High-level basketball teams can be built a lot of different ways -- but having a great point guard to pair with an elite big has always been among the preferred formulas. The UConn Huskies had it last season when they won the championship with Tristen Newton and Adama Sanogo. In the NBA, the Denver Nuggets also had it last season when they won the title with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.
I can't promise it'll forever be a winning combination, having a strong lead guard to pair with a productive big. But it clearly still works in February 2024. And we were reminded of as much Sunday when Purdue's great point guard (Braden Smith) and great big (Zach Edey) combined for 37 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in a 75-69 victory at Wisconsin that pushed the Boilermakers to 21-2.
"We have an elite point guard and we have an elite center," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "So when you go into a [game against us], you've got to gameplan for Zach Edey. It's obvious, right? But then you've also got to gameplan for Braden Smith and his ability to pass because they both make other people better."
With the Q1 win on the road, in a place where Wisconsin hadn't lost in nearly three months, Purdue remains No. 1 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings based on the strength of its body of work. Simply put, nobody can match Purdue's body of work.
The Boilermakers are now 15-2 in the first two quadrants with eight Quadrant 1 wins and zero losses outside of Q1. They have four more victories inside the first two quadrants than anybody else -- including UConn, which is No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Purdue also has six wins over top-25 NET teams; UConn only has two. So even though the Huskies will likely remain No. 1 in the AP poll when it updates Monday, the truth is that Purdue has the sport's best resume and would be the No. 1 overall seed if the NCAA Tournament started now.
That's not meant to take away from UConn.
UConn is awesome.
But Purdue has three times as many wins over top-25 NET teams as UConn and four more wins inside the first two quadrants. Moreover, Purdue is ahead of UConn in the NET, BPI, KPI and also at KenPom.com and BartTorvik.com. And, for what it's worth, Purdue, not UConn, is currently the favorite to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament at +700, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 75-69 win at Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 77-64 win at St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Baylor. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | Jamal Shead was 2 of 9 from the field in Saturday's 78-65 loss at Kansas. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 93-84 win over Duke. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday against Clemson. | -- | 29-8 |
| 5 |  | Johnny Furphy finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 78-65 win over Houston. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday at Kansas State. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 6 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 26 points and 13 assists in Saturday's 103-92 win at Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against LSU. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 7 |  | AJ Storr was 4 of 15 from the field in Sunday's 75-69 loss to Purdue. The Badgers' next game is Wednesday at Michigan. | 2 | 22-14 |
| 8 |  | Kam Jones finished with 31 points and two steals in Saturday's 91-57 win at Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 27-10 |
| 9 |  | DaRon Holmes II finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 76-71 win over St. Bonaventure. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday at Saint Joseph's. | -- | 25-8 |
| 10 |  | Caleb Love finished with 18 points and seven assists in Sunday's 82-71 win over Stanford. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Utah. | -- | 27-9 |
| 11 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 70-68 win over Iowa State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Texas Tech. | -- | 24-11 |
| 12 |  | Tre King was 1 of 8 from the field in Saturday's 70-68 loss at Baylor. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas. | -- | 29-8 |
| 13 |  | Collin Murray-Boyles finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 72-62 win at Georgia. The Gamecocks' next game is Tuesday against Ole Miss. | -- | 26-8 |
| 14 |  | Johni Broome finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 91-77 win at Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Alabama. | -- | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Tyrese Proctor was 1 of 6 from the field in Saturday's 93-84 loss at North Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Ian Martinez was 1 of 7 from the field in Saturday's 81-67 loss at San Diego State. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday against Nevada. | -- | 28-7 |
| 17 |  | Fousseyni Traore finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 86-73 win at West Virginia. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | -- | 23-11 |
| 18 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 87-84 win over Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 29-9 |
| 19 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 99-67 win over Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday at Auburn. | -- | 25-12 |
| 20 |  | Creighton let Butler shoot 55.1% from the field in Friday's 99-98 loss to the Bulldogs. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday at Providence. | -- | 25-10 |
| 21 |  | Joel Scott finished with 14 points and six assists in Saturday's 73-61 win at Fresno State. The Rams' next game is Tuesday against Boise State. | -- | 25-11 |
| 22 |  | Robbie Avila finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 75-67 win over Drake. The Sycamores' next game is Wednesday against Valparaiso. | -- | 32-7 |
| 23 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 81-67 win over Utah State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday at Air Force. | -- | 26-11 |
| 24 |  | Johnell Davis finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 102-70 win over Tulsa. The Owls' next game is Thursday at UAB. | -- | 25-9 |
| 25 |  | Tyson Degenhart finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 94-56 win over Air Force. The Broncos' next game is Tuesday at Colorado State. | -- | 22-11 |
| 26 |  | Aidan Mahaney finished with 20 points and one assist in Saturday's 64-62 win at Gonzaga. The Gaels' next game is Tuesday at Pacific. | -- | 26-8 |
