College Basketball Top 25: 12/14/21

I apologize for not posting rankings last week, but I made up for it this week. I put a lot of effort into my top 25, with a priority focused on the strength of schedule. There are teams that skyrocketed, and some that plummeted. I’m not going to reward teams for playing cupcake schedules, so you’ll probably hate my top 25. There are definitely flaws in it, but it is still extremely early, so these rankings are bound to drastically change throughout the season. I won’t have a full outlook until the end of January, most likely. Anyways, here are my top 25 rankings, with a new #1 in town:

  1. Baylor (9-0) (PREV: 3)

You have to give it to Baylor. They lost so many key assets from their National Championship run last season. Now, they’re the #1 team in the nation. However, there has been a curse of #1 teams. Can Oregon continue the curse?

  1. Duke (7-1) (PREV: 2)

Duke went on quite a hiatus after falling to Ohio State on November 30. The next game will be today, so it has been quite a break for the Duke players to take their final exams. They take on three cupcake teams before starting ACC play.

  1. Purdue (9-1) (PREV: 1)

Purdue had a rough week after being ranked #1 in the country. They lost to an average Rutgers team in Piscataway and nearly lost to NC State on a neutral court in overtime. Can the Boilermakers get a statement victory this week against Crossroad rival Butler?

  1. UCLA (8-1) (PREV: 5)

UCLA has won three straight after falling to Gonzaga and are now in front of the Zags. With significant wins over Colorado and Marquette. The Bruins now have an easy Wednesday night matchup and take on the blue blood Tar Heels in Las Vegas on Saturday.

  1. Alabama (8-1) (PREV: 16)

Alabama is on a roll since falling to Iona. Honestly, had they won all the games in the ESPN Events Invitational and stayed undefeated up until now, they would be the #1 team in the country. With a scary backcourt duo consisting of Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford, the Crimson Tide have taken down both Gonzaga and Houston in back-to-back games. What a start for them.

  1. Gonzaga (8-2) (PREV: 2)

Gonzaga has now lost to Duke and Alabama, so they’re 2-2 in important games so far this season. The trio of Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren, and Andrew Nembhard is strong, and they’ll need to be exactly that against Texas Tech in Phoenix.

  1. Arizona (9-0) (PREV: 10)

Arizona stays undefeated and moves up three spots, which is supported by a road win over Illinois. Add that along with wins over Wichita State and Michigan, and you have yourself a top 10 team.

  1. Kansas (8-1) (PREV: 8)

Kansas has a terrible non-conference schedule outside of Michigan State and St. John’s. They also absolutely destroyed rival Missouri in the Border War, but Missouri is one of the worst Power Five teams in college basketball. Unfortunately for us, things won’t get interesting until Big-12 play starts on New Year’s Day. Maybe Colorado can give them a test in the meantime.

  1. Iowa State (10-0) (PREV: 18)

Iowa State may be #50 in KenPom, but that does not reflect how many good wins they have so far this season. They have taken down Xavier, Memphis, Creighton, and Iowa. All teams with talent. The hard part for Cyclones fans are the last two games of 2021, which are teams not even in the top 300 on KenPom. However, they have a bowl game in football to look forward to in the meantime.

  1. Villanova (7-3) (PREV: 6)

Villanova falls four spots, but they honestly should have fallen down even more. With a great schedule so far, Villanova has lost three times to teams currently in the top 10. That’s what is supporting them. How does a team like Villanova only score 36 points against Baylor? Villanova needs to figure out that problem coming into Big East play. I’m sure other Big East teams are going to look at that film from Sunday. I would.

  1. USC (10-0) (PREV: 20)

USC has found life after Evan Mobley, led by his brother Isaiah Mobley. Their weaknesses include free-throw shooting and turnovers on defense. With wins over San Diego State, Utah, and Washington State, the Trojans are in the top 15 to start the season.

  1. Michigan State (9-2) (PREV: 23)

Michigan State has won four in a row after falling to #1 Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship Game. With wins over Loyola Chicago, UConn, and Louisville, the Spartans are headed in the right direction.

