Purdue is No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll for the first time.

The Boilermakers earned 35 of 61 first-place votes to top the poll to begin the 2025-26 season. That put Matt Painter’s squad ahead of the two teams that played in last season’s NCAA title game, with runner-up Houston at No. 2 and reigning champion Florida at No. 3.

“We are obviously excited to get the season going and being ranked No. 1 in the preseason is a great indicator of what we feel this team can accomplish,” Painter said. “But the goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the year. We’re thrilled that people think this highly of our team, but there is a long ways to go and a lot of work to do to reach that goal in April.”

Purdue started a season ranked as high as No. 2 once before, in 1987-88 under Gene Keady.

It’s another milestone for a program that is still looking for its NCAA title breakthrough as he enters his 21st season. Purdue had never been ranked No. 1 in any AP poll before the 2021-22 season, which marked the first of three straight seasons in which the Boilermakers have reached the top. The last was during the 2023-24 season behind two-time AP national player of the year Zach Edey in a run all the way to the national title game.

The Boilermakers reached last year’s Sweet 16 before falling to Houston on a last-second basket, but return a first-team AP All-American in point guard Braden Smith, scoring leader Trey Kauffman-Renn (20.1 PPG) and veteran guard Fletcher Loyer.