File this under getting what you ask for- Many Purdue fans want Purdue to stay under the radar for as long as they can. Well, nationally, they'll continue to do so. The AP Poll came out and while I didn't expect Purdue to be ranked, they didn't receive ANY votes??? Huh?
-Wisconsin loses to the very same Purdue team that didn't receive any votes, and they were vaulted 6 spots...I guess that's based on their big 3-point win over Michigan?
-IU loses to unranked, undermanned UConn and goes up two spots...But they did beat Big Ten powers, Penn State and Iowa.
-Arizona State loses their last THREE games and is still ranked, with 5-losses.
-Villanova loses two straight to unranked Rutgers and Notre Dame...now has five-losses...They're of course 18th.
-Dayton gets DUMP TRUCKED by 23rd-ranked Xavier, then loses to Richmond (their third loss in three games) and is now a 4-loss team in the Horizon League-esque A-10.
-Xavier is still ranked...and had an undefeated A-10 week. Congrats, Muskies. But, they lost this season to both Ohio University and 9-9 Temple.
-Pitt is still highly ranked for their 4-loss record...but they lost to the 9-11 Cincy Bearcats this season.
What's my point? Well, I understand that Purdue has lost to some lousy teams...So has much of the top-25. But, Purdue has one, and arguably three (if you count receiving votes Louisville on a "neutral" Conseco court) quality wins and is one of the hottest teams in the nation winning 8 of their last 9 and 5 in-a-row, including two road wins and a near-win on the road in East Lansing.
I'm pretty sure that Matt Painter doesn't care about rankings...but the problem is if Purdue is on the bubble, come March, they'll need every bit of help they can get to land a bid. Without weeks of national exposure, it will be hard to get into the dance. We'll see how this plays out, but I'm going to go ahead and call the polls, at this point, BS (not Boiled Sports).
Keep winning and it all comes out in the wash...Leave no doubt, Coach Painter & Co!