Top 25 Breakdown 3/4/19

In the last week on regular season play, there is still a ton to play for. Last week was wild, and my rankings got really shaken up. Honestly, I don't even know if these are right, but I think they reflect my views on teams at the moment. One note: there won't be any other conference breakdowns this week, as I will instead be doing conference tournament previews as often as possible a long with some more behind the scenes stuff as we gear up for March. I hope all of you are excited for postseason basketball as I am, and you enjoy the action this week.

Top 25
1. Gonzaga (1)
Record: 29-2, 16-0
Last Week: W 86-66 @ Pacific, W 69-55 @ Saint Mary's
This Week: WCC Tournament

2. Virginia (2)
Record: 26-2, 14-2
Last Week: W 81-51 vs Georgia Tech, W 73-49 vs Pittsburgh
This Week: 3/4 @ Syracuse, 3/9 vs Louisville

3. North Carolina (6)
Record: 24-5, 14-2
Last Week: W 93-85 vs Syracuse, W 81-79 @ Clemson
This Week: 3/5 @ Boston College, 3/9 vs Duke

4. Duke (4)
Record: 25-4, 13-3
Last Week: L 77-72 @ Virginia Tech, W 87-57 vs Miami (FL)
This Week: 3/5 vs Wake Forest, 3/9 @ North Carolina

5. Tennessee (9)
Record: 26-3, 14-2
Last Week: W 73-71 @ Mississippi, W 71-52 vs Kentucky
This Week: 3/5 vs Mississippi State, 3/9 @ Auburn

6. Michigan (10)
Record: 26-4, 15-4
Last Week: W 82-53 vs Nebraska, W 69-62 vs Maryland
This Week: 3/9 @ Michigan State

7. LSU (7)
Record: 24-5, 14-2
Last Week:W 66-55 vs Texas A&M, W 74-69 @ Alabama
This Week: 3/6 @ Florida, 3/9 vs Vanderbilt

8. Kentucky (3)
Record: 24-5, 13-3
Last Week: W 70-66 vs Arkansas, L 71-52 @ Tennessee
This Week: 3/5 @ Mississippi, 3/9 vs Florida

9. Purdue (12)
Record: 22-7, 15-3
Last Week: W 73-56 vs Illinois, W 86-51 vs Ohio State
This Week: 3/5 @ Minnesota, 3/9 @ Northwestern

10. Texas Tech (13)
Record: 24-5, 12-4
Last Week: W 84-80 (OT) vs Oklahoma State, W 81-66 @ TCU
This Week: 3/4 vs Texas, 3/9 @ Iowa State

11. Houston (8)
Record: 27-2, 14-2
Last Week: W 99-65 @ East Carolina, L 69-64 vs UCF
This Week: 3/7 vs SMU, 3/10 @ Cincinnati

12. Michigan State (5)
Record: 23-6, 14-4
Last Week: L 63-62 @ Indiana
This Week: 3/5 vs Nebraska, 3/9 vs Michigan

13. Virginia Tech (17)
Record: 22-6, 11-5
Last Week: W 77-72 vs Duke
This Week: 3/5 @ Florida State, 3/8 vs Miami (FL)

14. Buffalo (14)
Record: 26-3, 14-2
Last Week: W 77-64 vs Akron, W 77-69 @ Miami (OH)
This Week: 3/5 @ Ohio, 3/9 vs Bowling Green

15. Kansas (18)
Record: 22-7, 11-5
Last Week: W 64-49 vs Kansas State, W 72-67 @ Oklahoma State
This Week: 3/5 @ Oklahoma, 3/9 vs Baylor

16. Marquette (11)
Record: 23-5, 12-4
Last Week: L 67-61 @ Villanova, L 66-60 vs Creighton
This Week: 3/6 @ Seton Hall, 3/9 vs Georgetown

17. Nevada (15)
Record: 26-3, 13-3
Last Week: W 89-73 vs UNLV, L 81-76 @ Utah State
This Week: 3/5 @ Air Force, 3/9 vs San Diego State

18. Florida State (22)
Record: 21-6, 9-5
Last Week: W 68-61 vs Notre Dame, W 78-73 vs North Carolina State
This Week: 3/5 vs Virginia Tech, 3/9 @ Wake Forest

19. Maryland (16)
Record: 21-9, 12-7
Last Week: L 78-61 @ Penn State, L 69-62 vs Michigan
This Week: 3/8 vs Minnesota

20. Wofford (25)
Record: 26-4, 18-0
Last Week: W 80-54 @ Chattanooga, W 85-64 @ Samford
This Week: SoCon Tournament

21. Villanova (28)
Record: 22-8, 13-4
Last Week: W 67-61 vs Marquette, W 75-54 vs Butler
This Week: 3/9 @ Seton Hall

22. Cincinnati (26)
Record: 25-4, 14-2
Last Week: W 52-49 @ SMU, W 71-69 vs Memphis
This Week: 3/7 @ UCF, 3/10 vs Houston

23. Wisconsin (21)
Record: 20-9, 12-6
Last Week: L 75-73 (2OT) @ Indiana, W 61-57 vs Penn State
This Week: 2/26 @ Indiana, 3/2 vs Penn State

24. Utah State (NR)
Record: 24-6, 14-3
Last Week: W 70-54 vs San Diego State, W 81-76 vs Nevada
This Week: 3/5 @ Colorado State

25. Iowa State (20)
Record: 20-9, 9-7
Last Week: W 78-61 vs Oklahoma, L 86-69 @ Texas
This Week: 2/25 vs Oklahoma, 3/2 @ Texas

