Fansided

Projected college basketball rankings after Indiana upsets Purdue

By Cody Williams

Jan 20, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Parker Stewart (45) defends him in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2022; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Parker Stewart (45) defends him in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Purdue Boilermakers had owned the rivalry against Indiana in recent history, but a turn of the tides has shaken up the college basketball rankings. 

If we just took recent history’s word for it, there would’ve been no need for the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana Hoosiers to renew their in-state and in-conference rivalry on Thursday night at Assembly Hall. Matt Painter’s Boilermakers, who entered the game at No. 4 in the latest college basketball rankings, hadn’t lost to their rivals since 2016.

But the results on any given night in college hoops aren’t based on recent history. Subsequently, in front of a raucous crowd in Bloomington, the Hoosiers erased their longstanding skid against their rivals with a thrilling 69-66 victory.

Indiana had flirted with a double-digit lead going into halftime and for the early part of the second half. However, the talent-laden Purdue side clawed their way back and actually had a 66-64 lead before a clutch 3-point attempt gave the Hoosiers the lead once again, leading to them getting a stop and closing out the game.

Now, with the Boilermakers’ win streak against IU over, they are going to drop in the rankings. How far? Let’s check our latest projections.

Projected college basketball rankings after Indiana upsets Purdue

  1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  2. Auburn Tigers
  3. Arizona Wildcats
  4. Baylor Bears
  5. Kansas Jayhawks
  6. Wisconsin Badgers
  7. UCLA Bruins
  8. Purdue Boilermakers
  9. Houston Cougars
  10. Duke Blue Devils

You definitely have to think that Purdue is going to fall below teams like Baylor, Kansas, Wisconsin and UCLA given the quality résumés and similar records for those teams.

However, the big question is if they drop below Houston. The Cougars have one less loss but the level of competition has also been slightly lesser. For me, that’s enough to give the Boilermakers the slight edge and only drop them to No. 8.

All of this being said, this likely won’t be the last big-time upset we see that shuffles the college basketball rankings with the loaded slate we have in hoops this weekend.

Next. Top 25 college basketball teams of all time. dark

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.