After taking a week long break for my finals at school, I'm back with a new top 25. Because of the break, I decided not to have my previous ranking of the teams, and instead sort of done a reset. Let me know all of your thoughts on my rankings on Twitter @ThreePointRange and be sure to follow, as I'm probably going to do a Q&A at some point this week. Thanks for reading as always.
Top 25
1. Kansas
Record: 9-1
Results: W 95-68 vs Milwaukee, W 98-57 vs UMKC
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Villanova
2. Gonzaga
Record: 11-1
Results: W 84-80 at Arizona
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs North Carolina, 12/21 vs Eastern Washington
3. Ohio State
Record: 9-1, 1-1
Results: L 84-71 at Minnesota
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs Southeastern Missouri, 12/21 vs Kentucky (in Las Vegas)
4. Duke
Record: 9-1, 1-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/19 vs Wofford
5. Kentucky
Record: 8-1
Results: W 67-53 vs Georgia Tech
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Utah, 12/21 vs Ohio State (both in Las Vegas)
6. Louisville
Record: 10-1, 2-0
Results: L 70-57 vs Texas Tech (in Madison Square Garden), W 99-67 vs Eastern Kentucky
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Miami (OH)
7. Baylor
Record: 8-1
Results: W 53-52 vs Butler
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs UT Martin (in Houston)
8. Oregon
Record: 8-2
Results: W 71-70 at Michigan (OT)
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Montana, 12/21 vs Texas Southern
9. Auburn
Record: 9-0
Results: W 67-61 vs Saint Louis
Upcoming Games: 12/19 vs North Carolina State, 12/21 vs Lehigh
10. Virginia
Record: 8-1, 2-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Stony Brook, 12/22 vs South Carolina
11. Memphis
Record: 9-1
Results: W 51-47 at Tennessee
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Jackson State
12. Maryland
Record: 10-1, 1-1
Results: L 76-69 at Penn State
Upcoming Games: 12/19 at Seton Hall
13. Michigan State
Record: 7-3, 1-0
Results: W 72-49 vs Oakland
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Northwestern, 12/21 vs Eastern Michigan
14. Arizona
Record: 10-2
Results: W 99-49 vs Omaha, L 84-80 vs Gonzaga
Upcoming Games:
15. Michigan
Record: 8-3, 1-1
Results: L 71-62 at Illinois, L 71-70 vs Oregon (OT)
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Presbyterian
16. Dayton
Record: 8-1
Results: W 78-47 vs Drake
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs North Texas, 12/21 vs Colorado (in Chicago)
17. San Diego State
Record: 10-0, 2-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs San Diego Christian, 12/21 vs Utah (in Los Angeles)
18. Butler
Record: 10-1
Results: L 53-52 at Butler, W 66-41 vs Southern
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Purdue (in Indianapolis)
19. Villanova
Record: 8-2
Results: W 78-70 vs Delaware (in Newark)
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Kansas
20. Florida State
Record: 8-2, 1-1
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs North Florida, 12/21 vs South Florida
21. Penn State
Record: 9-2, 1-1
Results: W 76-69 vs Maryland, W 73-71 vs Alabama
Upcoming Games: 12/20 vs Central Connecticut
22. DePaul
Record: 10-1
Results: W 86-65 vs UIC
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Cleveland State, 12/21 vs Northwestern
23. Washington
Record: 7-2
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs Seattle, 12/22 vs Ball State (in Hawaii)
24. Texas Tech
Record: 6-3
Results: W 70-57 vs Louisville (in Madison Square Garden)
Upcoming Games: 12/16 vs Southern Miss, 12/21 vs UT Rio Grande Valley
25. Xavier
Record: 9-2
Results: L 80-78 at Wake Forest
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Western Carolina, 12/22 at TCU
Next 5
26. Texas
Record: 9-1
Results: W 87-76 vs Central Michigan
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Providence
27. Tennessee
Record: 7-2
Results: L 51-47 vs Memphis
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Cincinnati, 12/21 vs Jacksonville State
28. VCU
Record: 8-2
Results: W 61-51 vs Missouri State
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Charleston, 12/21 at Wichita State
29. Saint Mary's
Record: 10-2
Results: W 89-77 at California
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Arizona State (in Phoenix), 12/21 vs Nevada (in San Francisco)
30. West Virginia
Record: 9-1
Results: W 84-53 vs Austin Peay, W 83-57 vs Nicholls State
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Youngstown State
Also Considered: Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Duquesne, Florida, Indiana, Liberty, LSU, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Seton Hall, Stanford, Utah State, Wichita State
Notes
- The curse of #1 continues. Every time there seems to be a consensus as to the best team in the country, they go out and lose the next week. Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Louisville, and Ohio State have all lost despite seemingly everyone agreeing they are the cream of the crop. The amount of parity in college basketball is unparalleled, at least in my memory, and there are clearly no truly elite teams. This week, I went with Kansas at #1, but Gonzaga also has a claim to the top spot. the Jayhawks head to Philadelphia to play Villanova this week, and could pretty easily be dethroned by this time next week, so the revolving door in the top spot could continue next week.
