For the first time in program history, Purdue is the No. 1 team in the Associated Press men’s basketball preseason Top 25.
And while the preseason rankings only matter so much, in this case they reflect the Boilermakers’ recent ascension to the elite level of college basketball. Prior to the 2021-2022 season, Purdue was never ranked No. 1 in the country, but for the past three seasons, Matt Painter’s team has spent at least one week in each season (13 weeks) as the top team in the sport.
That’s the highest number in the country, narrowly surpassing Auburn (11 weeks) and Houston (10 weeks).
Purdue has come close to first place in the preseason before – third in 2023-24, ahead of Zach Edey last year, and second in 1987-88 – but clinching this preseason title is a sign of the Boilermakers’ opportunity in 2025-26. With two All-American candidates in Trey Kaufman-Renn and point guard Braden Smith – the latter of whom is on pace to break Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record this season – the Boilermakers are front-runners to reach their second Final Four in three seasons.
It’s even possible they’ll break the Big Ten’s championship drought, which will turn 26 in the spring; Michigan State in 2000, Tom Izzo’s only national title team, remains the last Big Ten team to cut down the nets.
No. No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 UConn and No. 5 St. John’s rounded out the rest of the preseason top five. Purdue received 35 of 61 first-place votes, while Houston received 16, Florida eight and UConn two.
Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars return three starters from last season’s national championship game – including arguably the best defenseman in the sport, forward JoJo Tugler – and added three top-20 recruits this offseason. They should be among the Big 12’s best again.
Reigning champion Florida lost its entire backcourt — including point guard Walter Clayton Jr., who won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player before being drafted 18th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft — but retained its entire frontcourt, giving Todd Golden a strong foundation. Golden also signed a pair of highly touted transfer guards in Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) to strengthen his perimeter.
The Gators look like SEC favorites again, and if those guards are on track come March, UF could become the first men’s basketball program to go back-to-back multiple times.
The rest of last season’s Final Four wasn’t far behind Houston and Florida. Duke, which will replace No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg, was ranked No. 6, while Auburn fell to No. 20 following the surprise retirement of Bruce Pearl this offseason. Steven Pearl, the Tigers’ new head coach and Bruce’s son, has an All-American candidate in Tahaad Pettiford to ease the transition.
Just as interesting as the top of the poll was who snuck in near the end. North Carolina, the last team to make the NCAA Tournament this spring, checked in at No. 25, narrowly ahead of rival NC State, which narrowly missed the cut after hiring former LSU and McNeese coach Will Wade in March. These two will battle for position in the ACC all season, in what could be a bounce-back year for the conference after it earned just four tournament bids in 2024-2025.
However, it is clear where college basketball’s strength lies. With six teams each in the top 25, the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC dominate the sport. The ACC and Big East each had three ranked teams, while Gonzaga, at No. 21, is the only West Coast Conference participant.
Here’s the full survey, along with comments on some teams that stand out The AthleticsCJ Moore:
Others receiving votes: NC State (101), Oregon (98), San Diego State (74), Texas (35), Ohio State (23), Kansas State (13), Mississippi (11), USC (10), Missouri (8), Washington (7), Vanderbilt (7), Iowa (6), Boise State (4), Mississippi State (3), VCU (2), Virginia (2), Saint Mary’s (2), Indiana (1), Oklahoma (1), Baylor (1).
Is it finally Purdue’s year?
I want to welcome everyone aboard the Purdue hype train. Let’s not forget that when the super early rankings were released at the start of the offseason, there was only one with Purdue at No. 1.
Consensus men’s basketball way too early Top 25 rankings for 2025-2026: pic.twitter.com/vD6O8muGXY
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) April 8, 2025
Please forget this if the Boilers disappoint, but based on who returns and who the coach is, this is the surest bet in college hoops in 2025-2026. Well done, fellow voters. And I would also like to declare myself captain of the Omer Mayer cart. Most voters haven’t even seen Israel’s freshman guard. Those who voted Purdue No. 1 will feel even better watching Mayer.
Who is too low?
This is just a guessing game, but if I were to pick a team that voters collectively think highly of, it would be Louisville. I have the Cards at No. 3, and a case can be made that they have the most talented roster in the country.
Who is too high?
The team I’m furthest from consensus on is St. John’s. The voters have the Johnnies fifth, and I have them fourteenth. I’m not going to knock anyone for believing in a Rick Pitino team, especially one with this frontcourt. Zuby Ejiofor was great last season, and if the Bryce Hopkins of 2022-2023 emerges, watch out. However, it’s been a minute since Hopkins performed at an all-league level and was able to stay healthy, and I’m not quite on the perimeter yet. Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford) and Joson Sanon (Arizona State) are all talented transfers, but none of them have been key pieces of a winning team before.
The most proven of the perimeter group is Dylan Darling, and he got buckets in the Big Sky at Idaho State last year. I might sound weird here because of Pitino. However, it’s also possible that there’s some recency at play based on how good St. John’s was last year, and the only player who was really a part of that is Ejiofor.
Which conference is the best?
The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC all have six teams in this poll, and if I were to bet on which six of the league will all be in the final poll, I’d go with Big 12.
However, the Big Ten has the best chance to be this season’s SEC. I have seven Big Ten teams in my survey, and three of them (Iowa, Washington and Ohio State) don’t appear here. (My survey was due before the weekend and I may adjust one of those selections based on this weekend.) The Big Ten is deep, and I could see a world where as many as 14 spend at least a week in the Top 25. I don’t think highly of Michigan State and Wisconsin as voters do, but I can understand the justification for voting for both.
#Purdue #Houston #Florida #top #preseason #mens #basketball #Top #Whos #high