Purdue claimed its first-ever No. 1 spot in the AP men’s basketball preseason Top 25, reflecting a surge that’s seen the Boilermakers spend 13 weeks at No. 1 over the past three seasons. Purdue drew 35 of 61 first-place votes, ahead of No. 2 Houston (16), No. 3 Florida (8), No. 4 UConn (2) and No. 5 St. John’s. With All-American candidates Trey Kaufman-Renn and point guard Braden Smith, Purdue enters 2025-26 as a Final Four front-runner. The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC each placed six teams in the rankings.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.