We are now into another week of some interesting college basketball. This is where things all start to fall together.
Last week we saw Michigan and Michigan State lose, likely hurting their chances to be in the top five. Speaking of top seeds and Michigan, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate former Michigan Wolverine QB, Tom Brady, for winning his sixth Super Bowl title. You can truly call him the greatest of all-time. To find out where I ranked him, read here. But let’s see where I ranked Michigan after previously being second in the standings. Also keep an eye on where Kansas, Buffalo, LSU, Texas and Louisville end up after losing last week.
Top 25 Rankings
- Tennessee (20-1)
- Duke (19-2)
- Virginia (20-1)
- Gonzaga (21-2)
- Kentucky (18-3)
- Nevada (21-1)
- Michigan (20-2)
- North Carolina (17-4)
- Virginia Tech (18-3)
- Marquette (19-3)
- Michigan State (18-4)
- Houston (21-1)
- Villanova (18-4)
- Kansas (17-5)
- LSU (17-4)
- Louisville (16-6)
- Texas Tech (17-5)
- Purdue (16-6)
- Cincinnati (19-3)
- Washington (18-4)
- Iowa State (17-5)
- Buffalo (19-3)
- Wisconsin (16-6)
- Florida State (16-5)
- Iowa (17-5)
On the Bubble
UCF, Davidson, Syracuse, Baylor, Kansas State and Minnesota.
Dropped from the Rankings
North Carolina State, Mississippi, Maryland and Mississippi State.
Top 25 Breakdown
Numbers One through Five
There weren’t any big changes made in the top five, besides having moved Duke to No. 2 from No.5 with their big win over St. John’s. Of course, there was Michigan getting dropped out of the top five. This week is another week of tough match ups. We could once again see Michigan in the top five if they get some wins. Until then, Kentucky has jumped back into the top five with Michigan’s loss and will play to stay there.
Numbers Six through 10
This is all about being placed in the right position to get a better seed in the tourney. Unfortunately, it might be harder if these teams can’t jump the ones in front of them. Michigan has dropped to seventh, while Marquette has been able to crack the top 10. How about the two ACC teams, North Carolina and Virginia Tech? Where will they finish the season? There are still plenty of games left to play, so we could see a lot more moves in the rankings.
Numbers 11 through 15
This is where things start to get interesting. Michigan State dropped six spots after losing back-to-back games. They likely won’t be getting in the top five this season. They still have big games against Michigan. That could decide the winner of the Big Ten.
Houston and Villanova are looking to continue climbing their way to the top 10, but it’s difficult to do so with a schedule that’s not really hard.
For Kansas and LSU, it’s about wanting to be the top team in their conference. Kansas still has that chance, despite their recent struggles. LSU needs to find a way to beat the better teams. The only reason why LSU isn’t higher is because of their four losses. One of them is against Houston earlier in the season.
Numbers 16 through 20
Louisville and Texas Tech lost last week to conference opponents who are ranked higher. But that won’t change a lot. In fact, they both still moved up thanks to continuous losses by North Carolina State and Mississippi State, who have been removed from the top 25 all together.
That move also means teams like Purdue, Washington and Cincinnati could make and stay in the top 25. Let’s be honest, they all deserve to be part of the top 25. Purdue has climbed themselves back in it after a big struggle in the middle part of the season.
Numbers 21 through 25
This is the exciting part of the whole top 25, because this is where we see different teams weekly. This week was all teams who got big wins over top ranked opponents and are currently on a win streak. But for Buffalo, it was another loss. They are on the edge of being unranked after a hard fought season. Teams like Florida State, Wisconsin and Iowa are all making their returns into the top 25, as they look to finish the season strong. How will they do against the rest of their opponents in the top 25?
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Until then, we will be looking forward to seeing if the same teams are in the top 25 next week. Who will rise? Who will fall? Can one of the bubble teams make their case for a top 25 spot? Stay tuned next week and see who’s in and out of the top 25. Also, share who you believe should be in the top 25 based on what you’ve seen this season!
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