NCAA Basketball: Kansas State, Providence on the rise on latest top 25 power ranking

5. Purdue (14-1)

It’s hard to complain too much when you win your first thirteen games of the season; even harder when you’ve picked up some top-notch wins along the way and might just have the nation’s best player. That perfect start was destined to end and this was the week for Purdue, who dropped their first game of the season in an unexpected place.

Back on Monday, it was an unexpected Big Ten rival who did them in, as they lost 65-64 at home to Rutgers, losing as the top-ranked team to the Scarlet Knights for a second straight season. Zach Edey had 19 points and 11 rebounds and played well, though Purdue shot just under 40% from the field. Fortunately, the Boilermakers got back on track later in the week, heading to Columbus and leaving town with a 71-69 road win at #24 Ohio State. Edey had 16 points and 11 rebounds while standout Braden Smith had 16 points and 6 assists.

Again, it’s hard to find too much to complain about through fifteen games, even with that first loss this past week coming on their home court. Edey is playing masterful basketball and there’s legit talent behind him in this backcourt. All things considered, a 3-1 start in Big Ten play is certainly solid, especially with that big win at Ohio State. They’ll have another road test at Penn State before a more winnable game against Nebraska and a great chance to get to 5 wins pretty early in conference play.