After finally breaking through and earning the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history, Purdue’s stay at the top won’t be lasting long.
The top-ranked Boilermakers were stunned at the buzzer tonight by Rutgers, which entered the game 4-4 on the season and coming off a blowout loss at Illinois. The Scarlet Knights had never beaten the No. 1 team in the country until tonight.
They needed some heroics from Ron Harper Jr. to do it. After Purdue’s Trevion Williams (21 points, 11 rebounds) scored with 3.4 seconds left to put Purdue up 68-67, Harper took the inbounds pass and made history.
The veteran wing, who finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, dribbled to midcourt, stepped past Purdue’s Ethan Morton and let fly from just past the center circle. Harper’s heave triggered an immediate court rush at Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Rutgers’ upset makes it two weeks in a row in which the team that took over the No. 1 spot in the AP poll went on to lose its next game. Duke fell to Ohio State last Tuesday, which enabled Purdue’s rise to the top of the rankings.
With the Boilermakers’ loss tonight, we could be looking at Baylor, the defending NCAA Tournament champions, sitting at No. 1 come Monday.