Odds and ends: Hila Karsh arrives, Purdue's finish in Directors' Cup, volleyball in Mackey and more
Karsh, a freshman from Israel, traveled from Tel Aviv this week to join the Boilermakers
Items of interest heading into the weekend:
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Katie Gearlds will add one more player to the summer practice rotation next week.
Freshman guard Hila Karsh made it to West Lafayette on Wednesday night and is set to begin workouts next week. Karsh’s trip to Purdue was delayed due to the Israel-Iran conflict last month.
Karsh gives the Boilermakers 12 players, with one more to come. Incoming freshman Keona Douwstra is playing for The Netherlands in the FIBA Eurobasket U20 next month.
The 5-foot-8 Karsh brings a wealth of international experience and is expected to add depth on the perimeter. She turned 21 last month.
NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPANSION
No decision was made whether to expand the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to 72 or 76 teams. Both committees wrapped up summer meetings this week, and for now, the fields remain at 68 teams.
That’s for now.
"The NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees met this week, with the men's meeting taking place in Savannah and the women's meeting in Philadelphia," NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement. "The topic of expanding the field for each championship was discussed at length, but no decision or recommendation was made. The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2026 or 2027 championships."
Increasing the field is an unpopular move outside of the NCAA, but one that is likely to happen. Schools are seeking additional funds to support revenue sharing, and expanding the tournament provides that opportunity since TV will pay for the extra games.
As long as the tournament can be played in a three-week window in March/early April, the chances of expanding remain high.
The women’s tournament should’ve never expanded beyond 64 teams because of the lack of depth in the game. Going to 72 or 76 teams won’t help the quality of competition in the early rounds.
2026 TOURNAMENT ODDS
South Carolina is the betting favorite to win the 2026 national championship, according to Betonline.ag.
The Gamecocks are listed at 2-1, followed by UConn (3-1), UCLA (5-1), and Texas (17-2). The Bruins are one of 13 Big Ten teams mentioned, but the Boilermakers weren’t included.
The other conference teams: USC (12-1), Maryland (100-1), Indiana (120-1), Iowa (120-1), Michigan (120-1), Ohio State (120-1), Illinois (250-1), Minnesota (250-1), Michigan State (250-1), Nebraska (250-1), Oregon (250-1) and Washington (250-1).
MORE: How will the university support Purdue Athletics in revenue sharing? | How Name, Image and Likeness fits into new landscape for Purdue Athletics | Revenue sharing plan for Purdue Athletics
MEN’S BASKETBALL
The program will host its biennial Alumni Game on Aug. 2 at Mackey Arena. The game starts at noon.
In the past, approximately 60-70 former players have returned. The list of alumni will be announced the week of the game.
The game follows the Purdue football team’s Fan Day, which begins at 8:15 a.m. with an open practice followed by autographs on the field.
Ticket information can be found here.
VOLLEYBALL IN MACKEY
Three matches are scheduled to be played in Mackey Arena during the 2025 season.
Purdue will host Washington (Sept. 25), Illinois (Sept. 28), and Indiana (Nov. 29). The Boilermakers played two matches last season against Indiana and Wisconsin.
DIRECTORS CUP FINISH
Where did the athletic department finish in the annual Learfield Directors’ Cup standings?
No. 53.
Purdue placed 14th in the Big Ten ahead of Northwestern, Maryland, Iowa, and Rutgers and trailed Indiana by .50 points. USC and UCLA ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the Big Ten.
Ten Purdue sports scored, with most of the success in the winter. Men’s basketball, both swimming, indoor track and field, and golf programs recorded points based on their success in the postseason.
The scoring formula counts 19 sports, five of which must be baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and women’s soccer. The next highest 14 sports, regardless of gender, are used to calculate the standings.
Purdue improved 12 spots from the 2023-24 season and recorded its highest finish since 2021-22, when it also placed No. 53. The school’s best finish in the last 10 years: 39th in 2017-18.
BIG TEN ATHLETES
Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci has been selected as the Big Ten Conference Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, and USC basketball guard JuJu Watkins has been selected as the league’s Female Athlete of the Year.
Starocci became the first and only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to become a five-time NCAA National Champion. Watkins was named the consensus National Player of the Year after collecting six National Player of the Year honors.
CONFERENCE NEWCOMERS
The league’s four new schools — USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington —claimed 19 regular-season/tournament conference championships in their inaugural year.
Each newcomer won at least one title.
Oregon won or shared eight championships, including football and three of the four indoor and outdoor track and field titles. Washington won the league’s rowing title.
Alright— Hila Karsh is an official Boilermaker—I am looking forward to the fall 2025 basketball season.. I along with all the other Purdue fans is looking for success .It’s been tough. I look at the Fever— the fans love the players— Personally become more attached to the players than the men’s team.— this is my opinion and what I have observed— the Fever didn’t start selling out just because they were winning— NO!— The fans follow their every move— when they have an event in town— long lines— extremely long lines— they want to see Clark or Cunningham.. last week there were 2 of them at a meet the players and you could see the line- it wrapped the building— if 2 players from the Pacers did that— not near the crowd— and Clark was not one of the players—If Purdue can be good this year— popularity will come to the team- fans are just waiting— and this has to be the year— I look at the players and their background— we can’t help but be good— then I look at the other teams— they have good players too— maybe just as good— so it is going to be a fight.Purdue looks like it is ready with players that can win— we have to— and I just hope that the players that we have are putting in the time and effort to be the best.—- I think our players have to go over the top on getting ready— if we don’t do the extra— we will be average at best or below average— I just hope that our players are over achiever's.. Here is the question that I will leave you with— how many Mockobees do we have on the team— if the players read this — they will know what I mean— I hope all of them are— Ed