He was the 2012 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. Purvis played in the 2012 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. On April 14, 2012, Purvis compiled 22 points, two rebounds and three steals in the Jordan Brand Classic. He was named the co-MVP with Shabazz Muhammad. ESPN analyst DJ Quinn wrote, "In a short period of time, Purvis distinguished himself as an athletic, strong, scoring threat. Excellent off the drive and finishing in the paint, he's difficult to guard. There's an attacking presence he brings to the table, making him one of the best young offensive players in his age group." He drew some comparison to fellow Raleigh native John Wall, although Purvis tried to shrug off these comparison. According to ESPN, he was the 15th best recruit in his class. He was the 12th ranked recruit in his class according to Rivals.com. In his only year at N.C. State, Purvis played in 35 games and averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He shot 44 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from the three-point line. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week on November 12. Purvis scored a season-high 21 against Boston College on February 27. However, his minutes fell off when coach Gottfried moved forward T.J. Warren into the starting lineup, and Purvis scored a total of 12 points and played an average of 12.8 minutes in the final four games. He announced he was transferring to Connecticut on April 5, 2013. He said that N.C. State was not a good fit and he wanted to go off on his own. In his redshirt season, he trained with Shabazz Napier. Purvis underwent shoulder surgery in December 2013. Purvis was forced to sit out a game in his sophomore season for playing in two summer leagues. Purvis was named AAC player of the week on March 2, 2015, after registering 28 points, three assists and three steals in an 81-73 win against SMU. He was selected to the All-AAC Tournament Team after scoring 29 points against SMU in the championship game. He finished second on the team in points per game (11.6) and 3-pointers (54) and collected 2.4 rebounds per game. Purvis had 28 points in a win against UMass Lowell on December 20, 2015. As a junior, Purvis led the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game, to go with 72 assists and 32 steals in 36 games total.