Purdue Vaults to No. 5 in Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 Poll
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In an eventful Thanksgiving weekend, Purdue basketball improved to 6-0 on the season with wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke en route to being crowned the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy Champions.
The Boilermakers defeated the Mountaineers by a 12-point margin in the event's first round before handling the Bulldogs in an 84-66 victory. Those games were a precursor to a 75-56 blasting of the Blue Devils, who didn't score in the final seven minutes of the matchup.
Purdue became just the second team to win back-to-back neutral-site games by 18 or more points against teams in the AP Top 10, joining 1968 UCLA. The victories also marked the first time in school history that the Boilermakers defeated top 10-ranked nonconference teams in back-to-back games.
The team's dominant showing at the event vaulted the program to No. 5 in the latest Associated Press College Basketball Top 25 poll and earned eight first-place votes. Purdue is now the highest-ranked Big Ten program in the country.
🚀 Up 1️⃣9️⃣ spots to 5️⃣. pic.twitter.com/HtD8Khjp4f
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) November 28, 2022
The conference had a total of six teams ranked in the latest poll, with No. 10 Indiana, No. 16 Illinois, No. 20 Michigan State, No. 22 Maryland and No. 25 Ohio State also cracking the national rankings. Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin all received votes, too.
The Boilermakers have a quick turnaround this week as they look to stay undefeated. The team is scheduled to go on the road to play Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla.
AP Top 25 college basketball poll, Nov. 28
Here's a look is the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll for Week 4, with Big Ten teams in bold.
1. Houston (6-0)
2. Texas (5-0)
3. Virginia (5-0)
4. Arizona (6-0)
5. Purdue (6-0)
6. Baylor (5-1)
7. Creighton (6-1)
8. UConn (8-0)
9. Kansas (6-1)
10. Indiana (6-0)
T-11. Arkansas (5-1)
T-11. Alabama (6-1)
13. Tennessee (5-1)
14. Gonzaga (5-2)
15. Auburn (7-0)
16. Illinois (5-1)
17. Duke (6-2)
18. North Carolina (5-2)
19. Kentucky (4-2)
20. Michigan State (5-2)
21. UCLA (5-2)
22. Maryland (6-0)
23. Iowa State (5-1)
24. San Diego State (4-2)
25. Ohio State (5-1)
Others receiving votes:
TCU 45, Iowa 31, Charleston 20, West Virginia 14, Mississippi State 12, Texas Tech 11, Michigan 8, Wisconsin 6, UNLV 6, Arizona State 6, Miami (FL) 5, Oklahoma 2, Missouri 2, New Mexico 1, Kansas State 1, St. John's 1, Virginia Tech 1
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- Boilers Dismantle the Blue Devils 75-56 in Phil Knight Legacy Championship: Purdue basketball defeated Duke in the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy championship game, led by Zach Edey's fifth double-double of the season. The 7-foot-4 junior center led all scorers with 21 points and added 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Fletcher Loyer was 4-of-8 from the 3-point line in the second half. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Topples Gonzaga in Phil Knight Legacy Semifinal 84-66: Led by Zach Edey’s 23 points, Purdue had four players score in double figures to defeat Gonzaga. The Boilermakers made six 3-pointers in the second half, and freshman guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer combined to score 28 points in the win. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Takes Down West Virginia 80-68 in the Phil Knight Legacy: No. 24 Purdue basketball knocked down 24 of its 28 free throws en route to a victory over West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Phil Knight Legacy invitational tournament. Junior center Zach Edey led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds while hitting on 10-of-12 shots from the foul line. 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.