Purdue Rises to No. 3 in AP Top 25 Poll After Winning Big Ten Tournament
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed after winning the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. Now riding a five-game win streak in the month of March, the team jumped to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The Boilermakers also received three first-place votes. Alabama jumped three spots to No. 1 in the national rankings by dominating the SEC Tournament. Houston fell to No. 2 in this week's poll.
Friday marked Purdue's first matchup in the conference tournament, where it would tip off against Rutgers after enjoying a double-bye. The Scarlet Knights brought their stifling defense right from the jump, but the Boilermakers overcame an early 12-point deficit to advance with a 70-65 win.
In the semifinals, the team played Ohio State for the third time this season. Behind a 32-point performance from junior center Zach Edey, Purdue cruised to an 80-66 victory, setting up a championship matchup against Penn State on Sunday.
The Boilermakers were poised for another big win after going ahead by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, but the Nittany Lions stormed back and had a chance to win the game at the buzzer.
Edey scored 30 points in the contest, leading the team to a narrow 67-65 finish. He was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team and was also the conference tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament with a 29-5 overall record and the No. 1 seed in the East Region. It will play the winner of a play-in game between Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson in Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana was the only other Big Ten program ranked this week, falling two spots to No. 21 after a semifinal-round exit in the conference tournament. Penn State and Northwestern also received votes.
AP Top 25 college basketball poll, March 13
Here's a look is the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll for Week 19, with Big Ten teams in bold.
- Alabama (29-5)
- Houston (31-3)
- Purdue (29-5)
- Kansas (27-7)
- Texas (26-8)
- Marquette (28-6)
- UCLA (29-5)
- Arizona (28-6)
- Gonzaga (28-5)
- UConn (25-8)
- Baylor (22-10)
- Duke (26-8)
- Xavier (25-9)
- Virginia (25-7)
- Kansas State (23-9)
- Miami (25-7)
- Texas A&M (25-9)
- San Diego State (27-6)
- Saint Mary's (26-7)
- Tennessee (23-10)
- Indiana (22-11)
- TCU (21-12)
- Missouri (24-9)
- Memphis (26-8)
- Florida Atlantic (31-3)
Others receiving votes:
Creighton 94, Oral Roberts 58, Kentucky 39, Iowa State 32, VCU 26, Utah State 15, Penn State 11, Charleston 10, West Virginia 2, Drake 2, Kent State 2, Northwestern 2
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Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue Earns No. 1 Seed in NCAA Tournament: Purdue enters the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Boilermakers earned a No. 1 seed in the East Region with a 29-5 overall record and will play the winner of Texas Southern and Fairleigh Dickinson. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Captures Big Ten Tournament Win Over Penn State: Purdue won the 2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament championship game by surviving a late push from Penn State on Sunday at the United Center. Junior center Zach Edey led the way with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and came down with 13 rebounds. CLICK HERE
- Micah Shrewsberry Speaks on Purdue's NCAA Tourney Chances: "They're going to will themselves through some games when they don't shoot it well because of how they defend, because of how they rebound," Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry said of Purdue. CLICK HERE
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