Purdue Falls to No. 9 in the Latest AP College Basketball Top 25 Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After finishing the regular season with a 25-6 record and a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play, Purdue fell to No. 9 in the latest Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 poll.
The team is tied with Tennessee inside the top 10. Gonzaga remained the No. 1 team in the country, followed by Arizona and Baylor for the second straight week.
No. 9️⃣ in this week’s AP Top 25. pic.twitter.com/rEs7F5Ixo7
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 7, 2022
Purdue was among four Big Ten teams that were ranked, including No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 16 Illinois and No. 24 Iowa. Ohio State and Rutgers also received votes.
Against Wisconsin, sophomores Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey combined for 39 points to lead the team to a potential late-game victory. But in the closing seconds, with the game tied, Badgers freshman guard Chucky Hepburn banked in a 3-pointer to stun the Boilermakers 70-67.
The team responded by closing the regular season with a 69-67 win against in-state rival Indiana. Trevion Williams, Sasha Stefanovic and Eric Hunter Jr. scored the team's final 17 points on Senior Day to secure the victory in their final game inside Mackey Arena.
The team earned a No. 3 seed in the 2022 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament and is scheduled to play either Ohio State, Penn State or Minnesota on Friday, March 11, at 9 p.m. ET.
The event tips off on Wednesday, March 9, inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, March 7
Here is the Week 18 Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll, with Big Ten teams in bold.
1. Gonzaga (24-3)
2. Arizona (28-3)
3. Baylor (26-5)
4. Auburn (27-4)
5. Kentucky (25-6)
6. Kansas (25-5)
7. Duke (26-5)
8. Villanova (23-7)
T-9. Purdue (25-6)
T-9. Tennessee (23-7)
11. Providence (24-4)
12. Wisconsin (24-6)
13. UCLA (23-6)
14. Texas Tech (23-8)
15. Arkansas (24-7)
16. Illinois (22-8)
17. Saint Mary's (24-6)
18. Houston (26-5)
19. Murray State (30-2)
20. UConn (22-8)
21. USC (25-6)
22. Texas (21-10)
23. Colorado State (24-4)
24. Iowa (22-9)
25. North Carolina (23-8)
Others receiving votes:
Boise State 49, South Dakota State 32, Memphis 26, San Diego State 24, LSU 22, Loyola Chicago 16, Ohio State 16, Seton Hall 9, San Francisco 9, Rutgers 8, Alabama 7, Notre Dame 4, Vermont 3, Davidson 1, Longwood 1
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE FINISHES THIRD IN BIG TEN STANDINGS: Purdue basketball will play its quarterfinal game in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, March 11, at 9 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The team will play either Ohio State, Penn State or Minnesota. CLICK HERE
- SENIORS LEAD PURDUE TO WIN AGAINST INDIANA: Purdue seniors Eric Hunter Jr., Sasha Stefanovic and Trevion Williams scored the team's final 17 points to take down Indiana on Saturday at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers closed the regular season with a 25-6 overall record. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE LOSES TO WISCONSIN: Purdue sophomores Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey combined for 31 points in the second half of a road loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday night. The Badgers hit two shots off the backboard in the final minute to stun the Boilermakers 70-67. CLICK HERE
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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.