Fresh off Sunday's exhibition victory over Ball State, Purdue basketball will start the season in the top 25.
The Boilermakers are ranked 24th in the 2026-27 preseason USA Today coaches poll.
Coming off an Elite Eight appearance last season, Purdue returns just one starter from a team that produced the highest offensive efficiency in the history of KenPom.
Gone from that team are the major catalysts for that record-setting 30-9 squad, including four-year starting point guard Braden Smith, four-year starting shooting guard Fletcher Loyer, three-year starting post Trey Kaufman-Renn and last year's starting center Oscar Cluff.
The Boilermakers return third-year starter CJ Cox along with guards Omer Mayer and Gicarri Harris, forward Jack Benter and center Daniel Jacobsen, who all had roles on last year's roster. Forward Raleigh Burgess and guard Antione West come off redshirt seasons and forward Caden Pierce (Princeton), the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year, was added through the transfer portal.
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Freshmen Luke Ertel and Jacob Webber along with 6-foot-9 Frenchman Enzo Shahrvin also are expected to play roles for the 2026-27 Boilermakers, who enter their second exhibition game Thursday at Purdue Fort Wayne before traveling to fifth-ranked Connecticut to play the Huskies on Oct. 27 for the exhibition finale. Purdue's regular season tips off in Las Vegas against Gonzaga on Nov. 2.
Purdue is one of five Big Ten teams in the preseason coaches poll, joining No. 3 Illinois, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 20 Michigan and No. 22 USC. Florida tops the poll, followed by Duke, while Arizona and UConn round out the top five.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Where does Purdue basketball rank in preseason coaches poll?