Valparaiso pulled off a stunning 83-80 victory over Purdue in double overtime on Friday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game ended on a buzzer-beating corner three-pointer by Valparaiso guard Justus McNair with the score tied at 80, handing Purdue its second loss of the young season and dropping the Boilermakers to 0-2 for the first time since the 1976-77 campaign.
Purdue, a 19.5-point favorite, had led by as many as 15 points in the first half. Valparaiso forced the first overtime when Rakim Chaney hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 70. The Boilermakers' 23-game home winning streak during the month of November was snapped, and the loss marked the first defeat against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent at Mackey Arena since 1978, when Larry Bird led Indiana State to a victory.
The upset continues a trend of high-major programs faltering in the opening week. On opening night, Oklahoma fell to East Texas A&M as a 28.5-point favorite. Purdue is undergoing a significant roster transition following the departures of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer, a trio that helped the team reach the Elite Eight last season. Kaufman-Renn is now playing his sixth college season at Kansas after securing a preliminary injunction against the NCAA.
