After a dominating stretch at the Maui Invitational that included three wins over top-15 opponents, Purdue is the new No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday for the first time since occupying the top spot on Feb. 6.
The Boilermakers leapfrogged Kansas after knocking off Marquette 78-75 in the Maui Invitational final. The Golden Eagles moved up one spots to No. 3 after beating previous No. 1 Kansas, which set up a marquee championship showdown in Hawaii. Arizona is No. 2.
Purdue started off the week with a 73-63 win over previous No. 11 Gonzaga in the opening round of the tournament before knocking off Tennessee 71-67 the following day. The semifinal matchup between the top-10 programs was headlined by fouls and free throws, but the Boilermakers were able to survive to build on their already impressive resume.
As a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this past spring, Purdue was upset by No. 16 seeded Fairleigh Dickinson to end its magical season. The Boilermakers finished the 2022-23 campaign 29-6 and beat Penn State in the Big Ten championship game.
Reigning national player of the year Zach Edey elected to return to school for another and that decision appears to be paying off. Edey is the early front-runner for the most prestigious award in college basketball and is averaging 23 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks during the first month of the season.
BYU, Colorado State and Villanova all entered the poll after being unranked last week. Colorado State delivered a statement 69-48 win over previous No. 8 Creighton to move to 7-0 on the young season. The Rams have a crucial showdown with in-state rival Colorado later this week that will serve as another measuring stick for the program.
The biggest riser in the rankings was FAU jumping six spots to No. 13. FAU suffered a head-scratching loss to Bryant earlier this month, but followed it up with wins over Butler, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech to move…
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