Kansas is still a perfect 4-0, but there has been a lot of movement among them in the college basketball world this past week.
Here’s everything you missed from Week 2 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.
Purdue knocks off Alabama while Cooper Flagg and Duke fall
They may not have Zach Edey around anymore, but Matt Painter’s group at Purdue has two of the longest winning streaks in college basketball for a reason.
The Boilermakers upset Alabama 87-78 on their home court Friday night to pick up what should easily be their biggest win before Big Ten play gets underway. That pushed Purdue’s non-conference regular-season win streak to 39 games, which is the fourth-longest of all time. They have also won their last 21 games at Mackey Arena, the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
Trey Kaufman-Renn dropped 26 points and both Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer added 17 each in the win. They closed the match with a 28-13 run that also lasted almost 11 minutes.
As a result, Purdue rose seven spots to No. 6 in this week’s poll. They’re the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten and appear poised to run the table in the conference if their win over the Crimson Tide is any indication — although Purdue will have to turn around right away and get that win against No. 15 Marquette on Tuesday night.
Alabama, on the other hand, fell to No. 8 in this week’s poll. That reshaped the top five, as UConn, Gonzaga and Auburn each moved up one spot to fill in behind No. 1 Kansas. Iowa State then came in at number 5.
Elsewhere in the top 10, Kentucky rallied late to beat Cooper Flagg and Duke Tuesday night in Atlanta. The 17-year-old star made two costly turnovers in the final 20 seconds of the game and also failed to make a late break at the free-throw line. Duke fell six spots to No. 12, while Kentucky climbed to No. 9.
Flagg and the Blue Devils play Arizona next Friday and Kansas next week.
John Tonje erupts in Wisconsin
John Tonje took off in what was a historic performance in Madison on Friday night, leading the Badgers to a stunning upset in the process.
Tonje dropped 41 points in Wisconsin’s dominant 103-88 win over Arizona. That was just two points shy of Wisconsin’s single-game scoring record. The Missouri transfer also went a near-perfect 21-of-22 from the free-throw line, and Wisconsin’s 103 points were the most ever scored against a ranked opponent. Tonje shot 8-for-14 from the field and hit four three-pointers while tallying 41 points, more than half of which came from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin led all the way and survived a huge opening upset in the second half, nearly putting Arizona back into the game. But the Badgers rallied 21-9 to secure the victory. A total of 63 fouls were called, although it was remarkably consistent both ways, and a total of 87 free throws were attempted.
Tonje played only eight games last season at Missouri while dealing with a foot injury. That was his first season in Columbia after transferring there from Colorado State. He is averaging 23.5 points this season and shooting 55.8% from the field.
The loss dropped Arizona eight spots to No. 17 in this week’s poll. The Wildcats will take on Duke on Friday. Wisconsin moved up the rankings for the first time after the win. The Badgers are now ranked No. 19.
Ace Bailey is finally playing at Rutgers
The Ace Bailey era has finally arrived at Rutgers.
After missing the Scarlet Knights’ first two games of the season due to a “basketball injury,” Bailey made his season debut in their 98-81 win over Monmouth on Friday. Bailey finished with 17 points and six rebounds in the win. Rutgers was ranked number 24 in the poll this week.
Bailey was the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers basketball history when he first committed to the program. He was a five-star recruit from Rivals.com and the No. 2 overall pick behind only Duke freshman Cooper Flagg.
He was joined by five-star guard Dylan Harper, who was the third overall recruit in the class of 2024. Harper had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in the win over Monmouth. Harper has scored at least 20 points in all three of Rutgers’ wins this season, which is the third-longest streak by a Big Ten player starting his career in the past 25 years, according to The Associated Press.
Rutgers basketball has been bad over the last few decades. The Knights have made the NCAA Tournament just twice in the last 33 years, and during their run in the Big East, they didn’t make it at all. But with both Bailey and Harper on the field together, Steve Pikiell has the opportunity to lead the Knights on a run unlike anything they’ve seen before.
Games to watch this week
*Neutral site game
Tuesday November 19th
No. 6 Purdue at No. 15 Marquette | 9:00 PM ET | FS1
Thursday, November 21
No. No. 13 Baylor vs. No. 22 St. John’s | 7:00 PM ET | CBSSN*
Friday November 22
No. 12 Duke at No. 17 Arizona | 10:30 PM ET | ESPN2
AP Top 25
The complete Associated Press men’s basketball poll as of Nov. 18, 2024.
1. Kansas (4-0)
2. UConn (3-0)
3. Gonzaga (3-0)
4. Chestnut Brown (3-0)
5. Iowa State (2-0)
6.Purdue (4-0)
7. Houston (2-1)
8. Alabama (3-1)
9. Kentucky (3-0)
10. North Carolina (2-1)
11. Tennessee (4-0)
12. Duke (3-1)
13. Baylor (3-1)
14. Creighton (4-0)
15. Marquette (4-0)
16. Indiana (3-0)
17. Arizona (2-1)
18. Cincinnati (3-0)
19. Wisconsin (4-0)
20. Arkansas (2-1)
21. Florida (4-0)
22. Sint-Jan (4-0)
23. Texas A&M (3-1)
24. Rutgers (3-0)
25. Illinois (3-0)
Others receiving votes: Texas Tech 109, Mississippi 103, Xavier 89, BYU 27, UCF 21, Texas 17, VCU 17, Michigan State 16, Mississippi State 15, Ohio St. 13, Miami 10, Pittsburgh 9, Oregon 7, Memphis 6, Penn State 4, Providence 4, Utah State 3, Kansas State 3, Clemson 2, Furman 2, Arizona State 2, Michigan 1, Hofstra 1, Maryland 1.
