If you listen regularly to the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, you might remember that at one point in the preseason, I acknowledged I felt like I probably had Purdue a little underrated. Twelve days into this season, I'm sure of it — especially after watching the Boilermakers score in the 90s for the fourth consecutive game Saturday, this time in a 93-84 victory over North Carolina.
"I don't think we can average 90 points," said Purdue coach Matt Painter, downplaying the way his team is overwhelming opponents offensively. "A lot of people across the country that have players, their offense is better than their defense right now. We're one of those teams."
Undeniably so.
Purdue currently ranks second in adjusted offensive efficiency and 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. That underlines Painter's point. But even if his Boilermakers don't average 90 points this season, they're clearly going to score a lot and likely prove over time that they are indeed legitimate candidates to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
They check every box.
Purdue has a great coach, multiple probable future NBA players, size, depth and shooting. The Boilermakers are bringing a consensus preseason All-American off the bench, for crying out loud. (His name is Trevion Williams; he scored 20 points in 13 minutes against UNC.) So I've decided to move Purdue up to No. 5 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, which caused Memphis, Duke, Texas, Baylor and Arkansas to drop one spot each, no fault of their own. And though I know the NFL will dominate Sunday because the NFL dominates every Sunday in November, Purdue vs. Villanova in the title game of the Hall of Fame Tip-off is worth your attention. It's a matchup of the teams ranked fourth (Villanova) and fifth (Purdue) in the Top 25 And 1, a showdown between two programs that have the pieces in place to play in the last game of the season on the first Monday in April.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Drew Timme finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Friday's 92-50 win over Bellarmine. The Zags' next game is Monday against Central Michigan. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 98-63 win over North Florida. The Bruins' next game is Monday against Bellarmine. | -- | 16-17 |
| 3 |  | Ochai Agbaji made four 3-pointers and finished with 25 points in Thursday's 88-59 win over Stony Brook. The Jayhawks' next game is Thursday against North Texas. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | Jermaine Samuels finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 71-53 win over Tennessee. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against Purdue. | -- | 18-16 |
| 5 |  | Jaden Ivey finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Saturday's 93-84 win over North Carolina. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday against Villanova. | 5 | 34-5 |
| 6 |  | Jalen Duren finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks in Friday's 74-62 win over Western Kentucky. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Virginia Tech. | 1 | 22-10 |
| 7 |  | Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in Friday's 88-55 win over Lafayette. The Blue Devils' next game is Monday against The Citadel. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 8 |  | Timmy Allen finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 79-45 win over San Jose State. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday against Cal Baptist. | 1 | 21-13 |
| 9 |  | James Akinjo finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 86-48 win over Stanford. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 10 |  | Chris Lykes made four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points in Wednesday's 93-80 win over Northern Iowa. The Razorbacks' next game is Monday against Kansas State. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 11 |  | Jaden Shackelford finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Friday's 86-59 win over Oakland. The Crimson Tide's next game is Thursday against Iona. | -- | 25-12 |
| 12 |  | Marcus Sasser made five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in Tuesday's 67-47 win over Virginia. The Cougars' next game is Monday against Butler. | -- | 32-5 |
| 13 |  | TyTy Washington finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Friday's 77-59 win over Ohio. The Wildcats' next game is Monday against Albany. | -- | 23-10 |
| 14 |  | Caleb Lohner finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 97-61 win over Central Methodist. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Texas Southern. | -- | 23-11 |
| 15 |  | UNC allowed Purdue to shoot 55.7% from the field in Saturday's 93-84 loss to the Boilermakers. The Tar Heels' next game is Sunday against Tennessee. | -- | 29-8 |
| 16 |  | Jared Rhoden finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 67-65 win at Michigan. The Pirates' next game is Monday against Ohio State. | -- | 25-12 |
| 17 |  | Eli Brooks finished with 22 points and three rebounds in Friday's 74-61 win over UNLV. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday against Arizona. | -- | 8-24 |
| 18 |  | K.D. Johnson finished with 15 points off the bench in Friday's 58-52 win at USF. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against UConn. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 19 |  | Tyrese Martin finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 87-63 win over Binghamton. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Auburn. | 1 | 37-3 |
| 20 |  | Illinois committed 26 turnovers in Monday's 67-66 loss at Marquette. The Illini's next game is Monday against Cincinnati. | 1 | 29-9 |
| 21 |  | Tennessee only shot 33.3% from the field in Saturday's 71-53 loss to Villanova. The Vols' next game is Sunday against North Carolina. | 3 | 27-9 |
| 22 |  | Kyle Lofton finished with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists in Friday's 68-65 win over Clemson. The Bonnies' next game is Sunday against Marquette. | -- | 20-13 |
| 23 |  | Keve Aluma finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 85-55 win over St. Francis (PA). The Hokies' next game is Sunday against Merrimack. | -- | 19-15 |
| 24 |  | Boogie Ellis finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Tuesday's 78-61 win at Florida Gulf Coast. The Trojans' next game is Monday against Dixie State. | -- | 15-18 |
| 25 |  | Colin Castleton finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's win over Milwaukee. The Gators' next game is Monday against California. | -- | 24-12 |
| 26 |  | Paul Scruggs finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in Thursday's 71-65 win over Ohio State. The Musketeers' next game is Sunday against Norfolk State. | -- | 16-18 |
