Has Purdue ever been a 1 seed? Exploring the Boilermakers' history and legacy in the NCAA Tournament

March Madness is almost here, and one of the consensus best teams is the Purdue Boilermakers. As the top dogs in the Big Ten at 24-3 overall and 14-3 in-conference, the Boilermakers have one of the most dominant centers NCAA basketball has ever seen.

Zach Edey, in the running once again for a second straight National Player of the Year award, is leading Purdue to a redemption arc after its recent string of playoff failures.

So, how good have the Boilermakers have been in the NCAA over the years? Let's find out:

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Has Purdue ever been a 1 seed?

It depends on the kind of 1 seed we're talking about. Purdue could either be the top seed in their own conference or the absolute best team in the nation.

Starting with conference rankings, the Boilermakers have been the 1 seed in the Big Ten 10 times. Their first top seed was in the 1983-84 season, with Gene Keady as the coach.

Keady has led Purdue to the 1 seed in the Big Ten six times overall, including that first one. They were also top dogs in the conference in 1987, 1988, and in three straight seasons from 1994 to 1996.

When Matt Painter replaced Keady in 2005, the Boilermakers' success in the Big Ten continued. He earned the team its other four instances of being a 1 seed in the conference: 2010, 2017, 2019 and last year.

With the way things have been going lately, it looks like Painter's squad is going to earn another top seed plum in the Big Ten this postseason.

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Purdue's history in the AP Ranking polls

Next up is the Boilermakers' history in the AP rankings. Unfortunately, for as much success they've had in the polls, Purdue's men's hoops team have never been ranked #1 in the nation since the 1954-1955 season (via Sports-Reference).

The highest they have veen ranked in the polls is #3, which they achieved multiple times, including this season. They were also ranked third last season (2022-23), 1994 and 1988.

However, the most amazing fact is that Purdue has never been unranked in any season covered by the AP Polls.