Purdue is ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll released Monday after receiving 35 of a possible 61 first-place votes. It marks the first time in program history that Purdue has been No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
It marks the fifth time in as many calendar years that the Boilermakers, who return All-American guard Braden Smith and All-Big Ten forward Trey Kaufman-Renn from a team that won 24 games last season, are ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. They last held the top spot in January 2024 for a two-week period before finishing as national runner-up.
Each of the now 14 times Purdue has been ranked No. 1 in school history has been under coach Matt Painter, who led them to a No. 1 ranking for the first time in December 2021. That unprecedented success came during what has been one of the most successful periods in program history, with Purdue’s 134 wins over the past five seasons ranking fourth among all college basketball teams.
However, preseason No. 1 teams have struggled to meet high expectations in recent years: the last two preseason No. 1 teams (Kansas) failed to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and the 2022-2023 preseason No. 1 team (North Carolina) became the first ever to miss the NCAA Tournament entirely.
In all, four teams — Purdue, Houston, Florida and UConn, ranked Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively — earned at least one first-place finish. Houston earned the second most with 16, while Florida, the reigning national champion, earned the third most with eight. UConn received two first-place votes.
Below you will find the AP Top 25 of the preseason, together with the conclusions from the poll.
Preseason AP Top 25
1.Purdue (35)
2. Houston (16)
3. Florida (8)
4. UConn (2)
5. St. John
6. Duke
7.Michigan
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Technology
11.Louisville
12.UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Arkansa
15. Alabama
16. Iowa State
17.Illinois
18.Tennessee
19. Kansas
20. Chestnut brown
21. Gonzaga
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24.Wisconsin
25. North Carolina
Others receiving votes: NC State 101, Oregon 98, San Diego St. 74, Texas 35, Ohio St. 23, Kansas St. 13, Mississippi 11, Southern Cal 10, Missouri 8, Washington 7, Vanderbilt 7, Iowa 6, Boise St. 4, Mississippi St. 3, VCU 2, Virginia 2, Saint Mary’s 2, Indiana 1, Oklahoma 1, Baylor 1.
Purdue the top dog
After a Sweet 16 appearance last season that ended in a loss to eventual runner-up Houston, Purdue owns the top preseason ranking and betters its previous record from the 1987-88 preseason, when it was No. 1 under coach Gene Keady.
“We’re obviously excited to get the season started and being ranked No. 1 in the preseason is a good indication of what we think this team can achieve,” Painter told the AP. “But the goal is to be No. 1 by the end of the year. We are very happy that people think so positively about our team, but there is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do to achieve that goal in April.”
Preseason #1 struggles
Over the past ten full seasons, there have been more first-weekend NCAA Tournament losses to a preseason No. 1 team (four) than there have been in the Final Four (three). During that span, there have also been two national runners-up – Gonzaga in 2020-21 and North Carolina in 2015-16 – and zero national champions.
The last preseason No. 1 team to win the national title was North Carolina in 2008–09.
Still, the preseason No. 1 teams have largely succeeded, even if it hasn’t been directly tied to championships. Since that UNC team in 2008-09, the preseason No. 1s have averaged 28.4 wins and 7.4 losses. Three of those teams have finished as national runners-up and six have won 30 or more games.
| Season | Team | Last record | End of NCAA Tournament |
| 2025-26 | Purdue | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2024-25 | Kansas | 21-13 | First round loss |
| 2023-24 | Kansas | 11/23 | Second round loss |
| 2022-23 | North Carolina | 20-13 | Missed NCAA Tournament |
| 2021-22 | Gonzaga | 28-4 | Sweet 16 loss |
| 2020-21 | Gonzaga | 31-1 | National runner-up |
| 2019-20 | State of Michigan | 22-9 | Covid-DCAA Tournament |
| 2018-19 | Kansas | 26-10 | Second round loss |
| 2017-18 | Duke | 29-8 | Elite Eight loss |
| 2016-17 | Duke | 28-9 | Second round loss |
| 2015-16 | North Carolina | 33-7 | National runner-up |
| 2014-15 | Kentucky | 38-1 | Final Four loss |
| 2013-14 | Kentucky | 29-11 | National runner-up |
| 2012-13 | Indiana | 29-7 | Sweet 16 loss |
| 2011-12 | North Carolina | 32-6 | Elite Eight loss |
| 2010-11 | Duke | 32-5 | Sweet 16 loss |
| 2009-10 | Kansas | 33-3 | Second round loss |
| 2008-09 | North Carolina | 34-4 | National champions |
Houston is hot on the heels of Purdue
With 16 first-place votes and a No. 2 ranking, Houston ties a program record for the highest preseason ranking in the AP Top 25, matching the 1967-68 preseason No. 2 ranking with a team led by Elvin Hayes. (At the time, the AP Poll consisted of just 10 teams, before expanding to 25 in the 1980s.)
Houston set a program record with 35 wins last season and finished as national runner-up to Florida.
Reigning champion Florida leads SEC
The SEC’s record-setting 2024-25 season, which saw its membership earn 14 NCAA Tournament bids and culminated in Florida’s national championship, is off to a good start for its encore. The SEC has six teams in the AP poll, tied for the most with the Big 12 and Big Ten.
Florida leads that group with a No. 3 ranking, and Kentucky is also in the top 10 at No. 9.
Arkansas (No. 14), Alabama (No. 15), Tennessee (No. 18) and Auburn (No. 20) round out the SEC representation.
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