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 in a Dec. 16 game 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.
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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