College basketball rankings: Purdue, Alabama clash in top-10 showdown as No. 1 Boilermakers face road test
The No. 1 Boilermakers go on the road to battle the No. 9 Crimson Tide on Thursday
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
We've had seven top-25 matchups already this season, four of which featured two teams both ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll. But Thursday night will deliver the first top-10 showdown of this season when Purdue plays at Alabama in a game scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET.
Purdue is ranked No. 1 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Alabama is No. 9. So the Boilermakers are the higher-ranked team -- both here and in the AP poll. But they're still listed as 3.5-point underdogs against the Crimson Tide, largely because the game will be played in front of a capacity crowd inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
"It's gonna be a tough game," said Purdue's Matt Painter, the five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. "We're looking forward to it."
Among the other things Purdue is looking forward to is the return of Trey Kaufman-Renn. The preseason All-American missed the Boilermakers' first two games with what's been described as a hip pointer and back soreness. But Kaufman-Renn is expected to be in uniform and available when Purdue attempts to upset Alabama on the road the same way Alabama just upset St. John's on the road. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.8 minutes per contest last season, getting 26 points and eight boards in November's 87-78 victory over Alabama.
"He is a big part of the core of our team," Painter said.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Braden Smith finished with 20 points and nine assists in Friday's 87-77 win over Oakland. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday at Alabama. | -- | 2-0 |
| 2 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 19 points and four assists in Wednesday's 78-45 win over Oakland. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Auburn. | -- | 3-0 |
| 3 |  | Robert Wright III finished with 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 85-68 win over Delaware. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against UConn. | -- | 3-0 |
| 4 |  | Solo Ball finished with 23 points and three assists in Monday's 89-62 win over Columbia. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 3-0 |
| 5 |  | Koa Peat finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 84-49 win over Northern Arizona. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against UCLA. | -- | 3-0 |
| 6 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 78-76 win over Florida State. The Gators' next game is Sunday against Miami. | -- | 2-1 |
| 7 |  | Aday Mara finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's 85-84 overtime win over Wake Forest. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at TCU. | -- | 2-0 |
| 8 |  | Dame Sarr finished with 19 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 114-59 win at Army. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Indiana State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 9 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. finished with 25 points and three assists in Saturday's 103-96 win at St. John's. The Crimson Tide's next game is Thursday against Purdue. | -- | 2-0 |
| 10 |  | Mikel Brown Jr. finished with 29 points and five assists in Tuesday's 96-88 win over Kentucky. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Ohio. | -- | 3-0 |
| 11 |  | Joson Sanon was 1-of-6 from the field in Saturday's 103-96 loss to Alabama. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against William & Mary. | -- | 1-1 |
| 12 |  | Tyler Bilodeau finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 83-62 win over West Georgia. The Bruins' next game is Friday against Arizona. | -- | 3-0 |
| 13 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 23 points and three steals in Tuesday's 81-77 win over Texas Tech. The Illini's next game is Friday against Colgate. | -- | 3-0 |
| 14 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 25 points and six assists in Monday's 96-80 win over Mississippi State. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Stonehill. | -- | 3-0 |
| 15 |  | Graham Ike finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 90-63 win over Creighton. The Bulldogs' next game is Friday at Arizona State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 16 |  | Christian Anderson was 4-of-12 from the field in Tuesday's 81-77 loss at Illinois. The Red Raiders' next game is Friday against Milwaukee. | -- | 2-1 |
| 17 |  | Otega Oweh was 4-of-13 from the field in Tuesday's 96-88 loss at Louisville. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Eastern Illinois. | -- | 2-1 |
| 18 |  | Cam Ward finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 69-66 win over Arkansas. The Spartans' next game is Thursday against San Jose State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 19 |  | Jackson Shelstad finished with 22 points and eight assists in Wednesday's 83-69 win over South Dakota State. The Ducks' next game is Monday against Oregon State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 20 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 21 points and four assists in Tuesday's 93-56 win over Central Arkansas. The Razorbacks' next game is Friday against Samford. | -- | 2-1 |
| 21 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in Tuesday's 89-74 win over Radford. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against North Carolina Central. | -- | 3-0 |
| 22 |  | Kohl Roasrio finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 77-46 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Princeton. | -- | 2-1 |
| 23 |  | Nate Ament finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 99-66 win over North Florida. The Vols' next game is Monday against Rice. | -- | 3-0 |
| 24 |  | Elijah Freeman finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 93-62 win over Wofford. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Houston. | -- | 3-0 |
| 25 |  | Nolan Winter finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 86-55 win over Ball State. The Badgers' next game is Monday against SIUE. | -- | 3-0 |
| 26 |  | Ilias Kamardine finished with 26 points and four assists in Tuesday's 83-77 win over Memphis.The Rebels' next game is Friday against Cal State Bakersfield. | -- | 3-0 |
