Nothing is set in stone, though, and Purdue is not a lock to enter next season atop the rankings. But with the first phase of the offseason complete, Matt Painter's team leads the top 25 teams we're projecting for 2025-26. There's a chance Purdue has the preseason Wooden Award favorite and two All-Americans on its roster next season.

The team that came excruciatingly close to cutting down the nets in 2025 is the early favorite to get the job done in 2026.