Men’s basketball AP poll: Alabama, Duke both slip as John Tonje pulls off Wisconsin in stunning upset

Kansas is still a perfect 4-0, but there was plenty of movement beneath them in the college basketball world this past week.

Here’s everything you missed in Week 2 of the college basketball season and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Purdue knocks off Alabama as Cooper Flagg, Duke falls

They may not have Zach Edey around anymore, but Matt Painter’s group at Purdue has two of the longest winning streaks in college basketball for a reason.

The Boilermakers upset Alabama 87-78 on Friday night at home to pick up what should easily be their biggest win before Big Ten play begins. It pushed Purdue’s non-conference winning streak to 39 games, the fourth-longest all-time. The Boilermakers have also won their last 21 games at Mackey Arena, which is the fourth-longest active streak in the country.

Trey Kaufman-Renn dropped 26 points and both Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer added 17 each in the win. They ended the game with a 28-13 run that also spanned nearly 11 minutes.

As a result, Purdue jumped up seven spots to No. 6 in this week’s poll. It’s the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten and looks set to finish atop the conference if the win over the Crimson Tide is any indication — though Purdue will have to turn it around right away and back that win against No. 15 Marquette Tuesday night.

Alabama, on the other hand, fell to No. 8 in this week’s poll. That reshaped the top five, as UConn, Gonzaga and Auburn each moved up one spot to fill in behind No. 1 Kansas. Iowa State then came in at No. 5.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Kentucky rallied late to knock off Cooper Flagg and Duke on Tuesday night in Atlanta. The 17-year-old star committed two costly turnovers in the final 20 seconds of that game and also failed to box out at the free throw line late. Duke dropped six spots to No. 12, while Kentucky climbed to No. 9.

Flagg and the Blue Devils will face Arizona next Friday and then face Kansas next week.

John Tonje breaks out at Wisconsin

John Tonje went off on Friday night in what was a historic performance in Madison, and he led the Badgers to a stunning upset in the process.

Tonje dropped 41 points in Wisconsin’s dominant 103-88 win over Arizona. That was just two points shy of Wisconsin’s single-game scoring record. The Missouri transfer also went a near-perfect 21-of-22 from the free throw line, and Wisconsin’s 103 points were the most it has ever scored against a ranked opponent. Tonje shot 8-of-14 from the field and hit four 3-pointers.

Wisconsin led the entire way, and it survived a huge opening second-half push that nearly put Arizona back in the game. But the Badgers rallied with a 21-9 run of their own to secure the win. The game had a total of 63 fouls called and a total of 87 free throw attempts, though it was remarkably consistent both ways.

Tonje appeared in just eight games last season at Missouri while dealing with a foot injury. It was his first season in Columbia after transferring there from Colorado State. He is averaging 23.5 points and shooting 55.8% from the field so far this season.

The loss dropped Arizona eight spots to No. 17 in this week’s poll. The Wildcats take on Duke next Friday. Wisconsin entered the rankings for the first time following its win. The Badgers are now at No. 19.

Ace Bailey is finally playing at Rutgers

The Ace Bailey era is finally underway at Rutgers.

After missing the Scarlet Knights’ first two games of the season with a “basketball injury,” Bailey made his season debut in their 98-81 win over Monmouth on Friday. Bailey finished with 17 points and six rebounds in the win. Rutgers was No. 24 in the poll this week.

Bailey was the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers basketball history when he first committed to the program. He was a five-star Rivals.com recruit and No. 2 overall behind only Duke freshman Cooper Flagg.

He was joined by five-star guard Dylan Harper, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 class. Harper had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in the win over Monmouth. Harper has scored at least 20 points in all three of Rutgers’ wins this season, the third-longest streak by a Big Ten player to start his career in the last 25 years, according to The Associated Press.

Rutgers basketball has been bad in recent decades. The Knights have made the NCAA Tournament just twice in the last 33 years, and they didn’t make it at all during their run in the Big East. But now that both Bailey and Harper are on the court together, head coach Steve Pikiell has a chance to lead the Knights on a run they haven’t seen in what feels like forever.

Games to watch this week

*Neutral site play

Tuesday 19 Nov

No. 6 Purdue at No. 15 Marquette | 9:00 PM ET | FS1

Thursday 21 Nov

No. 13 Baylor vs. No. 22 St. John’s | 7:00 PM ET | CBSSN*

Friday 22 Nov

No. 12 Duke at No. 17 Arizona | 10:30 PM ET | ESPN2

AP Top 25

The complete Associated Press men’s basketball poll as of November 18, 2024.

1. Kansas (4-0)

2. UConn (3-0)

3. Gonzaga (3-0)

4. Auburn (3-0)

5. Iowa State (2-0)

6. Purdue (4-0)

7. Houston (2-1)

8. Alabama (3-1)

9. Kentucky (3-0)

10. North Carolina (2-1)

11. Tennessee (4-0)

12. Duke (3-1)

13. Baylor (3-1)

14. Creighton (4-0)

15. Marquette (4-0)

16. Indiana (3-0)

17. Arizona (2-1)

18. Cincinnati (3-0)

19. Wisconsin (4-0)

20. Arkansas (2-1)

21. Florida (4-0)

22. St. John’s (4-0)

23. Texas A&M (3-1)

24. Rutgers (3-0)

25. Illinois (3-0)

Others receiving votes: Texas Tech 109, Mississippi 103, Xavier 89, BYU 27, UCF 21, Texas 17, VCU 17, Michigan State 16, Mississippi State 15, Ohio St. 13, Miami 10, Pittsburgh 9, Oregon 7, Memphis, Penn State 4, Providence 4, Utah State 3, Kansas State 3, Clemson 2, Furman 2, Arizona State 2, Michigan 1, Hofstra 1, Maryland 1.