Last season Purdue men’s basketball was ranked in the top 25 for the entire season. it will officially go for two seasons in a row with that honor as they begin the 2016-17 season ranked 15th according to ESPN/USAToday:
| 1 | Duke | 25-11 | 792 | 27 | NR | 0 | – |
| 2 | Kansas | 33-5 | 721 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 3 | Villanova | 35-5 | 700 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 4 | Kentucky | 27-9 | 695 | 2 | NR | 0 | – |
| 5 | Oregon | 31-7 | 620 | 1 | NR | 0 | – |
| 6 | North Carolina | 33-7 | 614 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 7 | Virginia | 29-8 | 596 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 8 | Xavier | 28-6 | 552 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 9 | Michigan St | 29-6 | 544 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 22-13 | 487 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 11 | Arizona | 25-9 | 468 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 12 | Indiana | 27-8 | 435 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 13 | Gonzaga | 28-8 | 371 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 14 | Louisville | 23-8 | 367 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 15 | Purdue | 26-9 | 324 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 16 | Connecticut | 25-11 | 239 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 17 | Syracuse | 23-14 | 224 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 18 | West Virginia | 26-9 | 204 | 0 | NR | 0 | – |
| 19 | St. |