  1. Ohio State (8-2) (PREV: N/A)

Ohio State would’ve been in my top 25 had I done a ranking last week. They just beat Duke at home after losing two of the previous three games to Xavier and Florida. Add a big win over Seton Hall, and that’s why the Buckeyes are in the top 15.

  1. Seton Hall (9-1) (PREV: 25)

Seton Hall has continued to impress me, becoming one of the most surprising teams in college basketball. With strong wins over Michigan, Texas, and Rutgers, the Pirates are now the #2 team in the Big East, with the potential to be #1 after the poor performances by Villanova so far. 

  1. Houston (8-2) (PREV: 15)

Staying at #15 is reasonable after they gave Alabama hell for most of the game in Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately for them, they lost at the last second, with Kelvin Sampson furious at the officials for a controversial missed goaltending call. They’ll be fine. After all, they’re clearly the best team in the American Athletic Conference, just like I predicted. The Cougars need to bounce back on Saturday against Oklahoma State.

  1. Wisconsin (8-2) (PREV: 24)

Wisconsin fell out of the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll. I disagree. The Badgers have played a great schedule so far, with wins over Houston, Texas A&M, Saint Mary’s, Marquette, and Indiana. Johnny Davis has looked solid so far, and I’m excited to see how he improves. However, the rest of their 2021 schedule looks weak.

  1. Providence (10-1) (PREV: N/A)

I’d also like to give a warm welcome to Providence, who finds themselves in my top 25, somehow. They surprised me this year, with big wins over Wisconsin, Texas Tech, Northwestern, and Rhode Island. That’s a better strength of schedule than many of the top 25 teams! I reward good strength of schedule, and with a 10-1 record, Providence looks great heading into Hartford on Saturday.

  1. LSU (9-0) (PREV: N/A)

Welcome to the top 25, LSU! The Tigers are 9-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, which is quite impressive. They haven’t had any amazing wins, but they’re bound to have a great schedule starting the last week of 2021. Their best win comes against Wake Forest.

  1. Auburn (8-1) (PREV: 21)

Auburn lost to UConn in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis but has not lost since. That includes wins over Loyola Chicago and Syracuse. Auburn is going to improve as the season goes on, but their non-conference schedule has not helped them.

  1. Tennessee (7-2) (PREV: 13)

Tennessee lost to Texas Tech in overtime a week ago, but their strength of schedule has supported them so far. The Volunteers are 2-2 in big games but have a rivalry matchup with a disappointing but talented Memphis team. I’m excited about SEC play because that will be when we see if Tennessee really proves itself as a top 25 team.

  1. UConn (9-2) (PREV: 17)

UConn has had a better strength of schedule than some of the teams I thought would be in the top 5. Without Adama Sanogo and Tyrese Martin, they got knocked out of top 10 conversations with a devastating loss to West Virginia. They picked up a win against St. Bonaventure, who was missing Kyle Lofton. Providence should give the Huskies a challenge on Saturday, but will Sanogo or Martin be back for that game?

  1. Xavier (9-1) (PREV: N/A)

Welcome back, Xavier. The Musketeers have established themselves as one of the top teams in the Big East so far. They may have lost to Iowa State, but picking up wins against Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati boosts their resume so far.

  1. Kentucky (7-2) (PREV: 9)

Kentucky is 0-2 in major games so far, losing to Duke on opening night, and most recently losing to Notre Dame in South Bend. Oscar Tshiebwe is one of college basketball’s top players and especially the top rebounder. With a huge game against Ohio State on Saturday, will the Wildcats be successful in their non-conference schedule?

  1. Texas Tech (7-1) (PREV: N/A)

Texas Tech had quite a weak first six games but finally were tested against Providence, who they ended up losing to. With a big win over Tennessee, the Red Raiders are in the top 25. They have a huge game against Gonzaga on Saturday, which will show if the Tennessee game was a fluke or not.

  1. Texas (6-2) (PREV: 7)

I’m going to punish Texas for their AWFUL non-conference schedule. Their six wins come against cupcakes, while their two losses came against Gonzaga and Seton Hall. Yes, the Longhorns have a talented team and coach, but Texas should not be awarded for playing such a weak schedule. We’ll just have to wait until the Big 12 conference play.

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