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 preseason rankings only matter so much, in this instance, they reflect the Boilermakers’ recent climb into college basketball’s elite tier. Prior to the 2021-22 season, Purdue had never been ranked No. 1 in the country — but over the last three seasons, Matt Painter’s team has spent at least one week each season (13 weeks) as the top team in the sport.
That’s the most in the country, narrowly surpassing Auburn (11 weeks) and Houston (10 weeks).
Purdue’s been close to the preseason top spot before — third in 2023-24, ahead of Zach Edey’s last year, and second back in 1987-88 — but earning this preseason designation is a sign of the opportunity in front of the Boilermakers 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 make it to their second Final Four in three seasons.
It’s even possible they’ll snap the Big Ten’s championship drought, which turns 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. 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 defender in the sport, forward JoJo Tugler — and added three top-20 recruits this offseason. They should once again be among the Big 12’s best.
Reigning national champion Florida lost its entire starting backcourt — including point guard Walter Clayton Jr., who won Final Four Most Outstanding Player before going 18th in the 2025 NBA Draft — but retained its whole frontcourt, which provides Todd Golden a strong foundation. Golden also signed a pair of highly touted transfer guards in Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) to reinforce his perimeter.
The Gators look like SEC favorites again, and if those guards hit their stride by March, UF could become the first men’s college 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 must replace No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg, was No. 6, while Auburn slotted in at No. 20 after Bruce Pearl’s surprising offseason retirement. 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 into the NCAA Tournament in the spring, checked in at No. 25, narrowly ahead of rival NC State, which just missed the cut after hiring former LSU and McNeese coach Will Wade in March. Those two will be jockeying for position in the ACC all season, in what could be a rebound year for the conference after it only earned four tournament bids in 2024-25.
It’s clear, though, where college basketball’s strength lies. With six teams apiece in the top 25, the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC figure to dominate the sport. The ACC and Big East had three ranked teams apiece, while Gonzaga, at No. 21, is the West Coast Conference’s lone entrant.
Here’s the full poll, along with notes on some teams that stand out to The Athletic’s C.J. 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’d like to welcome everyone aboard the Purdue hype train. Let’s just remember when the super-early rankings came out at the beginning of the offseason, that there was only one with Purdue at No. 1.
Consensus men’s basketball way-too-early Top 25 rankings for 2025-26: pic.twitter.com/vD6O8muGXY
— Heat Check CBB (@HeatCheckCBB) April 8, 2025
Please forget this if the Boilers disappoint, but based on who is returning and who the coach is, this is the surest bet in college hoops in 2025-26. Job well done, fellow voters. And I’d also like to declare myself the captain of the Omer Mayer bandwagon. Most voters haven’t even laid eyes on the Israeli freshman guard yet. Those who voted Purdue No. 1 will feel even better once they watch Mayer.
Who’s too low?
This is just a guessing game, but if I were to pick a team that the voters are collectively too low on, it’s Louisville. I’ve got the Cards at No. 3, and there’s a case to be made they have the most talented roster in the country.
Who’s too high?
The team I’m furthest from consensus on is St. John’s. The voters have the Johnnies fifth, and I have them 14th. I’m not going to knock anyone for believing in a Rick Pitino team, especially one with this frontcourt. Zuby Ejiofor was terrific last season, and if the Bryce Hopkins of 2022-23 shows up, then look out. However, it’s been a minute since Hopkins was performing at an all-league level and was able to stay healthy, and I’m not all the way in 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 on a winning team before.
The most proven of the perimeter group is Dylan Darling, and he was getting buckets in the Big Sky at Idaho State last year. I could look silly here because of Pitino. It’s also possible, though, that there’s some recency bias at play based on how good St. John’s was last year, and the only player back who really was a part of that is Ejiofor.
Which conference is best?
The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC all have six teams in this poll, and if I were placing a bet on which league’s six will all be in the final poll, I’m going Big 12.
The Big Ten, however, has the best shot to be this season’s SEC. I have seven Big Ten teams in my poll, and three of those (Iowa, Washington and Ohio State) do not appear here. (My poll was due before the weekend and I may be adjusting 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 one week in the Top 25. I’m not as high on Michigan State and Wisconsin as the voters, but I can understand the justification of voting for both.
