Top 25 Breakdown 1/21/19

What a wild week in college basketball, with a lot of exciting games, tense endings, and top teams dropping games. It was hard to figure out how to piece together all of these teams together, but I feel god about my current rankings. Enjoy the current week of college basketball and feel free to discuss my rankings with me on Twitter @ThreePointRange.

Top 25
1. Tennessee (3)
Record: 16-1, 5-0
Last Week: W 106-87 vs Arkansas, W 71-68 vs Alabama
This Week: 1/23 @ Vanderbilt, 1/26 vs West Virginia

2. Duke (1)
Record:15-2, 4-1
Last Week: L 95-91 vs Syracuse, W 72-70 vs Virginia
This Week: 1/22 @ Pittsburgh, 1/26 vs Georgia Tech

3. Virginia (4)
Record: 16-1, 4-1
Last Week: W 81-59 vs Virginia Tech, L 72-70 @ Duke
This Week: 1/15 vs Virginia Tech, 1/19 @ Duke

4. Michigan State (5)
Record: 16-2, 7-0
Last Week: W 70-64 @ Nebraska
This Week: 1/21 vs Maryland, 1/24 @ Iowa, 1/27 @ Purdue

5. Gonzaga (6)
Record: 18-2, 6-0
Last Week: W 73-55 vs Loyola-Marymount, W 89-66 @ Portland
This Week: 1/24 @ Santa Clara

6. Michigan (2)
Record: 17-1, 6-1
Last Week: L 64-54 @ Wisconsin
This Week: 1/22 vs Minnesota, 1/25 @ Indiana

7. Kentucky (13)
Record: 14-3, 4-1
Last Week: W 69-49 @ Georgia, W 82-80 @ Auburn
This Week: 1/22 vs Mississippi State, 1/26 vs Kansas

8. Nevada (10)
Record: 18-1, 5-1
Last Week: W 72-71 @ Boise State, W 67-52 vs Air Force
This Week: 1/23 vs Colorado State

9. Buffalo (12)
Record: 17-1, 5-0
Last Week: W 88-79 @ Western Michigan, W 77-65 vs Eastern Michigan
This Week: 1/22 @ Eastern Illinois, 1/25 @ Kent State

10. Virginia Tech (9)

Record: 15-2, 4-1
Last Week: L 81-59 @ Virginia, W 87-71 vs Wake Forest
This Week: 1/21 @ North Carolina, 1/26 vs Syracuse

11. North Carolina (14)
Record: 14-4, 4-1
Last Week: W 75-69 vs Notre Dame, W 85-76 @ Miami
This Week: 1/21 vs Virginia Tech

12. Marquette (15)
Record: 16-3, 5-1
Last Week: W 74-71 @ Georgetown, W 79-68 vs Providence
This Week: 1/23 vs DePaul, 1/26 @ Xavier

13. Maryland (20)
Record: 14-3, 5-1
Last Week: W 82-67 @ Minnesota, W 78-75 vs Indiana
This Week: 1/14 vs Wisconsin, 1/19 @ Ohio State

14. Kansas (8)
Record: 15-3, 4-2
Last Week: W 80-78 vs Texas, L 65-64 @ West Virginia
This Week: 1/21 vs Iowa State, 1/26 @ Kentucky

15. Auburn (11)
Record: 13-4, 2-2
Last Week: W 85-66 @ Texas A&M, L 82-80 vs Kentucky
This Week: 1/22 @ South Carolina, 1/26 @ Mississippi State

16. Texas Tech (7)
Record: 15-3, 4-2
Last Week: L 68-64 vs Iowa State, L 73-62 @ Baylor
This Week: 1/22 @ Kansas State, 1/26 vs Arkansas

17. Villanova (17)
Record: 14-4, 5-0
Last Week: W 85-75 vs Xavier
This Week: 1/22 @ Butler, 1/27 vs Seton Hall

18. LSU (23)
Record: 12-3, 2-0
Last Week: W 83-69 @ Mississippi, W 89-67 vs South Carolina
This Week: 1/23 vs Georgia, 1/26 @ Missouri

19. Houston (18)
Record: 18-1, 5-1
Last Week: W 69-58 @ SMU, W 69-60 @ South Florida
This Week: 1/23 vs East Carolina, 1/27 @ Tulsa

20. Mississippi State (22)
Record: 14-3, 2-2
Last Week: W 71-68 vs Florida, W 71-55 @ Vanderbilt
This Week: 1/22 @ Kentucky, 1/26 vs Auburn

21. Louisville (25)
Record: 13-5, 4-1
Last Week: W 80-70 vs Boston College, W 79-51 @ Georgia Tech
This Week: 1/24 vs North Carolina State, 1/26 vs Pittsburgh

22. Iowa (NR)
Record: 16-3, 5-3
Last Week: W 89-82 @ Penn State, W 95-71 vs Illinois
This Week: 1/24 vs Michigan State, 1/27 @ Minnesota

23. Mississippi (19)
Record: 14-3, 4-1
Last Week: L 83-69 vs LSU, W 84-67 vs Arkansas
This Week: 1/22 @ Alabama, 1/26 vs Iowa State

24. Iowa State (26)
Record: 14-4, 4-2
Last Week: W 68-64 @ Texas Tech, W 72-59 vs Oklahoma State
This Week: 1/21 @ Kansas, 1/26 @ Mississippi

