College Basketball Top 25 – 1/25/21

I lost the majority of my predictions in college basketball this weekend due to the number of upsets that have happened. Some of the major upsets weren’t even this weekend, so thank goodness I didn’t make predictions during the week. Anyways, here is my top 25 for this week:

1. Gonzaga (15-0) The only way Baylor jumps Gonzaga is if Gonzaga loses.
2. Baylor (14-0) See above. I wonder how the conference schedule comes into play when the selection committee makes their bracket six weeks from Sunday.
3. Villanova (10-1) Villanova finally resumes activities and picked up two wins, including a close one against Seton Hall.
4. Michigan (13-1) The Wolverines picked up two wins this week and the teams in front of Michigan lost besides the top 3 and Texas. They are on a two-week pause now which could cost Michigan.
5. Texas (11-2) Texas hasn’t played anyone since beating Kansas State on the 16th. They face rival Oklahoma, who’s fresh off upsetting Kansas.
6. Iowa (12-3) Luka Garza is still the Wooden Award favorite. The Hawkeyes take a hit after losing to Indiana, who lost to Rutgers yesterday.
7. Houston (13-1) On a six-game winning streak, which isn’t saying much since the Cougars are in the AAC.
8. Ohio State (12-4) The Buckeyes lost to Purdue on Tuesday, but they redeem themselves by upsetting Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday.
9. Alabama (13-3) Here’s something you thought you wouldn’t hear: Alabama is 8-0 in SEC play. It’s the John Petty Show in Tuscaloosa.
10. Virginia (10-2) The Cavaliers are undefeated in the ACC, but their best win is Clemson, which isn’t impressive.
11. Texas Tech (11-4) Losing to #2 Baylor on the 16th was the last game they played coming into Monday. That can hurt a team, but with the number of ranked teams losing since last week, the Red Raiders weren’t hit so hard.
12. Wisconsin (12-4) Losing to a strong Ohio State team won’t put them down much. The Badgers are still one of the best in the Big Ten.
13. West Virginia (10-4) The Mountaineers beat Kansas State on Saturday in their first game since losing to Texas on January 9th.
14. Creighton (11-4) Bad loss to Providence, but swept then-ranked Huskies on Saturday. The Bluejays are the best three-point shooting team in the Big East.
15. Missouri (10-2) The Tigers are on a three-game winning streak, picking up a win over 6th ranked Tennessee, who has been struggling recently.
16. Tennessee (10-3) Speaking of Tennessee, they fall very far down on my rankings. The Volunteers need to pick up the slack since they have had two back-to-back losses while shooting terribly, ESPECIALLY against Florida.
17. Kansas (10-5) Guess who else fell far? The Jayhawks are on a three-game losing streak, most recently to Oklahoma. Five losses isn’t a good look.
18. Florida State (9-2) The Seminoles got their revenge on Clemson and are currently on a four-game winning streak. They are the second-best team in the ACC.
19. Oklahoma (9-4) The Sooners are on a three-game winning streak with a huge win over Kansas. Earlier this season, they beat West Virginia, so that boosts their resume.
20. UCLA (12-3) The Bruins lost in overtime to Stanford, but they’re still the best team in the Pac-12.
21. Minnesota (11-5) The Golden Gophers lost badly to Maryland, but I still like watching them play. No games until Saturday, which maybe can help them work on the mistakes made against the Terps?
22. Louisville (10-3) The Cardinals beat Duke on Saturday, but is that even impressive at this point? The Blue Devils are now 5-5.
23. Boise State (13-1) God, I love Mountain West basketball. There’s always that one team with a great record. However, their strength of schedule isn’t ideal this year since San Diego State is not as talented.
24. Oklahoma State (9-4) The Cowboys lost to Baylor, one of the best teams in the nation. Their wins in past weeks keep them in my top 25. Also, they’re my favorite team in the Big 12 along with West Virginia.
25. Illinois (10-5) The number of quality wins and how incredible the Big Ten is why Illinois is ranked for me. The Fighting Illini have a high ceiling, but they need to clean up parts of their game.