- There are just four undefeated teams in the nations, and two of them feature in my Top 25, with Auburn coming in at ninth, and San Diego State placing seventeenth. Meanwhile, Duquesne and Liberty have yet to beat anyone of note, with Liberty's victory over hapless Vanderbilt non withstanding. The Tigers have been quite impressive to start the year, replacing stars Bryce Brown and Jared Harper from last year's Final Four team seamlessly and their defense has impressed me so far this year as well. Meanwhile, San Diego State came out in Las Vegas and beat Creighton and Iowa, and also hold a win over BYU. Of the four, Liberty has the best chance to end the season undefeated. They have an away game against LSU looming, but if they can get through that unscathed, then they have a real shot to make it through Atlantic Sun play without a loss. It will be a situation to monitor going forward, as the Flames could end up in the Top 25 at some point this year.
- I don't know if I was more wrong on a team than Penn State. I thought the Nittany Lions would be one of the teams near the bottom of the Big Ten, but they have looked really good to start the year. They could easily only have one loss, as they let a big lead against Mississippi slip, and they got killed by Ohio State, but other than that, they look like a force. They made national news by taking down Maryland this week, but they also hold wins over Georgetown on the road, Syracuse on a neutral, plus Wake Forest and Alabama at home. In addition to star Lamar Stevens, big man Mike Watkins has emerged as an interior force, and guard Myreon Jones has exceeded the expectations I had for him. They are also deeper than I thought they'd be, with Saint Bonaventure transfer Izaiah Brockington really excelling this year. I have them at 21st now, and I think they are pretty close to being a real tournament team despite my hesitation on them preseason.
- Two teams that have been much worse than I thought are North Carolina and Seton Hall. The Tar Heels have struggled to find any offense outside of Cole Anthony, and they have been plagued by injuries. Anthony himself got hurt, and it resulted in a loss to Wofford. Sterling Manley, Anthony Harris, Leaky Black, Brandon Robinson, and Armando Bacot have all had some sort of injuries throughout the season, and they need to figure out how to score without Anthony dropping 30, and fast, as they take on Gonzaga in their next game. Meanwhile, the Pirates have similar issues, with Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting hurt, and it resulted in a drubbing by in-state rivals Rutgers. Their offense revolves so heavily around Powell, and without him, they have very little firepower on that end, and Kevin Willard and the fans need to hope he gets back from his concussion quickly. If those teams are without their stars, they could be in danger of missing the tournament all together, and their falls need to be monitored going forward.
