The end of the calendar year always brings a light college basketball slate, and we saw that over the last week, with few high level games this week, especially at the top of the rankings. However, with conference play starting up, there are a lot of really intriguing games coming up this week and I think we could see some dramatic changes after the week ahead. Let me know where you agree or disagree in terms of my rankings on Twitter @ThreePointRange and enjoy your new year.
Top 25
1. Duke (1)
Record:11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/5 vs Clemson
2. Michigan (2)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 74-52 vs Binghamton
This Week: 1/3 vs Penn State, 1/6 vs Indiana
3. Tennessee (3)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 96-53 vs Tennessee Tech
This Week: 1/5 vs Georgia
4. Virginia (4)
Record: 11-0
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 12/31 vs Marshall, 1/5 vs Florida State
5. Nevada (5)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 86-71 @ Utah
This Week: 1/2 vs Utah State, 1/5 @ New Mexico
6. Kansas (6)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 87-63 vs Eastern Michigan
This Week: 1/2 vs Oklahoma, 1/5 @ Iowa State
7. Gonzaga (7)
Record: 12-2
Last Week: W 96-51 vs North Alabama
This Week: 12/31 vs Cal State Bakersfield, 1/5 vs Santa Clara
8. Florida State (8)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/1 vs Winthrop, 1/5 @ Virginia
9. Auburn (9)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 96-49 vs North Florida
This Week: N/A
10. Michigan State (10)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 88-60 vs Northern Illinois
This Week: 1/2 vs Northwestern, 1/5 @ Ohio State
11. Virginia Tech (11)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 85-40 vs Maryland Eastern Shore
This Week: 1/1 vs Notre Dame, 1/5 vs Boston College
12. Texas Tech (12)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 71-46 vs UT Rio Grande Valley
This Week: 1/2 @ West Virginia, 1/5 vs Kansas State
13. Kentucky (15)
Record: 10-2
Last Week: W 71-58 @ Louisville
This Week: 1/5 @ Alabama
14. North Carolina (13)
Record: 9-3
Last Week: W 82-60 vs Davidson
This Week: 1/2 vs Harvard, 1/5 @ Pittsburgh
15. North Carolina State (14)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 97-64 vs Loyola (MD)
This Week: 1/3 @ Miami
16. Marquette (16)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 84-41 vs Southern
This Week: 1/1 @ St. John's, 1/6 vs Xavier
17. Mississippi State (20)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 103-81 vs BYU
This Week: N/A
18. Buffalo (17)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 87-72 @ Canisius
This Week: 1/4 @ Eastern Michigan
19. Houston (21)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 80-59 vs NJIT
This Week: 1/2 vs Tulsa, 1/6 vs Memphis
20. Ohio State (22)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 82-64 vs High Point
This Week: 1/5 vs Michigan State
21. Wisconsin (19)
Record: 10-3
Last Week: L 83-76 @ Western Kentucky
This Week: 1/3 vs Minnesota, 1/6 @ Penn Satte
22. Indiana (23)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/3 vs Illinois, 1/6 @ Michigan
23. Arizona State (18)
Record: 9-3
Last Week: L 67-66 vs Princeton
This Week: 1/3 vs Utah, 1/5 vs Colorado
24. Oklahoma (24)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/2 @ Kansas, 1/5 vs Oklahoma State
25. Nebraska (26)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 79-38 vs SW Minnesota State
This Week: 1/2 @ Maryland, 1/6 @ Iowa
Next 5
26. LSU (27)
Record: 10-3
Last Week: W 81-69 vs Louisiana Monroe
This Week: N/A
27. TCU (NR)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 83-69 vs Indiana St (in Hawai'i)
This Week: 1/5 vs Baylor
28. St. John's (25)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: L 76-74 @ Seton Hall
This Week: 1/1 vs Marquette, 1/5 @ Georgetown
29. Kansas State (28)
Record: 10-2
Last Week: W 59-58 vs George Mason
This Week: 1/2 vs Texas, 1/5 @ Texas Tech
30. Villanova (29)
Record: 9-4
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/2 vs DePaul, 1/5 @ Providence
Previously Ranked: Cincinnati(30)
Also Considered: Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Seton Hall
Notes
- There's not a lot of movement in the top half of my Top 25. As a matter of fact, the top 12 stayed constant from last week. A lot of that has to do with the weak slate of games this week, with the Christmas season and conference play rapidly approaching, so most of the top teams didn't play any real tough games, and I didn't see any reason to shake up the top of my rankings.
