Ball State University Athletics
Sunday, October 18
West Lafayette, Ind.
2 PM
Ball State University
at
Purdue
Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics
Men's Basketball Set for Sunday Afternoon Exhibition at Purdue
October 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team is set to play an exhibition game at Purdue at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon for what will be fans' first look at the 2026-27 Cardinals.
The contest will be broadcast on B1G+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio call on 104.9 WERK FM. Links to both broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State is entering its first season under the direction of head coach Chris Capko, who was hired in March after most recently being the associate head coach at SMU.
Purdue went 30-9 (13-7 Big Ten) last year in the 21st season under the direction of head coach Matt Painter. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight but lost longtime starters Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith after the season to graduation.
The Cardinals will next host Purdue Fort Wayne in an exhibition on Oct. 28 before beginning the regular season on Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern.
CAPKO'S CARDINALS: Chris Capko was named the 21st head coach in Ball State men's basketball history back in March after most recently serving as associate head coach on Andy Enfield's staff at SMU.
The Florida native spent a total of 12 seasons on Enfield's staffs at USC and SMU including the most recent five as the associate head coach.
EDGE ON EXPERIENCE: The Ball State men's basketball roster features 12 players in their junior year or later along with freshmen Kamden McGilveary and Kai McGrew.
A total of seven Cardinals are in at least their fourth year of college.
FINE WITH COMING HOME: Junior guard Aaron Fine attended many Ball State basketball games growing up in Muncie before moving to Noblesville for high school.
Fine's first contest in a Ball State uniform will also be a homecoming of sorts, as he was at Purdue for his first two collegiate seasons.
I KNOW YOU: Capko has known UMass transfer guard K'Jei Parker his entire life.
Both Florida natives, Capko is good friends with Parker's dad Kevis and even held K'Jei when he was a baby.
BACK FOR MORE: Senior Mason Jones has played the third-most minutes at a MAC school among players on 2026-27 season rosters entering the campaign.
The 2,192 career minutes trail only Ohio forward Javan Simmons and UMass guard/forward Jayden Ndijigue. Simmons transferred from Toledo after two seasons, and UMass has only been in the MAC for one season, so Jones has played the most minutes at the same MAC school among players on active rosters.
BATTLE WITH THE BOILERMAKERS: Sunday's contest at Mackey Arena will be the 13th in series history between the Ball State and Purdue men's basketball programs, with the most recent being an 84-75 Purdue win on Nov. 10, 2018 in West Lafayette.
In addition to Fine's connection to Purdue, the Boilermakers are led by a Muncie native in head coach Matt Painter who played high school ball at Delta.
Ball State beat Purdue 72-52 back on Dec. 18, 1999 in the first collegiate game played in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The other win for the Cardinals against the Boilermakers was a 70-56 final on Dec. 10, 1988 in Muncie.
In-State Rivalries: Sunday's exhibition at Purdue is the first of five scheduled contests this season against teams from the state of Indiana for the Cardinals.
Ball State also hosts an exhibition against Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 28 before regular season games against Indiana State (Nov. 6) and Evansville (Dec. 8) at home and USI (Nov. 28) on the road.
MORE MACTION: The Mid-American Conference slate jumped from 18 to 22 games in advance of the 2026-27 season.
The MAC is at 12 teams after Northern Illinois left for the Horizon League, and each team will play a true double round robin with home and away games against every other team.
CANADA CONNECTION: Sean Blake, Babatunde Durodola and assistant coach Manny Dosanjh are all from the Toronto area.
Blake and Durodola will be Ball State's first Canadian players since Ben Hendriks (2019-25). Both Blake and Hendriks have the same hometown of Mississauga.
The contest will be broadcast on B1G+, while Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio call on 104.9 WERK FM. Links to both broadcasts and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State is entering its first season under the direction of head coach Chris Capko, who was hired in March after most recently being the associate head coach at SMU.
Purdue went 30-9 (13-7 Big Ten) last year in the 21st season under the direction of head coach Matt Painter. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight but lost longtime starters Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith after the season to graduation.
The Cardinals will next host Purdue Fort Wayne in an exhibition on Oct. 28 before beginning the regular season on Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern.
CAPKO'S CARDINALS: Chris Capko was named the 21st head coach in Ball State men's basketball history back in March after most recently serving as associate head coach on Andy Enfield's staff at SMU.
The Florida native spent a total of 12 seasons on Enfield's staffs at USC and SMU including the most recent five as the associate head coach.
EDGE ON EXPERIENCE: The Ball State men's basketball roster features 12 players in their junior year or later along with freshmen Kamden McGilveary and Kai McGrew.
A total of seven Cardinals are in at least their fourth year of college.
FINE WITH COMING HOME: Junior guard Aaron Fine attended many Ball State basketball games growing up in Muncie before moving to Noblesville for high school.
Fine's first contest in a Ball State uniform will also be a homecoming of sorts, as he was at Purdue for his first two collegiate seasons.
I KNOW YOU: Capko has known UMass transfer guard K'Jei Parker his entire life.
Both Florida natives, Capko is good friends with Parker's dad Kevis and even held K'Jei when he was a baby.
BACK FOR MORE: Senior Mason Jones has played the third-most minutes at a MAC school among players on 2026-27 season rosters entering the campaign.
The 2,192 career minutes trail only Ohio forward Javan Simmons and UMass guard/forward Jayden Ndijigue. Simmons transferred from Toledo after two seasons, and UMass has only been in the MAC for one season, so Jones has played the most minutes at the same MAC school among players on active rosters.
BATTLE WITH THE BOILERMAKERS: Sunday's contest at Mackey Arena will be the 13th in series history between the Ball State and Purdue men's basketball programs, with the most recent being an 84-75 Purdue win on Nov. 10, 2018 in West Lafayette.
In addition to Fine's connection to Purdue, the Boilermakers are led by a Muncie native in head coach Matt Painter who played high school ball at Delta.
Ball State beat Purdue 72-52 back on Dec. 18, 1999 in the first collegiate game played in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The other win for the Cardinals against the Boilermakers was a 70-56 final on Dec. 10, 1988 in Muncie.
In-State Rivalries: Sunday's exhibition at Purdue is the first of five scheduled contests this season against teams from the state of Indiana for the Cardinals.
Ball State also hosts an exhibition against Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 28 before regular season games against Indiana State (Nov. 6) and Evansville (Dec. 8) at home and USI (Nov. 28) on the road.
MORE MACTION: The Mid-American Conference slate jumped from 18 to 22 games in advance of the 2026-27 season.
The MAC is at 12 teams after Northern Illinois left for the Horizon League, and each team will play a true double round robin with home and away games against every other team.
CANADA CONNECTION: Sean Blake, Babatunde Durodola and assistant coach Manny Dosanjh are all from the Toronto area.
Blake and Durodola will be Ball State's first Canadian players since Ben Hendriks (2019-25). Both Blake and Hendriks have the same hometown of Mississauga.
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