Games to Watch
Monday
N/A
Tuesday
N/A
Wednesday
#27 Tennessee at Cincinnati
North Carolina at #2 Gonzaga
#29 Saint Mary's at Arizona State
Utah vs #5 Kentucky
Thursday
#12 Maryland at Seton Hall
North Carolina State at #9 Auburn
Friday
N/A
Saturday
#1 Kansas at #19 Villanova
#28 VCU at Wichita State
Purdue at #18 Butler
Utah State at Florida
#3 Ohio State vs #5 Kentucky
#16 Dayton at Colorado
#17 San Diego State vs Utah
Saint John's at #14 Arizona
LSU at USC
Sunday
#25 Xavier at TCU
Top 25
1. Kansas
Record: 9-1
Results: W 95-68 vs Milwaukee, W 98-57 vs UMKC
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Villanova
2. Gonzaga
Record: 11-1
Results: W 84-80 at Arizona
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs North Carolina, 12/21 vs Eastern Washington
3. Ohio State
Record: 9-1, 1-1
Results: L 84-71 at Minnesota
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs Southeastern Missouri, 12/21 vs Kentucky (in Las Vegas)
4. Duke
Record: 9-1, 1-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/19 vs Wofford
5. Kentucky
Record: 8-1
Results: W 67-53 vs Georgia Tech
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Utah, 12/21 vs Ohio State (both in Las Vegas)
6. Louisville
Record: 10-1, 2-0
Results: L 70-57 vs Texas Tech (in Madison Square Garden), W 99-67 vs Eastern Kentucky
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Miami (OH)
7. Baylor
Record: 8-1
Results: W 53-52 vs Butler
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs UT Martin (in Houston)
8. Oregon
Record: 8-2
Results: W 71-70 at Michigan (OT)
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Montana, 12/21 vs Texas Southern
9. Auburn
Record: 9-0
Results: W 67-61 vs Saint Louis
Upcoming Games: 12/19 vs North Carolina State, 12/21 vs Lehigh
10. Virginia
Record: 8-1, 2-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Stony Brook, 12/22 vs South Carolina
11. Memphis
Record: 9-1
Results: W 51-47 at Tennessee
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Jackson State
12. Maryland
Record: 10-1, 1-1
Results: L 76-69 at Penn State
Upcoming Games: 12/19 at Seton Hall
13. Michigan State
Record: 7-3, 1-0
Results: W 72-49 vs Oakland
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Northwestern, 12/21 vs Eastern Michigan
14. Arizona
Record: 10-2
Results: W 99-49 vs Omaha, L 84-80 vs Gonzaga
Upcoming Games:
15. Michigan
Record: 8-3, 1-1
Results: L 71-62 at Illinois, L 71-70 vs Oregon (OT)
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Presbyterian
16. Dayton
Record: 8-1
Results: W 78-47 vs Drake
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs North Texas, 12/21 vs Colorado (in Chicago)
17. San Diego State
Record: 10-0, 2-0
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs San Diego Christian, 12/21 vs Utah (in Los Angeles)
18. Butler
Record: 10-1
Results: L 53-52 at Butler, W 66-41 vs Southern
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Purdue (in Indianapolis)
19. Villanova
Record: 8-2
Results: W 78-70 vs Delaware (in Newark)
Upcoming Games: 12/21 vs Kansas
20. Florida State
Record: 8-2, 1-1
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs North Florida, 12/21 vs South Florida
21. Penn State
Record: 9-2, 1-1
Results: W 76-69 vs Maryland, W 73-71 vs Alabama
Upcoming Games: 12/20 vs Central Connecticut
22. DePaul
Record: 10-1
Results: W 86-65 vs UIC
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Cleveland State, 12/21 vs Northwestern
23. Washington
Record: 7-2
Results: N/A
Upcoming Games: 12/17 vs Seattle, 12/22 vs Ball State (in Hawaii)
24. Texas Tech
Record: 6-3
Results: W 70-57 vs Louisville (in Madison Square Garden)
Upcoming Games: 12/16 vs Southern Miss, 12/21 vs UT Rio Grande Valley
25. Xavier
Record: 9-2
Results: L 80-78 at Wake Forest
Upcoming Games: 12/18 vs Western Carolina, 12/22 at TCU
Next 5
26. Texas
Record: 9-1
Results: W 87-76 vs Central Michigan
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Providence
27. Tennessee
Record: 7-2
Results: L 51-47 vs Memphis
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Cincinnati, 12/21 vs Jacksonville State
28. VCU
Record: 8-2
Results: W 61-51 vs Missouri State
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Charleston, 12/21 at Wichita State
29. Saint Mary's
Record: 10-2
Results: W 89-77 at California
Upcoming Games: 12/18 at Arizona State (in Phoenix), 12/21 vs Nevada (in San Francisco)
30. West Virginia
Record: 9-1
Results: W 84-53 vs Austin Peay, W 83-57 vs Nicholls State
Upcoming Games: 12/21 at Youngstown State
Also Considered: Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Duquesne, Florida, Indiana, Liberty, LSU, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Seton Hall, Stanford, Utah State, Wichita State
Notes
- The curse of #1 continues. Every time there seems to be a consensus as to the best team in the country, they go out and lose the next week. Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Louisville, and Ohio State have all lost despite seemingly everyone agreeing they are the cream of the crop. The amount of parity in college basketball is unparalleled, at least in my memory, and there are clearly no truly elite teams. This week, I went with Kansas at #1, but Gonzaga also has a claim to the top spot. the Jayhawks head to Philadelphia to play Villanova this week, and could pretty easily be dethroned by this time next week, so the revolving door in the top spot could continue next week.
