Northwestern closes out its home 2026 slate against No. 15 Purdue on Wednesday, and not many oddsmakers, analysts or fans are giving the Wildcats much of a chance to pull off the upset.

Then again, when have they ever?

The 'Cats' recent NCAA Tournament berths were both fueled by colossal victories over Purdue at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the only two wins over No. 1-ranked teams in program history. As Northwestern aims to pick up its fourth consecutive win, here's a look back at the last two times the Boilermakers came to Evanston:

Northwestern was already trending toward its second NCAA Tournament berth in program history, but the Super Bowl Sunday victory essentially confirmed that the 'Cats would be returning to March Madness for the first time since 2017.

Led by future National Player of the Year Zach Edey, Purdue entered the game with a 23-2 record as the odds-on favorite to win the title. The Boilermakers took a 37-30 advantage into the half as Boo Buie's 13 points kept his team within reach. Outside of the star point guard, the rest of Northwestern's roster combined to shoot just 7-of-20 through the first 20 minutes.

Edey continued to use his 7-foot-3 frame to dominate the undersized Wildcats, but Buie's teammates finally began to show up down the stretch in the second half. Chase Audige knocked down a corner three-pointer with 3:34 to go, then stole the ball away from Fletcher Loyer on the ensuing possession and threw down a slam in transition.

Audige remained red-hot, hitting an elbow jumper before another corner triple gave Northwestern its first lead since 2-0. The 'Cats forced an Edey turnover and subsequently iced the game to earn their first-ever win over a No. 1 team. Wildcats fans stormed the court to celebrate the momentous victory that encapsulated their magical season.

Northwestern placed second in the Big Ten with a 22-12 (12-8 B1G) record overall. The 'Cats earned a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Boise State before falling to UCLA.

Boo Buie: 26 points | Chase Audige: 15 points (all in second half)

Edey returned to Welsh-Ryan 10 months later and was borderline unstoppable. In the midst of his second consecutive NPOY campaign, the giant posted 35 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, though the majority of his shots came from the free throw line. Northwestern's only way to slow Edey was by fouling him, and Purdue's center took a whopping 20 attempts at the charity stripe.

The Wildcats once again trailed at the intermission, this time by eight points. However, the three-headed attack of Buie, Ryan Langborg and Ty Berry erupted from beyond the arc to lead Northwestern back and pull even late in the game.

With just seconds remaining and the score tied at 74, Buie drove to the lane and dropped a floater into the basket to take the lead. The senior left too much time on the clock, though, and 2.7 seconds was all that the Boilermakers needed to find Edey under the hoop for the tying lob.

Purdue missed only one shot in overtime, but turned the ball over four times during the extra period. Big-time shots from Berry and Buie finished off the Boilermakers and 'Cats fans rushed the floor for the second time in 2023.

Northwestern reached March Madness for the second year in a row, despite late-season injuries that affected the team's postseason strength. The 'Cats defeated Florida Atlantic in overtime during the Round of 64 before losing to eventual champion UConn, which beat Purdue in the National Championship.

Boo Buie: 31 points | Ty Berry: 21 points | Ryan Langborg: 20 points