Next 5
26. Iowa (19)
Record: 21-8, 10-8
Last Week: L 90-70 @ Ohio State, L 86-72 vs Rutgers
This Week: 3/7 @ Wisconsin, 3/10 @ Nebraska

27. Mississippi State (23)
Record: 21-8, 9-7
Last Week: W 68-49 vs Missouri, L 80-75 @ Auburn
This Week: 3/5 @ Tennessee, 3/9 vs Texas A&M

28. Kansas State (24)
Record: 22-7, 12-4
Last Week: L 64-49 @ Kansas, W 66-60 vs Baylor
This Week: 3/4 @ TCU, 3/9 vs Oklahoma

29. Auburn (29)
Record: 20-9, 9-7
Last Week: W 78-75 @ Georgia, W 80-75 vs Mississippi State
This Week: 3/5 @ Alabama, 3/9 vs Tennessee

30. UCF (NR)
Record: 22-6, 12-4
Last Week: W 75-63 @ South Florida, W 69-64 @ Houston
This Week: 3/7 vs Cincinnati, 3/9 @ Temple

Previously Ranked: Washington (27), Louisville (30)

Also Considered: Louisville, Mississippi, North Carolina State, Syracuse, VCU, Washington

Notes

- Congratulations to Gonzaga and Wofford for going undefeated in conference play. It is incredibly difficult feat no matter which conference you play in, and despite both of these teams clearly being more talented than their competition in each conference game. They are both excellent teams and deserve to be ranked well ahead of the power conference brethren.

- Tennessee can still continue to climb in the rankings with a tough week ahead. They did well to beat Mississippi and Kentucky last week, but with Mississippi State and Auburn, two borderline Top 25 teams who will surely be looking to improve their seeding in both the SEC and NCAA Tournament, coming up, there will be no breaks for the Vols. They proved a lot to me last week after coasting through an easy portion of the schedule and then not looking convincing against some of the top SEC teams, and then beating Kentucky the way they did made me believe that this team could make a Final Four run once again.

- I want to talk about the two teams that dropped out of my rankings: Washington and Louisville. First up is Washington, who took one of the worst losses in the country this year to California. The Golden Bears were winless in conference play and hadn't won since beating San Jose State, also one of the worst teams in the country, in December. That is simply inexcusable for the Huskies, who want to be one of the better teams in the nation. As for Louisville, I just don't think they are very good. They lost to Boston College this week, and I honestly haven't been impressed by the Cardinals since they beat North Carolina on January 12, and as of late, they've been awful. Both of these teams will need to win some more games in convincing fashion before they earn my trust again.

- I want to take a look at three conferences to end this breakdown. The first is the Big 12, which has an interesting title race coming up to say the least. Texas Tech and Kansas State are currently tied atop the standings at 12-4 with Kansas sitting a game back at 11-5. None of them have easy finishes either, as the Red Raiders take on Texas and Iowa State, the Wildcats play at TCU and host Oklahoma, and Kansas has Oklahoma and Baylor. Of course, the Jayhawks will be looking to continue their streak of Big 12 titles, but they need each team to lose once this week in order to do that, which is no sure thing. I think Texas Tech wins it outright, but anything can happen and it wouldn't shock me at this point.

- The addition of UCF into my top 30 makes me want to talk about just how good the American had been this season. They have three teams that should all be in the field of 68 right now along with in the top 25 conversation, with others like Temple and Memphis hanging around the bubble. Additionally, whoever made the schedule did a great job, as we got matchups between Cincinnati and Memphis as well as UCF and Houston last week, with more good games to come this week, with Cincinnati playing UCF and Houston, and the Knights traveling to Temple in addition to the matchup with the Bearcats. Don't be shocked if this is a 4 bid league, especially given that the conference tournament will be played in Memphis, where the Tigers have been great all season.

- Finally, I want to talk about the wildness of the Big East. There are really only two teams, Marquette and Villanova, that can feel good about their tournament chances at this moment. This comes just a season after having two number one seeds and the national champion. But right now, there are just two teams over .500 in conference play, and Xavier has somehow resurrected themselves to get to 8-8, tied for third in the Big East. Right now, Seton Hall, St. John's, Creighton, and Georgetown are all on the bubble, and it will be a wild final week for the conference as a bunch of teams look to get into the field.

What To Watch

3/4

#2 Virginia @ Also Considered Syracuse

Texas @ #10 Texas Tech

#28 Kansas State @ TCU

3/5

#13 Virginia Tech @ #18 Florida State
#9 Purdue @ Minnesota
#8 Kentucky @ Also Considered Mississippi
#27 Mississippi State @ #5 Tennessee
#15 Kansas @ Oklahoma
#29 Auburn @ Alabama 

3/6

#16 Marquette @ Seton Hall
#7 LSU @ Florida

3/7

#26 Iowa @ #23 Wisconsin
#22 Cincinnati @ #30 UCF

3/8

Bowling Green @ #14 Buffalo
Minnesota @ #19 Maryland

3/9

Also Considered Syracuse @ Clemson
#5 Tennessee @ #29 Auburn
#21 Villanova @ Seton Hall
Florida @ #8 Kentucky
#10 Texas Tech @ #26 Iowa State
Georgetown @ #16 Marquette
Also Considered Louisville @ #2 Virginia
#4 Duke @ #3 North Carolina
Oklahoma @ #28 Kansas State
#6 Michigan @ #12 Michigan State
Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Final

3/10

#11 Houston @ #22 Cincinnati
Big South Conference Tournament Final
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Final
Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Final