Thursday night’s rout over Big Ten Rival Purdue pushed Penn State into the top 30 of total points earners in Monday’s Associated Press poll update.
Penn State received 16 total votes for 90 points, ranking as high as 13th for one voter.
In an extended list, PSU is the 30th-best team in this week’s poll.
According to College Poll Tracker, Penn State’s 30th-ranked position is the highest since the 2018-19 season, when PSU was a top-25 team for six consecutive weeks.
Coach Mike Rhoades has Penn State off to its best start in a decade, with an 8-1 record. So far, PSU has:
- beaten an AP top-10 ranked team for the first time since 2019
- had the best start in 10 years, at one point holding a 6-0 record for the first time in 25 years
- scored 80-plus points in six consecutive games for the first time in program history
- scored 100 points in three games in the same season for the second time in program history
Per kenpom.com, Penn State has the 33rd-best net rating, boasting a top-25 offense (25th) and a top-40 defense (37th). PSU averages the fourth most points per game (90.1) in the nation and shoots 51.9 percent from the field (third).
Penn State has the ninth-largest scoring margin in the country (22.3). It forces the sixth most turnovers per game (18.0) and has held its opponents to under 70 points per contest.
Penn State looks to go 2-0 to start conference play for the first time since the 2007-08 season when it takes on Rutgers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in Piscataway, N.J.
Penn State Voter Rankings:
Anthony Kristensen: 18th (eight points)
Brett Bloomquist: 21st (five points)
CJ Moore: 21st (five points)
Chris Murray: 15th (11 points)
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Dylan Sinn: 15th (11 points)
Jeff Neilburg: 24th (two points)
Jon Rothstein: 25th (one point)
Louis Fernandez Jr.: 24h (two points)
Mick Schaffer: 22nd (four points)
Mike Hlas: 21st (five points)
Mitchell Northam: 13th (13 points)
Parth Upadhyaya: 21st (five points)
Peter Rauterkus: 21st (five points)
Reece Van Haaften: 21st (five points)
Rick Bozich: 24th (two points)
Victor Flores: 20th (six points)
