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College basketball power rankings: Purdue moves up to No. 1, Gonzaga falls out of top 5

By Mike Phillips

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - DECEMBER 03: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers talks with teammates during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Mackey Arena on December 3, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - DECEMBER 03: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers talks with teammates during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Mackey Arena on December 3, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – DECEMBER 04: JD Notae #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks steals the ball from Isaiah Palermo #3 of the Little Rock Trojans at Bud Walton Arena on December 04, 2021, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Trojans 93-78. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS – DECEMBER 04: JD Notae #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks steals the ball from Isaiah Palermo #3 of the Little Rock Trojans at Bud Walton Arena on December 04, 2021, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Trojans 93-78. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Purdue climbs to the top of this week’s college basketball rankings while Duke and Gonzaga tumble following tough losses.

This will be a historic week for the Purdue Boilermakers, who are poised to ascend to the top of the AP poll for the first time in program history. It has been a long time coming for the storied Big Ten program, which has been an NCAA Tournament regular that has produced great teams but hasn’t been considered the top team in the land until now.

The rise for Purdue came at the expense of Duke, which fumbled its spot at the top of this week’s college basketball rankings by tripping up against Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, blowing a 13-point halftime lead in the process. How far will the Blue Devils fall? Check out my full power rankings to find out.

College basketball rankings: Honorable Mentions

Note: All rankings referenced going forward are from last week’s AP Poll.

Arkansas Razorbacks, BYU Cougars, Tennessee Volunteers, UConn Huskies, Houston Cougars

We bid adieu to Memphis from this section after the Tigers lost a brutal road game at Ole Miss, raising questions about how the collection of talent Penny Hardaway has assembled will gel together. Arkansas was in last week’s Top 10 but slipped out since they didn’t do anything noteworthy by beating up on low-major schools while Alabama climbed in after its upset over Gonzaga.

The other new additions here are UConn, BYU, and Tennessee, which have looked strong in the early going but don’t quite have Top 10 resumes just yet. Houston held serve by demolishing a pair of mid-majors at home.