The Boilermakers will open the season at No. 1 in the country.
The college basketball season is right around the corner, and all eyes will be on Purdue to start the year.
The Boilermakers were ranked No. 1 in the country in the Associated Press’ preseason poll on Monday, just three weeks before opening night. It’s the team’s first ever time being ranked No. 1 to start the season.
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The Boilermakers went 24-12 last year and were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16. Most of that team is back this season, too, including stars Braden Smith and Trey Kaufmann-Renn, who averaged 20.1 points per game. Matt Painter landed Oscar Cluff from South Dakota State in the transfer market, as well as Omar Mayer from Israel.
Oh, and 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen is back after missing nearly all of last season with a broken leg. He went down in the team’s second game of the season, but should play a major part in helping Purdue hold things down inside — which was a significant issue for them last season after Zach Edey’s departure.
The Boilermakers are one of six teams in the Big Ten ranked in the poll. Michigan came in at No. 7, the only other team in the top-10, while UCLA, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin made the rankings.
Houston is entering the season at No. 2, too, and for good reason. The Cougars, after their brutal loss to Florida in the national championship game last season, have brought back stars Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler for another season. Head coach Kelvin Sampson had the third-best Rivals.com class this offseason, too, and landed five-star recruits Chris Cenac and Isiah Harwell — both of whom should start right away and make a huge impact.
BYU and Texas Tech are ranked in the top 10 for the Big 12. Arizona, Iowa State and Kansas, down at No. 19, are also ranked to start the year.
Sampson has turned the Cougars into a true basketball powerhouse in recent years. They’ve earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for three straight seasons now and been to a pair of Final Fours in the last five years. He’s won at least 32 games for four straight seasons now, too, and dominated the Big 12. He’s going to break through one of these years and finally give the Cougars their first ever national title that’s felt so close.
What about Florida repeating?
We just did the back-to-back championship talk with UConn and Dan Hurley. But, at least for now, that conversation should be had again with Todd Golden’s group in Gainesville.
The Gators are opening the season at No. 3 in the poll after winning the national championship last spring. Stars Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are back from that title run, too. Condon put up 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season, and Haugh was close behind with 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Reuben Chinyelu is back, too, and should help that duo significantly in what may be the strongest frontcourt in the country.
Their issue will be with their guards, though Golden landed Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Xaivian Lee from Princeton in the transfer portal. Those two should help significantly on that front. After what they pulled off last season, don’t count the Gators off to repeat — even if things get a bit sticky early in the year.
Is this Rick Pitino’s best shot?
After what was easily his best season at the college level in years, Rick Pitino has reloaded St. John’s again this fall and seems ready to make another run at a title before he calls it a career.
The Red Storm went 31-5 last season, though they were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the opening weekend. Center Zuby Ejiofor is back after averaging 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, and Pitino brought in several big transfers to support him — including Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Dillon Mitchell from Texas and Ian Jackson from North Carolina.
But, at least for now, St. John's isn't the top-ranked Big East school. The Red Storm came in at No. 5, one spot behind Dan Hurley and UConn. Creighton is the only other school in the conference to start the year ranked. It's looking like it'll be a two-way battle between the Red Storm and the Huskies in that league.
How long Pitino remains coaching is anybody's guess. The 73-year-old, though, is clearly still capable of holding his own in a major conference. So long as he can get this new group working together quickly, the Big East should be theirs to control this season.
2025-26 Preseason AP Men’s Basketball poll
The men’s college basketball season officially starts on Nov. 3
1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. Florida
4. UConn
5. St. John’s
6. Duke
7. Michigan
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Tech
11. Louisville
12. UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Arkansas
15. Alabama
16. Iowa State
17. Illinois
18. Tennessee
19. Kansas
20. Auburn
21. Gonzaga
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24. Wisconsin
25. North Carolina
Others receiving votes: NC State 101, Oregon 98, San Diego State 74, Texas 35, Ohio State 23, Kansas State 13, Mississippi 11, USC 10, Missouri 8, Washington 7, Vanderbilt 7, Iowa 6, Boise State 4, Mississippi State 3, VCU 2, Virginia 2, Saint Mary's 2, Indiana 1, Oklahoma 1, Baylor 1
Category: General Sports
