Painter’s Boilermakers ranked No. 14 nationally to begin ’24-25
Coming off a national championship game appearance, the Purdue Boilermakers will start the 2024-25 season ranked 14th in the Associated Press preseason poll.
Purdue is in elite company when it comes to consecutive weeks being ranked in the top 15.
Only three schools – Houston (42 straight weeks), Arizona (40) and Purdue (38) – have been ranked in the top 15 for 25 straight weeks.
The No. 14 ranking, which is the fourth-highest preseason ranking of head coach Matt Painter’s tenure, marks the 39th straight week that Purdue has been ranked in the top 25 and the first week since Nov. 20, 2022, that Purdue has been ranked outside of the top 5.
The 39 straight weeks being ranked is the sixth-longest active streak in America.
The Boilermakers have been ranked in the top 15 in 59 of the last 62 AP Top 25 polls.
What makes the Boilermakers’ ranking even more impressive is the fact that they two-time national player of the year Zach Edey has departed.
Nonetheless, voters believe Purdue is worth of yet another lofty ranking.
Head coach Matt Painter’s 20th Boilermaker team returns three starters – Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn – from a 34-5 record and lost in the national championship game to Connecticut.
Purdue will be looking to capture its third consecutive Big Ten title, something the school, which has the most conference crowns, hasn’t done since 1994-96.
The Boilermakers are the highest ranked Big Ten team in the preseason poll ahead of Indiana (No. 17), UCLA 22)and Rutgers (25).
Purdue will play a charity exhibition game at No. 15 Creighton at 8 p.m. Oct. 26.
The Boilermakers’ first game in Mackey Arena will be an exhibition against Grand Valley State Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. That game as well as the entire home season is sold out.
Purdue’s season opener will be at home against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.
Once again the Boilermakers will play a challenging nonconference schedule.
No. 2 Alabama will visit Mackey Nov. 15. Purdue will play Nov. 19 at Marquette. It will also play neutral site games against No. 13 Texas A&M Dec. 14 in Indianapolis and Dec. 21 against No. 11 Auburn in Birmingham. In addition, Purdue will play 2024 Final Four participant North Carolina State Nov. 28 in San Diego in the Rady Children’s Invitational and could play No. 24 Mississippi Nov. 29 in that event.
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