- Kentucky moves up a few spots thanks to another very good win over Louisville. Rivalry games are always tough, so the fact that the Wildcats had a firm grip on this one for most of the contest was very impressive. The Cardinals are perhaps in a bit of a rebuilding year, but are still dangerous, so Kentucky continues to climb in the rankings.
- I really like the win Mississippi State win over BYU. The Cougars aren't the best they've been, but they have a prolific offense, but the Bulldogs ran them out of then gym. They get to jump up thanks to some losses ahead of them along with middling results. I think Mississippi State can go out and really compete in the SEC, so it wouldn't shock me at all to see them keep moving up into the top 25.
- Wisconsin took a loss at Western Kentucky, and if you just looked at the Hilltoppers record, you would assume its a bad loss, as they sit at 7-6 after the win. However, this is a very talented team that has struggled with injuries, suspensions, and a player leaving mid-season. With the home crowd providing a hostile environment to the Badgers, I don't think they really need to be moved down that much, which is why I have them only falling 2 spots.
- A team that does deserve to slide is Arizona State. The one shining light in the Pac-12 succumbed to the bad losses that the rest of the league has suffered all year, losing at home to Princeton. This really hurts their resume, as they had no bad losses before that and featured wins over Kansas and Mississippi State to put them near the top 15, but this was a bad showing and I had to move them down to 24.
- TCU has been very good all year, and finally break into the top 25 after a win over Indiana State to take the Diamond Head Classic. Their only loss came against a very good Lipscomb team, and they've been playing very well with the addition of Jaylen Fisher back from injury. They will have no shortage of opportunities to get good wins in the Big 12, so look for them to make their way into the top 25 sooner rather than later.
- St. John's is such an interesting case study. In their game against Seton Hall, they looked like the better team for the first 30 minutes, and then inexplicably stopped scoring down the stretch. They still had a lead at the end of the game, although they missed chances to seal the game with free throws, and after a questionable call by the referees that negated a steal for the Johnnies, and resulted in a game winner from Seton Hall. St. John's was unable to get it done, so I moved them down, but I think they will be able to get back into the top 25, and Seton Hall is knocking on the door of the next 5.
What to Watch
With conference play starting, be sure to check out my conference breakdowns for more in-depth previews on a lot of these games. You can also find my thoughts on games from the week before and more, so give those a read if you want a little more analysis in terms of the actual game as opposed to how they'll impact the rankings.
- Michigan will host Indiana in a big game for the Wolverines. They have begun to come back to Earth after dominating some very good teams to start the year, and they haven't looked like the same team despite playing worse teams. Indiana is currently riding a 6 game winning streak with victories over Northwestern, Penn State, Louisville, and Butler during that time, so they are playing very well at the moment, and could give the Wolverines some trouble. A win would vault them into the top 20, and probably take Michigan out of the top 5, while a loss would take the Hoosiers out of the top 25.
- Virginia and Florida State is a top 10 matchup this week, and one that college basketball fans should not miss. I'll go into more detail in my ACC breakdown, which should be out tonight, but this is a fascinating matchup for a lot of different reasons. The winner will have a spot in the top 5, while the loser will be around the number 10 spot, with Virginia likely a spot or two above, while the Noles would drop to 11 or 12.
- A game that should not be overlooked is Nevada playing Utah State. The Aggies are 10-3 heading into Mountain West play, and they have a really good team. I don't think Nevada will have too much trouble, especially at home, as Utah State hasn't beaten a truly elite team, but this will be one of the Wolf Pack's toughest conference tests, and it is an excellent and very underrated matchup.
- Kansas may have the toughest schedule in the nation this week. First, they host a top 25 Oklahoma team that has just one loss on a neutral court to Wisconsin, and has multiple good wins. It will certainly not be easy for the Jayhawks, even at home, although the return of Udoka Azubuike will really help. They will then travel to Iowa State, who recently got back star Lindell Wigginton from injury, and even without him has been playing great. This is a very deep and talented Cyclones team that will certainly give the Jayhawks fits. They could find themselves outside of the top 10 by the end of the week, or push themselves into the top 3 with two wins.
