Purdue Falls to No. 3 in the Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After suffering its first loss of the season, Purdue's reign as the top team in college basketball comes to a close. The Boilermakers, sitting at 9-1 on the season, fell to No. 3 in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll.
3️⃣ this week.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) December 13, 2021
✅: 4th straight week in the Top 3. pic.twitter.com/E7eJNabTcQ
Baylor, which still carries an undefeated record, was the consensus No. 1 team in college basketball followed by Duke. Purdue is one of three Big Ten program to appear in the top 25, alongside No. 12 Michigan State and No. 15 Ohio State. Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota also received votes.
Purdue began a three-game trip away from Mackey Arena on Thursday, Dec. 9, against Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena. The team was unable to find a rhythm from the 3-point line and was stunned on a half court buzzer-beater from Ron Harper Jr., who's shot game the Scarlet Knights a 70-68 win.
Harper led the Scarlet Knights with 30 points and was 5-7 from the 3-point line.
The Boilermakers were cold from beyond the arc once again in its matchup with North Carolina State on Sunday. After never finding a lead in regulation, senior forward Trevion Williams helped rally the team to force overtime and come away with an 82-72 win.
Williams led the team with a season-high 22 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Purdue will face Butler on Saturday during the Crossroads Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Dec. 13
Here is the Week 6 Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll, with Big Ten teams in bold.
- Baylor (9-0)
- Duke (7-1)
- Purdue (9-1)
- UCLA (9-1)
- Gonzaga (8-2)
- Alabama (8-1)
- Kansas (8-1)
- Arizona (9-0)
- Villanova (7-3)
- USC (10-0)
- Iowa State (10-0)
- Michigan State (9-2)
- Auburn (8-1)
- Houston (8-2)
- Ohio State (8-2)
- Seton Hall (9-1)
- Texas (6-2)
- Tennessee (7-2)
- LSU (9-0)
- Connecticut (9-2)
- Kentucky (7-2)
- Xavier (9-1)
- Colorado (10-0)
- Arkansas (9-1)
- Texas Tech (7-1)
Others receiving votes:
Wisconsin 156, North Carolina 85, Providence 57, Oklahoma 46, San Francisco 36, Illinois 31, West Virginia 24, Loyola Chicago 20, Michigan 8, St. Bonaventure 6, BYU 4, Minnesota 3, Creighton 1.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE RALLIES PAST NC STATE IN OVERTIME: Senior forward Trevion Williams scored 22 points and registered 12 rebounds and a career-high nine assists as Purdue came back from down 13 points in the second half against North Carolina State. The Boilermakers found their first lead of the contest in overtime and avoided losing two straight games. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE, NC STATE LIVE BLOG: No. 1 Purdue continued its road trip with a matchup against North Carolina State in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational. The Boilermakers were looking for a win after dropping its first game of the year. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Sure it was great to be ranked No. 1, but losing right away, however sad, really isn't a huge deal. So don't make too much of it, because it's the Big Ten and road losses are going to happen. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE FALLS TO RUTGERS ON THE ROAD: Ron Harper Jr. hit a buzzer beater 3-pointer to give Rutgers a 70-68 win over Purdue, the Boilermakers’ first loss of the season. Senior forward Trevion Williams led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds. CLICK HERE
- WHAT PURDUE COACH MATT PAINTER SAID: No. 1 Purdue basketball was defeated 70-68 on the road against Rutgers. Here's what Matt Painter said after the game. CLICK HERE
- WHAT RUTGERS COACH STEVE PIKIELL SAID: Rutgers senior Ron Harper Jr. recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds, capped off by a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to stun the No. 1-ranked Purdue basketball program in a 70-68 victory. Here's what coach Steve Pikiell said after the game. 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.