25. Wisconsin (28)
Record: 12-6, 4-3
Last Week: L 64-60 @ Maryland, W 64-54 vs Michigan
This Week: 1/23 @ Illinois, 1/26 vs Northwestern

Next 5
26. North Carolina State (16)
Record: 15-3, 3-2
Last Week: L 71-67 @ Wake Forest, W 77-73 @ Notre Dame
This Week: 1/24 @ Louisville, 1/26 vs Clemson

27. Kansas State (NR)
Record: 14-4, 4-2
Last Week: W 74-61 @ Oklahoma, W 65-55 vs TCU
This Week: 1/22 vs Texas Tech, 1/26 @ Texas A&M

28. Purdue (NR)
Record: 12-6, 5-2
Last Week: W 89-54 vs Rutgers, W 70-55 vs Indiana
This Week: 1/23 @ Ohio State, 1/27 vs Purdue

29. St. John's (29)
Record: 15-4, 3-4
Last Week: W 81-66 vs Creighton, L 80-71 @ Butler
This Week: 1/27 vs Georgetown

30. Washington (NR)
Record: 14-4, 5-0
Last Week: W 80-64 vs Stanford, W 71-52 vs California
This Week: 1/24 @ Oregon, 1/26 @ Oregon State

Previously Ranked: Florida State (21), Oklahoma (24), TCU (27), Ohio State (30)

Also Considered: Alabama, Baylor, Cincinnati, Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Syracuse, TCU

Notes

- Tennessee has risen up to #1, and at the moment, I just think they are playing the best out of any team in the nation. I have no problem with Duke at #1, which lost a flukey game to Syracuse and then beat Virginia, since I think they are the most talented team in the nation, but right now, Tennessee is the best overall team, at least in my opinion. They have been blowing out bottom tier SEC teams, and they found a way to win a close SEC game against a red hot Alabama team when they couldn't make a shot. For now, I think the Vols are on top.

- I couldn't drop Duke or Virginia significantly given the quality of their wins this week, with Duke taking down the Cavs, and Virginia beating Virginia Tech. Those are really high quality wins and they are clearly amazing teams, so I have them 2 and 3 still. 

- I hate having to drop Michigan down to 6 after the loss to Wisconsin, since losing a conference road game, especially to a team as good as Wisconsin, is not all that bad, but I've been looking to drop Michigan for a little while, but given the fact they kept winning, I held them at 2. They are currently not playing like a top 5 team, but I can definitely see them getting back there very easily.

- Honestly, the 8-16 range is insanely hard to rank. Is Buffalo a top 10 team? Apparently. Is Texas Tech a top 15 team? I think so, but they have been struggling, so now they aren't. I guess Maryland is a top 15 team, and honestly, they are playing better than just about anyone. They are all so close, and I don't know if any of these teams can separate themselves from the pack. 

- Iowa has made a nice jump into the top 25, largely thanks to them winning games consistently. They're on a 5 game winning streak, and a lot of those games have come in what are on paper toss ups. The Big Ten is so tough, and watching the Hawkeyes games against Nebraska and Ohio State are huge wins given how tough the middle of the conference is. 

- God damn it North Carolina State, what are you doing? You cannot lose to Wake Forest, you simply can't. They are a bad basketball team, and even on the road, that's an inexcusable loss. You all know how much I love Kevin Keatts and the Pack, but they are not playing like a top 25 team at the moment. 

- So I'm somewhat coming in on Purdue. I've been talking about how they aren't very good, and I honestly don't know if they are, but they've won 6 of their last 7, and a lot of those games are impressive. I still don't think they have the horses to compete with Michigan State or Michigan, but they are probably better than I gave them credit for.

- Washington makes it in, and honestly, I don't know if they can make it into the top 25 given how shitty the Pac-12 is, but if they keep winning, they've got as good a shot as anyone. There are a lot of teams who can't seem to do that, and if the Huskies keep running the table, they have the best shot at an at-large for this conference. 

What to Watch

1/21
#13 Maryland @ #4 Michigan State
#10 Virginia Tech @ #11 North Carolina
#24 Iowa State @ #14 Kansas
1/22
#15 Auburn @ South Carolina
Minnesota @ #6 Michigan
#16 Texas Tech @ #27 Kansas State
#20 Mississippi State @ #7 Kentucky
#17 Villanova @ Butler
#2 Duke @ Pittsburgh
#23 Mississippi @ Also Considered Alabama
1/23
#1 Tennessee @ Vanderbilt
#28 Purdue @ Also Considered Ohio State
1/24
#4 Michigan State @ #22 Iowa
#26 NC State @ #21 Louisville
Belmont @ Murray State (not a top 25 game, but watch this, it's awesome)
#30 Washington @ Oregon
1/25
#6 Michigan @ Indiana
1/26
#24 Iowa State @ #23 Mississippi
Also Considered Ohio State @ Also Considered Nebraska
Also Considered Alabama @ Also Considered Baylor
#3 Virginia @ Notre Dame
Pittsburgh @ #21 Louisville
#14 Kansas @ #7 Kentucky
Arkansas @ #16 Texas Tech
Also Considered Syracuse @ #10 Virginia Tech
#15 Auburn @ #20 Mississippi State
1/27
Georgetown @ #29 St. John's
#4 Michigan State @ #28 Purdue
Seton Hall @ #17 Villanova
#22 Iowa @ Minnesota