- The Michigan State Spartans will travel to Columbus to play Ohio State. I'm slowly warming up on the Buckeyes, and I think I really underestimated them for a long, long time. Chris Holtmann is an excellent coach and I'm excited to see them play one of the best teams in the nation. Michigan State would move up near the top 5 with a victory, while Ohio State would probably jump into the mid-teens with a win.
- Texas Tech plays West Virginia and Kansas State in two games that looked much better before the season. Both the Mountaineers and Wildcats have been disappointments so far, and given the way all three teams have been playing so far, it looks like the Red Raiders should win these games comfortably. However, there are obviously talented players and good coaches on the sideline, and Big 12 play is always tough, so Texas Tech could move themselves into the top 10 with victories. Kansas State is on the borderline of the top 25 for me, but they could drop out of my next 5 with a loss, although jump into the top 25 with a win in this one.
- To open the New Year, Marquette travels to New York to play against St. John's. The Golden Eagles have been very good thus far, but so have the Red Storm. The Johnnies are also coming off the aforementioned controversial loss and could be playing with a lot of fire in this one. It won't be an easy matchup, and watching Markus Howard and the Hauser brothers face off against Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron is going to be great. The Johnnies would jump back into the top 25 with a win, while Marquette would probably move into the top 15.
- Nebraska will head to Maryland and Iowa to restart Big Ten play, and this road trip will reveal a lot about the Huskers. These are two very talented teams, and without Isaiah Roby, this could be a very tough stretch for Tim Miles and co. James Palmer is one of the best players you don't know about, and he might be able to propel this team to a win with his great scoring, and if they can get a sweep, they'll move into the top 20, but they could drop out of the top 30 for me with two losses. Iowa is looking to get into the top 25, and they could do it with a win here and a win at Purdue this week.
- Finally, Villanova will look to prove that they have snapped out of their early season funk and are going to be a big threat in the Big East. The game against DePaul shouldn't be too tough, but on the road against Providence is always a tough matchup. Ed Cooley makes sure the Friars are well coached, and they have a talented group. However, without AJ Reeves, the Wildcats should be able to get it done, but it will not be easy, and they'll be looking to sneak into the back end of the top 25.
Top 25
1. Duke (1)
Record:11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/5 vs Clemson
2. Michigan (2)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 74-52 vs Binghamton
This Week: 1/3 vs Penn State, 1/6 vs Indiana
3. Tennessee (3)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 96-53 vs Tennessee Tech
This Week: 1/5 vs Georgia
4. Virginia (4)
Record: 11-0
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 12/31 vs Marshall, 1/5 vs Florida State
5. Nevada (5)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 86-71 @ Utah
This Week: 1/2 vs Utah State, 1/5 @ New Mexico
6. Kansas (6)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 87-63 vs Eastern Michigan
This Week: 1/2 vs Oklahoma, 1/5 @ Iowa State
7. Gonzaga (7)
Record: 12-2
Last Week: W 96-51 vs North Alabama
This Week: 12/31 vs Cal State Bakersfield, 1/5 vs Santa Clara
8. Florida State (8)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/1 vs Winthrop, 1/5 @ Virginia
9. Auburn (9)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 96-49 vs North Florida
This Week: N/A
10. Michigan State (10)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 88-60 vs Northern Illinois
This Week: 1/2 vs Northwestern, 1/5 @ Ohio State
11. Virginia Tech (11)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 85-40 vs Maryland Eastern Shore
This Week: 1/1 vs Notre Dame, 1/5 vs Boston College
12. Texas Tech (12)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 71-46 vs UT Rio Grande Valley
This Week: 1/2 @ West Virginia, 1/5 vs Kansas State
13. Kentucky (15)
Record: 10-2
Last Week: W 71-58 @ Louisville
This Week: 1/5 @ Alabama
14. North Carolina (13)
Record: 9-3
Last Week: W 82-60 vs Davidson
This Week: 1/2 vs Harvard, 1/5 @ Pittsburgh
15. North Carolina State (14)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 97-64 vs Loyola (MD)
This Week: 1/3 @ Miami
16. Marquette (16)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 84-41 vs Southern
