His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indiana's Bob Knight, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, and former Purdue head coach Gene Keady. Lambert compiled a career record of 371–152, a. Wooden was the first college player to be named a Consensus All-American three times. In 28 seasons, Lambert mentored 16 All-Americans and 31 First Team All-Big Ten selections, which included the 1932 National Player of the Year John Wooden. Under Lambert, Purdue became a front-runner in the development of the fast-paced game as it is today. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference and national level. In 1917, Ward 'Piggy' Lambert, a former basketball player at Wabash College, was named head coach of the Boilermakers.

The Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference three years later, with its first championship coming in 1911 under the direction of Ralph Jones. Upon conclusion of the season, the university recognized the popularity of the sport and made it part of the Purdue University Athletic Association. Freeman, in his only season, led them to an undefeated 8–0 record. The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA. Purdue has one main rivalry against the Indiana Hoosiers (see Indiana–Purdue Rivalry). Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No. The 1931–32 team was retroactively named a national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The Boilermakers have reached two NCAA Tournament Final Fours and one championship game, but have not won an NCAA Championship. Purdue also holds a winning record against all other Big Ten schools in head-to-head match ups.

Purdue basketball holds the most Big Ten regular season championships, with 25. The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a men's college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Purdue basketball roster