Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: Purdue poised to leap Houston, return to No. 1 in college basketball rankings
A new No. 1 is -- probably -- coming again on Monday in the AP Top 25 college basketball poll
By
Kyle Boone
•
5 min read
Rarely does the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll lose its spot atop the rankings despite not losing, but that could happen for a second consecutive week entering Week 3 of the young season.
In fact, I'm predicting exactly that come Monday.
In the latest Tomorrow's Top 25 today, wherein I predict how AP voters will cast their ballots for the upcoming rankings release, my projection is Purdue reclaims the No. 1 spot from Houston after a statement road win over top-10 Alabama this week. The shakeup would be the third change at No. 1 in as many rankings updates including the preseason, giving the preseason No. 1 Boilermakers a bump back up one spot.
Houston won't fall far this week, though, just like Purdue didn't fall far last week. My projection below of the full top 25 has the Cougars dropping to No. 2 and the trio of UConn, Duke and Arizona -- in that order -- rounding out the new top five.
Below is how I expect the AP Top 25 poll to shake out Monday.
| 1 |  |
| Purdue will be back at No. 1 this week and is set to leapfrog Houston after handling business Sunday night at home vs. Akron. It beat No. 8 Alabama, 87-80, on Thursday in Tuscaloosa. Last week: No. 2 | |
| 2 |  |
| I'm of the belief that the No. 1 team should remain No. 1 until it loses a game. But this is a special case where Houston -- which narrowly hung on vs. No. 22 on Sunday -- will likely lose its No. 1 ranking despite remaining unbeaten. That says more about Purdue than it does about Houston. Last week: No. 1 | |
| 3 |  |
| UConn narrowly outlasted BYU on Saturday, 86-84, despite at one point leading by 20 points. The win's a good one nonetheless and should keep the Huskies at No. 3 this week. Last week: No. 3 | |
| 4 |  |
| Two outings and two wins by an average margin of 46.5 points this week against Army and Indiana State, respectively, will keep Duke comfortably inside the top five. Last week: No. 4 | |
| 5 |  |
| Arizona's early season resume is, frankly, better than Duke's early-season resume. Will it be enough for voters to push the Wildcats above them this week after beating UCLA on Friday night? It's possible. But for now I think voters will keep the status quo. Last week: No. 5 | |
| 6 |  |
| A 96-88 win over Kentucky and a 106-81 win over Ohio this week should push Louisville past rival Kentucky and into the top 10 for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Last week: No. 12 | |
| 7 |  |
| This would be a significant jump in the ranks for Illinois -- and a well-deserved one, too. Its 81-77 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday will be a victory that ages well for its NCAA Tournament resume late in the season. Last week: No. 14 | |
| 8 |  |
| Let's hope voters are paying attention to just how good Gonzaga's been so far. A big bump is warranted. It has double-digit wins over OU, Creighton and Arizona entering Monday's game vs. Southern Utah. Last week: No. 19 | |
| 9 |  |
| Michigan is 3-0, but it had to win in OT vs. Wake on Tuesday and narrowly outlasted TCU -- picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 this season -- on the road Friday. Expecting it to take a small hit in the ranks. Last week: No. 6 | |
| 10 |  |
| A resounding 96-80 win over Mississippi State this week combined with a 3-0 overall record will give Iowa State a shot at sneaking into this week's top 10. Last week: No. 16. | |
| 11 |  |
| Florida defeated Miami Sunday night to improve to 3-1 on the season and 3-0 against teams from the state of Florida. The win should keep it in the 10-13 range this week. Last week: No. 11 | |
| 12 |  |
| Alabama followed up a huge 103-96 road win over St. John's with an 87-80 defeat at home vs. Purdue. That'll likely knock the Tide out of the top 10 this week. Last week: No. 8 | |
| 13 |  |
| Where voters land on placing Alabama should determine where St. John's sits. Bama with its head-to-head win over the Johnnies should put them above St. John's and leave the two somewhere in this range come Monday. Last week: No. 13 | |
| 14 |  |
| Despite an 86-84 loss to UConn on Saturday, BYU acquitted itself well by showing its resilience and nearly erasing a 20-point deficit. AJ Dybantsa scored 25 points and looks the part of an All-American already. That's a huge development for the Cougars' title hopes this season. Last week: No. 7 | |
| 15 |  |
| There will be a small price to pay in the polls Monday because Kentucky's 96-88 loss at Louisville on Tuesday. The Wildcats, though, are top-five at KenPom and shouldn't fall too far. Last week: No. 9 | |
| 16 |  |
| The good news for Texas Tech is that JT Toppin is averaging 24.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in three outings. The bad news this week is that his 35-point, 11-rebound explosion wasn't enough to lift the Red Raiders past Illinois. Last week: No. 11 | |
| 17 |  |
| Three wins and no losses with a win over Arkansas keeps Michigan State comfortably in the rankings once again after opening the season No. 22 in the preseason. Last week: No. 17 | |
| 18 |  |
| UNC is 4-0 on the season with its Nov. 7 win over Kansas keeping the Tar Heels in the teens in Monday's poll. Last week: No. 18 | |
| 19 |  |
| UCLA fell three spots in the poll last week and is likely to slip around that many slots again this week after falling Friday, 69-65, to Arizona. Last week: No. 15 | |
| 20 |  |
| All three of Tennessee's wins have been blowouts -- but all three were to teams ranked lower than No. 237 at KenPom. Voters are probably waiting until the schedule toughens before reacting too much to the Vols. Last week: No. 20 | |
| 21 |  |
| John Calipari's club rebounded from that 69-66 loss at Michigan State with two wins this week over Central Arkansas and Samford. Last week: No. 21 | |
| 22 |  |
| Auburn played No. 1 Houston to the final possession on Sunday in Birmingham in its most encouraging performance to date under first-year coach Steven Pearl. It ended in a one-point loss, but there is plenty to build on for the Tigers. Last week: No. 22 | |
| 23 |  |
| Wisconsin is No. 10 in total scoring margin this season in beginning its season with three wins in three outings. Big week on deck with BYU on tap Friday in Salt Lake City. Last week: No. 24 | |
| 24 |  |
| Creighton's loss to Gonzaga this week opens the door for Indiana to push into this week's rankings. The Hoosiers beat Marquette last Sunday and are primed to move to 4-0 on Sunday if they handle business vs. Incarnate Word as expected. Last week: NR | |
| 25 |  |
| It seemed possible KU might fall out of the rankings last week and it didn't happen. It seems possible KU falls out this week, but, again, I don't think it happens. We'll see. It is 3-1 on the young season with the lone loss coming on the road to UNC. Last week: No. 25 | |
