparaiso 17-1
• KenPom: Purdue is No. 26; Valparaiso is No. 140

Scouting Valparaiso

Roger Powell Jr., head coach

• 4th season as head coach at Valparaiso
• 41-59 overall record (3 seasons)
• Assistant coach at Valpo (2011-16)
• Associate head coach at Vanderbilt (2016-19)
• Assistant coach at Gonzaga (2019-23)
• Valpo's win total has increased each season under Powell
• Finished 18-15 in 2025-26, went 11-9 in MVC play
• Reached quarterfinal round of Arch Madness
• Played college basketball at Illinois (2001-05)

Key players

• JT Pettigrew, F — Pettigrew was the MVC's runner-up for Freshman of the Year last season and earned third-team All-MVC honors after averaging 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He had an 18-point outing in Valpo's season-opening win over Western Illinois earlier in the week.

• Carter Hopoi, F — The 6-foot-11 forward only averaged 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds last season, but put together a great performance in the first game for the Beacons this season. He scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots, dished out three assists and recorded two steals. He was Valpo's do-it-all guy.

• Rakim Chaney, G — Coming off a year in which he averaged 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, Chaney dropped 10 points, grabbed three rebounds and had three steals in the season opener for Valparaiso. He is capable of scoring in bunches, hitting double figures seven times in Valpo's final nine games last year.

• Rajan Roberts, G — The freshman had a big night in his college debut, scoring 13 points off the bench against Western Illinois. He is one of the highest-rated high school prospects ever to commit to play at Valparaiso and already seems to have a bright future ahead.

• Justus McNair, G — McNair was named to the MVC All-Bench Team and the MVC Most-Improved Team following the 2025-26 season. He didn't have a great night in the opener, but he had a sophomore campaign in which he averaged 7.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest off the bench.

Boilers to watch

• Daniel Jacobsen, C — In just his second career start, Jacobsen was dominant. The 7-foot-4 center scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Purdue's opener against Gonzaga. He was a force on both ends of the court and looks like he could be an anchor for the Boilermakers in the post.

• C.J. Cox, G — Cox struggled in Las Vegas, making just 4-of-11 shots from the floor and finishing 1-of-5 from three-point range. He still has great skills as a shooter and can heat up at any given moment. The junior guard also had a few uncharacteristic turnovers in the first half against Gonzaga.

• Jack Benter, F — After Purdue's loss to Gonzaga, Matt Painter said that Benter deserved to see more minutes in the game. How much more time will he get in Friday's home opener? Benter is a solid defender, can play multiple positions and has a nose for the ball.

• Caden Pierce, F — Pierce might have been the most overlooked player in Purdue's game on Monday night. He didn't have eye-popping numbers, but he finished the game with seven points and went 3-of-3 from the field. He also had six rebounds and three assists. He was the most consistent player on the floor outside of Jacobsen.

• Omer Mayer, G — Another guy who struggled with his shot against Gonzaga, Mayer was 2-of-11 from the field. He did a good job distributing the ball, ending the night with a team-high five assists. Mayer has a history of making jumpers throughout his basketball career, he just got off to a rough start.

2026-27 stats

What to watch

Playing defense without fouling

Purdue had some major issues against Gonzaga, especially in the second half. Defensively, the Boilermakers bit on too many shot fakes and was responsible for several costly and unnecessary fouls. Gonzaga ended the game shooting 34 free throws, 30 in the second half.

Valparaiso can test Purdue's discipline. The Beacons got to the charity stripe 43 times in their opener agianst Western Illinois. They won't settle for three-pointers and will force Purdue to defend them at the rim.

Home sweet home?

Shooting from behind the three-point line has been a bit of an issue for the last three games. All of those have been played away from Mackey Arena. In the opener against Gonzaga, Purdue shot below 25% from the behind the arc. The Boilers are going to rely heavily on the three-point shot and can't get into a rut where they're hitting below 30% very often.

Will a return to Mackey Arena help Purdue in that regard? Perhaps playing in a familiar venue will help this team get back into a rhythm from behind the three-point line.

Backup five

How will Painter handle the non-Jacobsen minutes on Friday night? Enzo Shahrvin struggled in his collegiate debut. Raleigh Burgess didn't check into the game until the second half. Is Shahrvin still the primary backup to Jacobsen? Will Painter turn to Burgess a little earlier?

This is going to be something worth watching for the next few games and see if either of those guys creates separation and becomes the top backup to Jacobsen.