Purdue is entering the 2023-24 season with renewed expectations despite a disastrous flameout a season ago. A part of that excitement is tied to the return of big man Zach Edey, the reigning national player of the year.

The Preseason AP Poll dropped Monday with Purdue checking in at No. 3 in the country. The Boilermakers led all B1G programs on the poll and even generated some first-place votes.

Kansas led the way as the No. 1 team in the country with 46 first-place votes while Duke was No. 2 with 11 first-place votes. UConn — the defending national champs — was ranked No. 6 and received 2 first-place votes.

Overall, 3 B1G programs were included in the top 25 and another 3 were included in the others receiving votes section.

A season ago, Purdue finished with a 29-6 overall record and swept the B1G titles. Matt Painter’s squad finished No. 3 in the AP Poll and was a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the program suffered a historic upset at the hands of 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson.

The good news is Purdue returns a deep and supremely talented roster, led by Edey and sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer. We’ll see if Purdue can live up to the top-5 rating this season.