Boilermakers Country

Purdue Basketball Ranked Among Nation's Best in Jeff Goodman's 2021-22 Preseason Top 25

Purdue basketball has the potential to be one of the top teams in the country for the 2021-22 college basketball season. Stadium's Jeff Goodman ranked the program No. 6 in the nation in his updated preseason top 25.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Purdue basketball prepares for the 2021-22 season, there's been no shortage of national recognition flooding toward the program. 

Recently, Stadium basketball insider Jeff Goodman updated his preseason top-25 rankings, and the Boilermakers were right with some of the best teams in the country. He ranked Purdue at No. 6, coming in behind Gonzaga, Texas, Villanova, Kansas and UCLA. 

The Boilermakers are coming off an 18-10 season that included a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the team was upset in overtime during the first round by North Texas. 

Coach Matt Painter and the Purdue basketball team looks to make a deeper push into the postseason by bringing back a majority of its players this year. Here's a look at the players looking to contribute next season alongside those that departed. 

Purdue Returning Players

  • Trevion Williams, Center
  • Jaden Ivey, Guard
  • Zach Edey, Center
  • Sasha Stefanovic, Shooting Guard 
  • Eric Hunter Jr., Forward 
  • Brandon Newman, Guard 
  • Mason Gillis, Forward 
  • Isaiah Thompson, Guard 
  • Ethan Morton, Guard 

"Matt Painter returns just about everyone of note from a top 25 team," Goodman wrote. "Williams and Edey are tough to match with on the frontline, Ivey is a potential star and Stefanovic and Newman give the Boilermakers proven shooters. Continuity will be rare this season, and that’s where Painter will have a major advantage." 

Purdue Offseason Departures 

  • Aaron Wheeler, Forward (Transferred to St. John's) 
  • Emmanuel Dowuona, Center (Transferred to Tennessee State) 

Purdue Additions

  • Caleb Furst, Forward
  • Trey Kaufman-Renn, Forward

Jeff Goodman's 2021-22 Preseason Top 25 

  • 1. Gonzaga
  • 2. Texas
  • 3. Villanova 
  • 4. Kansas
  • 5. UCLA
  • 6. Purdue
  • 7. Memphis 
  • 8. Baylor 
  • 9. Michigan 
  • 10. Kentucky 
  • 11. Arkansas 
  • 12. Oregon 
  • 13. Illinois
  • 14. North Carolina 
  • 15. Duke 
  • 16. Alabama
  • 17. Tennessee 
  • 18. Houston 
  • 19. Ohio State
  • 20. Michigan State 
  • 21. St. Bonaventure 
  • 22. Florida State 
  • 23. Maryland 
  • 24. Auburn 
  • T25. UConn
  • T25. Belmont

Related Stories on Purdue Basketball

  • EDWARDS, MATHIAS FINISH NBA SUMMER LEAGUE: Carsen Edwards and Dakota Mathias both helped their teams during the NBA Summer League. The two former Purdue players were each part of teams with winning records. CLICK HERE
  • BIG TEN, ACC, PAC-12 ALLIANCE: On Tuesday, the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 conferences formally announced an alliance focused on student-athlete well-being, academic and athletic opportunities, and other topics across the college landscape. CLICK HERE
  • BIG TEN ANNOUNCES FORFEITURE POLICY: The Big Ten determined that if a member institution is unable to play a conference opponent due to COVID-19, it would be considered a forfeit and games will not be rescheduled. CLICK HERE

Become Part of the Boilermakers Country Community!

Published
D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

Home/Basketball