Week 13 NCAA College Basketball Top 25
What a week. Seven of the teams I had in the top 10 last week lost this past week, six of which lost to unranked teams, and two of the teams actually lost twice. This is the kind of week that people think of when they hear "conference play". We once again have a new #1 team and next week we will probably have a new #1 again. The road to March is winding down and things are starting to heat up so check out the rankings for week 13.
#1 Gonzaga: Gonzaga survived this week of upsets with three wins. Although their opponents were not very good, they won by an average margin of 34 points. With the three teams I had ahead of them last week all losing at least once, there is no reason why Gonzaga shouldn't be ranked #1 in the country.
#2 Kansas: Oddly enough, this team went 1-1 this past week. However, they had arguably the most difficult schedule and they beat the better team of the two. Having to beat a good West Virginia team away and then go right to Rupp Arena to beat Kentucky four days later would have been nearly impossible. Even if this team went 0-2 this past week they wouldn't have fell far in the rankings but they were able to take down Calipari's squad in Lexington in a very tight game. Although they got beat pretty handily by WVU, I think Kansas deserves to stay in the same spot they were last week with a decent outcome from two tough games. They aren't out of the woods yet however, with Baylor at home on Wednesday. They could end up taking the #1 spot this time next week with a win or fall down in the rankings with a loss.
#3 Baylor: Baylor extended their winning streak to five this past week with wins against Texas Tech and Ole Miss. Although they didn't particularly dominate either team, they still did their job and continued to build their resume to be a #1 seed come march.
#4 Villanova: Villanova was another team that got upset this past week. They lost a close game to Marquette but they finished the week strong with a close win to Virginia at home earlier today. Their offense played horrible in the first half but they came back and won the game to keep themselves from really slipping up. Although they only fell three spots, they most likely lost their #1 overall seed in the tournament to Kansas, who is yet to have a bad loss. Villanova is still a #1 seed but they are very close to losing that seed to the next team in our rankings.
#5 Arizona: Zona picked up two decent wins this week to extend their win streak to 14. They are right on par with Villanova but I gave Nova the higher ranking strictly based on the fact that Nova finished the week with a win against a great Virginia team. Arizona is on the rise and there is really no telling where they'll stop. They have another test this weekend against conference rival Oregon and we'll get to see just how good Arizona really is.
#6 Virginia: UVA had a tough week but they came out and really played well. They started the week by beating Notre Dame away from home by nearly 20 points. They then had to go to Philly to play one of the best teams in the nation in Villanova. They were dominating Nova in the first half but Nova came back and won the game on a buzzer beating tip in from Donte DiVinceno off of the missed shot from Josh Hart. They had a very good week and although they went 1-1, they deserve to jump up in the rankings.
#7 North Carolina: UNC looked like they were going to crack the top 3 this week until they got upset by Miami on Saturday. Their offense just could not hit a shot until the second half and they really didn't look like their normal selves. They have some things to work out before the stretch of tough games they have coming up, starting with Notre Dame at home next saturday.
#8 Kentucky: UK really struggled this week with two losses. It marks the first time since the beginning of last February that they dropped two games in a row. Oddly enough the two teams they lost to last February were the same two teams they lost to this time around: Tennessee and Kansas. They began the week by getting upset by Tennessee but it didn't mean much since Villanova and Kansas also lost at the beginning of the week. Saturday's game was very high profile and although they went into the half with the lead, they ultimately fell at home to Kansas marking their second loss in a row. I expect Kentucky to bounce back this week but they have some ground to make up tourney wise.
#9 Louisville: Louisville went 2-0 this week and they got to benefit from the sear chaos that ensued this past week. They passed five teams who took losses this week but that's not to say they don't deserve to be at number 9. This season has had a ton of very good teams and there hasn't been a year in recent memory where there were so many teams so close together around the top 10. Louisville has been just outside the top 10 for most of the year but with this chaotic week, they've gotten to move up to the highest ranking they've been on my lists all year.
#10 Cincinnati: Cincinnati picked up two more wins this week including one to a ranked Xavier team. They increased their win streak to 12 and they are proving to be one of the stronger teams in the country. They deserve to be in the top 10 and they might even deserve a #3 seed.
#11 West Virginia: It has been a tale of two weeks for this WVU team. Last week they got upset twice and this week they took down Kansas and Texas A&M. They have by far one of the strangest tourney resumes. They have 3 bad losses and a decent loss, but they have also wins against Virginia, Baylor, and now Kansas. I honestly don't know what to expect from this team. I need to see them be consistent before I can but any weight into them making a tourney push.