- There are just four undefeated teams in the nations, and two of them feature in my Top 25, with Auburn coming in at ninth, and San Diego State placing seventeenth. Meanwhile, Duquesne and Liberty have yet to beat anyone of note, with Liberty's victory over hapless Vanderbilt non withstanding. The Tigers have been quite impressive to start the year, replacing stars Bryce Brown and Jared Harper from last year's Final Four team seamlessly and their defense has impressed me so far this year as well. Meanwhile, San Diego State came out in Las Vegas and beat Creighton and Iowa, and also hold a win over BYU. Of the four, Liberty has the best chance to end the season undefeated. They have an away game against LSU looming, but if they can get through that unscathed, then they have a real shot to make it through Atlantic Sun play without a loss. It will be a situation to monitor going forward, as the Flames could end up in the Top 25 at some point this year.
- I don't know if I was more wrong on a team than Penn State. I thought the Nittany Lions would be one of the teams near the bottom of the Big Ten, but they have looked really good to start the year. They could easily only have one loss, as they let a big lead against Mississippi slip, and they got killed by Ohio State, but other than that, they look like a force. They made national news by taking down Maryland this week, but they also hold wins over Georgetown on the road, Syracuse on a neutral, plus Wake Forest and Alabama at home. In addition to star Lamar Stevens, big man Mike Watkins has emerged as an interior force, and guard Myreon Jones has exceeded the expectations I had for him. They are also deeper than I thought they'd be, with Saint Bonaventure transfer Izaiah Brockington really excelling this year. I have them at 21st now, and I think they are pretty close to being a real tournament team despite my hesitation on them preseason.
- Two teams that have been much worse than I thought are North Carolina and Seton Hall. The Tar Heels have struggled to find any offense outside of Cole Anthony, and they have been plagued by injuries. Anthony himself got hurt, and it resulted in a loss to Wofford. Sterling Manley, Anthony Harris, Leaky Black, Brandon Robinson, and Armando Bacot have all had some sort of injuries throughout the season, and they need to figure out how to score without Anthony dropping 30, and fast, as they take on Gonzaga in their next game. Meanwhile, the Pirates have similar issues, with Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili getting hurt, and it resulted in a drubbing by in-state rivals Rutgers. Their offense revolves so heavily around Powell, and without him, they have very little firepower on that end, and Kevin Willard and the fans need to hope he gets back from his concussion quickly. If those teams are without their stars, they could be in danger of missing the tournament all together, and their falls need to be monitored going forward.
Games to Watch
Monday
N/A
Tuesday
N/A
Wednesday
#27 Tennessee at Cincinnati
North Carolina at #2 Gonzaga
#29 Saint Mary's at Arizona State
Utah vs #5 Kentucky
Thursday
#12 Maryland at Seton Hall
North Carolina State at #9 Auburn
Friday
N/A
Saturday
#1 Kansas at #19 Villanova
#28 VCU at Wichita State
Purdue at #18 Butler
Utah State at Florida
#3 Ohio State vs #5 Kentucky
#16 Dayton at Colorado
#17 San Diego State vs Utah
Saint John's at #14 Arizona
LSU at USC
Sunday
#25 Xavier at TCU
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