MATT PAINTER

Zach Edey had 24 points and 16 rebounds to help No. 3 Purdue fend off Maryland's second-half charge and get a 58-55 victory.

No. 3 Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey are tough to stop, but recent history shows you need elite guard play to make an NCAA Tournament run.

Whether you're just getting into college hoops as the calendar turns to January or you're looking for a reset on the sport, here are 23 storylines to keep your eye on in 2023.

Purdue remained atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for a third straight week.

1 Purdue past New Orleans 74-53 on Wednesday night. ’It feels good just to play basketball again,” said Kaufman-Renn, who sat out last season as a freshman. “Obviously, if you are on a really good team and winning games that helps, too. Trailing 19-17, Purdue took command with an 18-0 run to take a 35-19 advantage. Purdue took the lead for good at 20-19 on Caleb Furst’s rebound basket with 7:40 left in the first half.

Trey Kaufman-Renn scored a season-best 24 to lead No. 1 Purdue past New Orleans 74-53 on Wednesday night.

Purdue center Zach Edey kept taking his shots when Davidson sent multiple defenders at him Saturday night. Together, they gave the top-ranked Boilermakers an unbeatable combination. Edey finished with 29 points and 16 rebounds and Furst scored all 12 of his points in the second half to help No. 1 Purdue fend off Davidson 69-61 in the Indy Classic.

Zach Edey scored 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting as No. 5 Purdue fought off Florida State 79-69 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

For the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler roamed the hardwood for Phi Slama Jama, Houston is ranked No. 1.

We’ve been working for this,” said Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, whose team is coming off a Final Four and Elite Eight trip the past two seasons. They rolled through the NCAA Tournament before falling to Jim Valvano and North Carolina State in an iconic championship game in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kentucky and Michigan State joined UCLA, Maryland, Iowa State, San Diego State and Ohio State in rounding out the poll. On the flip side, the Tar Heels tumbled 17 spots, Duke dropped nine, Gonzaga fell eight and San Diego State fell seven. IN AND OUTDespite all the movement, Iowa State was the only newcomer this week, checking in at No.

Houston is the No. 1 team in the AP men's college basketball poll.

The Sweet 16 at the East region features one game between UCLA and North Carolina and another between Purdue and underdog Saint Peter’s.

Purdue held on to defeat Texas on Sunday night to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019

Last season’s NCAA Tournament ultimately unfolded in familiar fashion.

Chucky Hepburn tried to keep a straight face as the freshman insisted he knew his game-winning 3-pointer was accurate as soon as he took the shot. Hepburn banked in a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to give No. 10 Wisconsin a 70-67 victory over No. 8 Purdue on Tuesday night that clinched the Badgers a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. “I knew we were about to be Big Ten champs after I released it,” Hepburn said before breaking out a grin.

Rob Phinisee scored a season-high 17 points in the first half and then made the decisive 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds left to send Indiana past No. 4 Purdue 68-65.

Sasha Stefanovic scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3 at the start of double overtime that sent No. 4 Purdue over No. 17 Illinois 96-88.

Purdue is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time.

2 Purdue held off a late Iowa rally to win 77-70 on Friday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Williams said Purdue needs to find ways to win when it isn't shooting well. Patrick McCaffery led Iowa with 15 points. I thought Iowa was tougher than us..”Iowa had 29 fouls, 11 more than Purdue. The Boilermakers shot 42% in the opening half while holding Iowa to 27%, For the game, Purdue shot 42% and Iowa 40%“They deserved to be No.

Jaden Ivey scored 19 points, Trevion Williams had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and No. 2 Purdue held off a late Iowa rally to win 77-70 in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — (AP) — Purdue's biggest men came up large in a huge early season game. 5 Villanova 80-74 on Sunday and win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. It doesn’t show up in this box score, but it shows up with our staff.”Caleb Furst and Isaiah Thompson each had 12 points for Purdue. “They just played a really intelligent game for 40 minutes," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. This was the first time this season Purdue has failed to reach 90 points.

Zach Edey scored 21 points and No. 6 Purdue overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5 Villanova 80-74 and win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

Purdue's biggest men came up large in a huge early season game. Zach Edey scored 21 points and No. 6 Purdue overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5 Villanova 80-74 on Sunday and win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The team's other post, 6-10 Trevion Williams, added nine points and four boards for the Boilermakers (5-0), who dominated underneath, outscoring the Wildcats 38-18 in the paint and outrebounding them 38-26.

Sasha Stefanovic made 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 23 points to lead No. 7 Purdue past Bellarmine 96-67.

7 Michigan relied on a staunch defense to beat Purdue 70-53 on Friday night. Purdue made its first two 3s in the second half and cut the deficit to 42-32 with 14:58 to play. But the Wolverines answered with six straight points. Purdue: While the Boilermakers had been the Big Ten's hottest team, they sputtered without Stefanovic on the perimeter. ... Livers has had six straight games in double figures.

Ohio State forward Kyle Young (25) shoots over Purdue forward Trevion Williams (50) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. – Trevion Williams scored 16 points and came close to a triple-double, leading Purdue past No. 20 Ohio State 67-60 on Wednesday night. Ohio State closed to 65-59 when Washington made a 3 with 2:50 left. Ohio State and Purdue finally got to square off — 279 days after their originally scheduled game was canceled.

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, the seating area at Bankers Life Fieldhouse is viewed in Indianapolis after the Big Ten Conference announced that remainder of the men's NCAA college basketball games tournament was canceled. Indianapolis city leaders want the college basketball world to know it is open for business. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)INDIANAPOLIS – With the coronavirus pandemic already forcing changes for college basketball, a bubble may be brewing in Indianapolis. Indiana Sports Corp. released a 16-page proposal Friday that calls for turning the city convention center's exhibition halls and meeting rooms into basketball courts and locker rooms. ___For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25