This Week: 1/1 @ St. John's, 1/6 vs Xavier
17. Mississippi State (20)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 103-81 vs BYU
This Week: N/A
18. Buffalo (17)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 87-72 @ Canisius
This Week: 1/4 @ Eastern Michigan
19. Houston (21)
Record: 13-0
Last Week: W 80-59 vs NJIT
This Week: 1/2 vs Tulsa, 1/6 vs Memphis
20. Ohio State (22)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: W 82-64 vs High Point
This Week: 1/5 vs Michigan State
21. Wisconsin (19)
Record: 10-3
Last Week: L 83-76 @ Western Kentucky
This Week: 1/3 vs Minnesota, 1/6 @ Penn Satte
22. Indiana (23)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/3 vs Illinois, 1/6 @ Michigan
23. Arizona State (18)
Record: 9-3
Last Week: L 67-66 vs Princeton
This Week: 1/3 vs Utah, 1/5 vs Colorado
24. Oklahoma (24)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/2 @ Kansas, 1/5 vs Oklahoma State
25. Nebraska (26)
Record: 11-2
Last Week: W 79-38 vs SW Minnesota State
This Week: 1/2 @ Maryland, 1/6 @ Iowa
Next 5
26. LSU (27)
Record: 10-3
Last Week: W 81-69 vs Louisiana Monroe
This Week: N/A
27. TCU (NR)
Record: 11-1
Last Week: W 83-69 vs Indiana St (in Hawai'i)
This Week: 1/5 vs Baylor
28. St. John's (25)
Record: 12-1
Last Week: L 76-74 @ Seton Hall
This Week: 1/1 vs Marquette, 1/5 @ Georgetown
29. Kansas State (28)
Record: 10-2
Last Week: W 59-58 vs George Mason
This Week: 1/2 vs Texas, 1/5 @ Texas Tech
30. Villanova (29)
Record: 9-4
Last Week: N/A
This Week: 1/2 vs DePaul, 1/5 @ Providence
Previously Ranked: Cincinnati(30)
Also Considered: Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Seton Hall
Notes
- There's not a lot of movement in the top half of my Top 25. As a matter of fact, the top 12 stayed constant from last week. A lot of that has to do with the weak slate of games this week, with the Christmas season and conference play rapidly approaching, so most of the top teams didn't play any real tough games, and I didn't see any reason to shake up the top of my rankings.
- Kentucky moves up a few spots thanks to another very good win over Louisville. Rivalry games are always tough, so the fact that the Wildcats had a firm grip on this one for most of the contest was very impressive. The Cardinals are perhaps in a bit of a rebuilding year, but are still dangerous, so Kentucky continues to climb in the rankings.
- I really like the win Mississippi State win over BYU. The Cougars aren't the best they've been, but they have a prolific offense, but the Bulldogs ran them out of then gym. They get to jump up thanks to some losses ahead of them along with middling results. I think Mississippi State can go out and really compete in the SEC, so it wouldn't shock me at all to see them keep moving up into the top 25.
- Wisconsin took a loss at Western Kentucky, and if you just looked at the Hilltoppers record, you would assume its a bad loss, as they sit at 7-6 after the win. However, this is a very talented team that has struggled with injuries, suspensions, and a player leaving mid-season. With the home crowd providing a hostile environment to the Badgers, I don't think they really need to be moved down that much, which is why I have them only falling 2 spots.
- A team that does deserve to slide is Arizona State. The one shining light in the Pac-12 succumbed to the bad losses that the rest of the league has suffered all year, losing at home to Princeton. This really hurts their resume, as they had no bad losses before that and featured wins over Kansas and Mississippi State to put them near the top 15, but this was a bad showing and I had to move them down to 24.
- TCU has been very good all year, and finally break into the top 25 after a win over Indiana State to take the Diamond Head Classic. Their only loss came against a very good Lipscomb team, and they've been playing very well with the addition of Jaylen Fisher back from injury. They will have no shortage of opportunities to get good wins in the Big 12, so look for them to make their way into the top 25 sooner rather than later.
- St. John's is such an interesting case study. In their game against Seton Hall, they looked like the better team for the first 30 minutes, and then inexplicably stopped scoring down the stretch. They still had a lead at the end of the game, although they missed chances to seal the game with free throws, and after a questionable call by the referees that negated a steal for the Johnnies, and resulted in a game winner from Seton Hall. St. John's was unable to get it done, so I moved them down, but I think they will be able to get back into the top 25, and Seton Hall is knocking on the door of the next 5.
