Purdue Moves to No. 3 in Latest AP College Basketball Top 25 Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Following its first victory over Michigan since 2018, Purdue basketball now boasts a five-game winning streak and an overall record of 20-3. The team's steady play kept it firmly among the top programs in the nation in the most recent Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 poll.
The Boilermakers, who are 9-3 in the Big Ten and are just one game behind Illinois for the top spot in the conference standings, moved up to No. 3 in the nation.
🆙 1️⃣ to 3️⃣.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) February 7, 2022
Top-15 battle on Tuesday night as Illinois is No. 13. pic.twitter.com/KXZDF8o8UC
Auburn, sitting at 22-1, remained the top team in the country for the third straight week, followed by Gonzaga at No. 2.
Purdue is among five Big Ten teams ranked this week and remains the highest-rated team in the conference, which includes No. 13 Illinois, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 17 Michigan State. Indiana and Iowa also received votes.
Last week, the Boilermakers hit the road for a matchup against Minnesota on Wednesday. Fueled by an efficient offense, Purdue earned an 88-73 win, its first at Williams Arena in Minneapolis since 2018.
Sophomores Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey both logged double-doubles in the contest, and senior Eric Hunter Jr. posted a career-high 20 points. Senior Sasha Stefanovic added 15 points and was 3-6 from the 3-point line, becoming the ninth player in school history to make 200 shots from behind the arc in his career.
Purdue returned home just three days later for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Michigan. The Wolverines entered the matchup with a five-game winning steak against the Boilermakers, including two at Mackey Arena.
However, Ivey scored 23 points and senior Trevion Williams added 19 to overcome a stellar game from Hunter Dickinson and propel the team to victory in an 82-76 shootout. It was the first time Purdue's senior class tasted victory against Michigan.
The team is back in action Tuesday for a home matchup against Illinois. The game will tip off at 9 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The Boilermakers is looking for a regular-season sweep of the Fighting Illini after a 96-88 win against them in double overtime on Jan. 17.
AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Feb. 7
Here is the Week 14 Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll, with Big Ten teams in bold.
- Auburn (22-1)
- Gonzaga (19-2)
- Purdue (20-3)
- Arizona (19-2)
- Kentucky (19-4)
- Houston (20-2)
- Duke (19-3)
- Kansas (19-3)
- Texas Tech (18-5)
- Baylor (19-4)
- Providence (20-2)
- UCLA (16-4)
- Illinois (17-5)
- Wisconsin (18-4)
- Villanova (17-6)
- Ohio State (14-5)
- Michigan State (17-5)
- Marquette (16-7)
- Tennessee (16-6)
- Texas (17-6)
- USC (19-4)
- Saint Mary's ( 19-4)
- Murray State (22-2)
- Connecticut (15-6)
- Xavier (16-6)
Others receiving votes:
Wyoming 82, Arkansas 74, Iowa State 48, Davidson 35, Boise State 22, Wake Forest 21, Alabama 18, Loyola Chicago 13, LSU 11, Indiana 11, Iowa 7, Oregon 5, San Francisco 3, Notre Dame 3, Ohio 2.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- MICHIGAN COACH JUWAN HOWARD SAYS "WE'LL SEE THEM AGAIN": Following Purdue's 82-76 victory over Michigan on Saturday at Mackey Arena, Wolverines coach Juwan Howard addressed the media. The two programs will tip off for the second time in six days on Thursday, Feb. 10, at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID AFTER HOME WIN OVER MICHIGAN: No. 4 Purdue basketball defeated Michigan 82-76 at Mackey Arena on Saturday, increasing the team's current win streak to five games. Head coach Matt Painter took to the podium after the game to talk about the victory. Here's a transcript of the postgame press conference, including video. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE ENDS LOSING SKID TO MICHIGAN: Purdue basketball earned its first victory over Michigan since Jan. 25, 2018, on Saturday afternoon at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers were led by Jaden Ivey's 23 points, but Trevion Williams added 19 in his first win over the Wolverines in four years with the program. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE REACHES 1,000 WINS IN REGULAR-SEASON BIG TEN PLAY: After an 82-76 victory against Michigan on Saturday at Mackey Arena, Purdue basketball improved to 20-3 during the 2021-22 season and 9-3 in Big Ten play. The win was the 1,000th in program history against conference opponents during the regular season. CLICK HERE
- OFFENSE PUSHES PURDUE PAST MINNESOTA: Jaden Ivey scored 21 points and came down with 10 rebounds to lead Purdue to a win over Minnesota on the road. Eric Hunter Jr. registered a career-high 20 points while Sasha Stefanovic became the ninth player in program history to hit 200 career 3-pointers. 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.