Men’s College Basketball power-rankings: Purdue takes #1 spot, Gonzaga falls to #5

It’s still very early in the year, not even a month in yet, but with the small sample size given, it is clear who’s the #1 team in the country. The Purdue Boilermakers are the clear #1 team and have proved so on the court. They have beaten Villanova on a neutral court and solid wins over North Carolina, Florida State, and Iowa. Purdue is #1 in adjusted offensive efficiency in the country, ranking in the top five in both 2-point percentage and 3-point percentage, also ranking in the top 10 in offensive rebounding percentage and the top 25 in free-throw rate.

The Duke Blue Devils were the #1 team last week until they suffered their first loss of the season to the hand of the Buckeyes. Ohio State was able to come back from a double-digit deficit in the second half and complete the upset. Duke’s upcoming schedule is pretty soft, making their #2 spot safe for the time being. They don’t face their next ACC opponent until December 22, when they fave Virginia Tech.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs was everyone’s preseason pick to run the table this year, but that just hasn’t been the case so far. They are still extremely talented, which is why they haven’t slipped too far down the power rankings, but they are questions to be asked about the 7-2 Bulldogs team. They have a few offensive issues to address as teams are more aggressive with Andrew Nembhard, and their half-court offense gets disrupted.