What to Watch
With conference play starting, be sure to check out my conference breakdowns for more in-depth previews on a lot of these games. You can also find my thoughts on games from the week before and more, so give those a read if you want a little more analysis in terms of the actual game as opposed to how they'll impact the rankings.
- Michigan will host Indiana in a big game for the Wolverines. They have begun to come back to Earth after dominating some very good teams to start the year, and they haven't looked like the same team despite playing worse teams. Indiana is currently riding a 6 game winning streak with victories over Northwestern, Penn State, Louisville, and Butler during that time, so they are playing very well at the moment, and could give the Wolverines some trouble. A win would vault them into the top 20, and probably take Michigan out of the top 5, while a loss would take the Hoosiers out of the top 25.
- Virginia and Florida State is a top 10 matchup this week, and one that college basketball fans should not miss. I'll go into more detail in my ACC breakdown, which should be out tonight, but this is a fascinating matchup for a lot of different reasons. The winner will have a spot in the top 5, while the loser will be around the number 10 spot, with Virginia likely a spot or two above, while the Noles would drop to 11 or 12.
- A game that should not be overlooked is Nevada playing Utah State. The Aggies are 10-3 heading into Mountain West play, and they have a really good team. I don't think Nevada will have too much trouble, especially at home, as Utah State hasn't beaten a truly elite team, but this will be one of the Wolf Pack's toughest conference tests, and it is an excellent and very underrated matchup.
- Kansas may have the toughest schedule in the nation this week. First, they host a top 25 Oklahoma team that has just one loss on a neutral court to Wisconsin, and has multiple good wins. It will certainly not be easy for the Jayhawks, even at home, although the return of Udoka Azubuike will really help. They will then travel to Iowa State, who recently got back star Lindell Wigginton from injury, and even without him has been playing great. This is a very deep and talented Cyclones team that will certainly give the Jayhawks fits. They could find themselves outside of the top 10 by the end of the week, or push themselves into the top 3 with two wins.
- The Michigan State Spartans will travel to Columbus to play Ohio State. I'm slowly warming up on the Buckeyes, and I think I really underestimated them for a long, long time. Chris Holtmann is an excellent coach and I'm excited to see them play one of the best teams in the nation. Michigan State would move up near the top 5 with a victory, while Ohio State would probably jump into the mid-teens with a win.
- Texas Tech plays West Virginia and Kansas State in two games that looked much better before the season. Both the Mountaineers and Wildcats have been disappointments so far, and given the way all three teams have been playing so far, it looks like the Red Raiders should win these games comfortably. However, there are obviously talented players and good coaches on the sideline, and Big 12 play is always tough, so Texas Tech could move themselves into the top 10 with victories. Kansas State is on the borderline of the top 25 for me, but they could drop out of my next 5 with a loss, although jump into the top 25 with a win in this one.
- To open the New Year, Marquette travels to New York to play against St. John's. The Golden Eagles have been very good thus far, but so have the Red Storm. The Johnnies are also coming off the aforementioned controversial loss and could be playing with a lot of fire in this one. It won't be an easy matchup, and watching Markus Howard and the Hauser brothers face off against Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron is going to be great. The Johnnies would jump back into the top 25 with a win, while Marquette would probably move into the top 15.
- Nebraska will head to Maryland and Iowa to restart Big Ten play, and this road trip will reveal a lot about the Huskers. These are two very talented teams, and without Isaiah Roby, this could be a very tough stretch for Tim Miles and co. James Palmer is one of the best players you don't know about, and he might be able to propel this team to a win with his great scoring, and if they can get a sweep, they'll move into the top 20, but they could drop out of the top 30 for me with two losses. Iowa is looking to get into the top 25, and they could do it with a win here and a win at Purdue this week.
- Finally, Villanova will look to prove that they have snapped out of their early season funk and are going to be a big threat in the Big East. The game against DePaul shouldn't be too tough, but on the road against Providence is always a tough matchup. Ed Cooley makes sure the Friars are well coached, and they have a talented group. However, without AJ Reeves, the Wildcats should be able to get it done, but it will not be easy, and they'll be looking to sneak into the back end of the top 25.
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