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College basketball power rankings: Purdue surges to No. 1 after impressive run to win Maui Invitational – CBS Sports
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Purdue debuted at No. 10 in the power rankings last week because its tiny sample size was highlighted by a home win over Xavier, which was nice but not overwhelmingly impressive. Now, after tearing through the loaded Maui Invitational, the Boilermakers are a clear choice for No. 1.
Their three victories came against three top-11 teams in the AP poll as Purdue beat Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette, each of whom won NCAA Tournament games last season. The Boilermakers, of course, did not win a game in March Madness as they became the second No. 1 seed to ever lose against a No. 16 seed.
When Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose against a No. 16 seed in 2018, it followed up by winning the national title the following year. Based on its performance in Hawaii, Purdue looks capable of replicating that blueprint. Reigning national player of the year Zach Edey was phenomenal, and the Boilermakers received substantive contributions from their supporting cast.
As a reminder, the power rankings are not a prediction of what’s in store for the 2023-24 season, and they don’t give much credence to what transpired in past seasons. That’s why teams like Kentucky and North Carolina are still on the outside looking in.
The Wildcats can crash the party with a win over Miami next week, but they still haven’t beaten anyone of note and just needed overtime at home to beat St. Joseph’s. North Carolina began the Battle 4 Atlantis with a nice win over Northern Iowa on Wednesday, but we’ll still need to a see more from the Tar Heels over the weekend before they are worthy of entry into the power rankings.
Here’s the second batch of college basketball power rankings for the 2023-24 season.
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