GAME NOTES: The Purdue Boilermakers tip off their 117th season of men's basketball on Friday night, as they play host to the Samford Bulldogs.

Samford finished well below the .500 mark last season, going 13-20 overall, 6-10 in the Southern Conference, but it didn't finish at the bottom of the league standings. Not doing so again in 2014-15 will be difficult however, as the team embarks on a new era, with former assistant Scott Pagdett taking the reins of a rather raw group.

Matt Painter has seen his Boilermakers steadily lose ground recently, the team winning fewer games each season over the past five years. The 2013-14 campaign was a rough one, particularly late when Purdue lost seven straight to close things out. In fact, the Boilermakers dropped 12 of their final 14 games to wind up at 15-17 overall and just 5-13 in the Big Ten Conference.

This is only the second meeting between these two schools on the hardwood, with Purdue winning the first, 66-50, at home on Nov. 23, 2003.

Over the past four seasons, the Bulldogs have seen 14 players transfer, and the latest mutiny included five of the team's top six scorers, including First-Team All-Southern Conference forward Tim Williams (17.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 45 blocked shots). No. 2 scorer Isaiah Williams (11.9 ppg, 103 assists) also left town. Padgett isn't likely to change the system that's been in place the last few years, but having to go into battle with a slew of new players isn't going to be easy.

Senior Tyler Hood (7.9 ppg) is the team's top returning scorer, and the rest of the starters include two seniors, a junior and a rookie. In all, Samford has eight freshmen and sophomores on the roster, so it appears as if Padgett is building for the future rather than expecting too much in the present.

The loss of top scorers (brothers Terone and Ronnie Johnson) leaves several questions for Painter's club, although junior center A.J. Hammons is the one the coach will likely make the focal point of his game plan most nights, as it's expected that the 7-foot junior will produce at an even higher rate than he did last season when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Hammons is a defensive force, having logged 96 blocks as a sophomore.

Others expected to contribute include Kendall Stephens (8.0 ppg, team-best 64 3-pointers) and Rapheal Davis (6.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Purdue's primary weakness last season was on defense, as foes generated nearly 72 ppg, something the Boilermakers need to address from the outset if they are going to enjoy a relatively successful campaign.

While Hammons could be on his way to achieving superstar status, he isn't there yet. Still, the Boilermakers are the superior team in this matchup, and they should have little trouble notching a comfortable victory to kick off the campaign.