#12 Wisconsin: At 18-3(7-1 conference), Wisconsin is undoubtably the best team in the Big 10. They increased their win streak to 5 with two mediocre wins and they get to benefit from some of the losses that ensued this past week. They have a couple tough games coming up so we'll have to see if they can continue playing well.
#13 Saint Mary's: I've been high on Saint Mary's this whole year but I haven't been able to move them up in the rankings because they lack the SOS to have their wins catapult them up the list. This week however, they have been able to pass some of the teams that were upset. They have a few more easy games coming up but I'm excited to see if Landale and company can get payback when they run into Gonzaga again in a couple of weeks.
#14 Oregon: The Ducks looked like they were going to crack the top 5 this week until saturday when they got upset by Colorado, who snapped their 17 win streak. They were one of the many teams that took an L this week but the good news is, Dillon Brooks' injury was not serious and he is back in the squad. Losing to the Buffalos is a setback but they are still at least a #3 seed as of right now. Even still, they have some work to do.
#15 UCLA: Two losses in a row has raised some serious red flags for a team that was arguably a #1 seed just 10 days ago. Although their last two losses have come to good teams, they still need to work on some things. Outside of tweaking their game, they also have some ground to make up resume wise. They have a laid back week this week but Oregon on February 9th is a must win.
#16 Florida State: Last week, Florida State was one of the hottest teams in the country. It were soaring through the ranks and they were one of the teams to beat. This week their hot streak was brought to a screeching halt. Coming off of a week with two wins against two ranked opponents, they have a week with two losses against two unranked opponents. Going into this week they only had one bad loss but they now have 3, which will definitely hurt their resume for march.
#17 Maryland: Maryland got very little love at the beginning of the year because they weren't winning games by very much but they are starting to prove that they are one of the better teams in the Big Ten and in the country. This week they improved their record to 19-2 with two more wins, including a great win against Minnesota, in Minneapolis. Minnesota is known for their great home court advantage and Maryland really got the job done. They have a tough week coming up though with games against Ohio St and Purdue. We'll see if they can continue to get the job done.
#18 South Carolina: This team has won 7 of their last 8 and their one loss came to Kentucky in Lexington. The Gamecocks are getting to be as hot as they were at the beginning of the year and they are showing no signs of stopping.
#19 Butler: When Villanova lost, Butler was very close to having the best resume in the Big East. They gave that up almost immediately though when they lost a close game to Georgetown on Saturday. Yet another good team who fell victim to this insane week. Butler is still a great team though, I just think they had a slip up.
#20 Notre Dame: The Irish have lost 3 of their last 4 including two losses this week. Granted, two of their last three losses have been to two very good ACC teams but they were also upset by Georgia Tech. I'm still high on this team but they have to turn this around before they really start to hurt their resume.
#21 Florida: The Gators had a rough week 12 but they bounced back with 2 wins this week. They beat LSU and Oklahoma in blowouts and they are really starting to get a stride. Robinson has averaged 18.5 PPG and 6 RPG over the last two games and they are really starting to play as a team. Florida will get to show just how good they are this week when they face Kentucky on saturday.
#22 Purdue: The Boilermakers looked like they were going to move up quite a few spots this week with all the upsets but they choked and lost in a tight game earlier today against Nebraska. I was high on this Big Ten team but I am still yet to see them prove to be a good team consistently.
#23 SMU: SMU has now won 14 of their last 15 games and the one los they suffered over that time was to Cincinnati. They don't have many good wins over that stretch but they still deserve to be ranked for how good they've been over that streak.
#24 USC: To end the list we have USC. The team that started out hot has started to bring some of that fire back.They've won 3 of their last 4, with their one loss coming from Arizona and their most recent win being UCLA at home. They should win the next three games but we'll get to see just how good this team is in the middle of February when they play UCLA, Arizona, and Oregon back to back to back.
#25 Duke: The Blue Devils are continuing to play poorly. They got upset by NC State at the beginning of the week and they needed a buzzer beater to take down Wake Forrest on Saturday. The only reason I still have Duke ranked is because of their roster. It may not seem like they are worthy of being ranked but I just don't think the way they've been playing is reflective of the team they can be. They have a lot to sort out before March since their bad losses are piling up and they went from being considered the best team in the ACC to the 5th or 6th best.