It was a crazy week in college basketball that saw many ranked teams fall. A whopping four teams fell out of my top 25 as teams begin their conference play. Here is my top 25 ranking for this week:
- Kansas (14-1) (PREV: 5)
Kansas is on an eight-game winning streak, which includes wins over Seton Hall, Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia. Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick have been the leaders for the defending champions. It’s a difficult week for the Jayhawks, as they host Oklahoma and Iowa State, two teams that can give Kansas a battle.
- Houston (16-1) (PREV: 6)
Houston could easily win out, as I’m not impressed with the competition in the American Athletic Conference. They haven’t lost since the home game against Alabama, with a winning streak including wins over Virginia and UCF. The Cougars will host USF tomorrow as the only game they play until the next ranking.
- Purdue (15-1) (PREV: 1)
Purdue was upset at home last week against Rutgers on a last-second shot that reminded me of Ron Harper’s buzzer-beater to upset Purdue a year ago. Zach Edey is still the clear frontrunner for National Player of the Year, but it was Braden Smith that led Purdue to a huge road victory over Ohio State. Edey continued his dominance with a 30-point double-double on Sunday against Penn State. Purdue will host Nebraska on Friday, a team that forced overtime in the first meeting back in December.
- Tennessee (13-2) (PREV: 8)
Tennessee is ranked the best defensive team on KenPom, and they proved that against Mississippi State and South Carolina. The Volunteers will put their undefeated SEC record on the line with home games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky this week.
- UConn (15-2) (PREV: 3)
UConn is barely ahead of Alabama in my top 25 thanks to a 15-point win against the Crimson Tide back in November. The Huskies lost twice in a row to Xavier and Providence, who have proven to be strong teams so far this season. Connecticut finally defeated Creighton in a game where the Bluejays could not shoot at all. Adama Sanogo had 26 points and ten rebounds, bouncing back after a poor performance at Providence. The road does not get any easier for UConn, as they travel to Milwaukee to face Marquette tomorrow night and then host St. John’s on Sunday.
- Alabama (13-2) (PREV: 7)
Alabama began its SEC schedule with wins over Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Kentucky. They destroyed Kentucky, 78-52, led by Mark Sears who had 16 points and six steals. Brandon Miller still is the best freshman in the country, as he led the Tide in scoring with 19 points over the Wildcats. Nate Oats’s team will face Arkansas and LSU in two tough matchups this week.
- UCLA (14-2) (PREV: 10)
UCLA earned a big win at home over rival USC, extending their winning streak to 11. Jaime Jaquez has emerged as one of the Pac-12’s best players, but Jaylen Clark was the one to lead the Bruins to victory with 15 points. The Bruins are strong on both ends of the court. UCLA will host Utah and Colorado this week with hopes of keeping their undefeated Pac-12 record alive.
- Gonzaga (14-3) (PREV: 9)
Gonzaga does not have a great conference schedule outside BYU and Saint Mary’s, so the Bulldogs began the West Coast Conference with wins over Pepperdine, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. The Zags have won nine in a row, including a big win over Alabama. However, I’m not sold on them due to not having the most successful non-conference schedule, with losses to Texas, Purdue, and Baylor. Gonzaga will travel to BYU on Thursday and then host Portland on Saturday.
- Arizona (14-2) (PREV: 2)
Arizona was about to be my top-ranked team until they lost by 13 to Washington State at home. Not a good look for the Wildcats. Their offense is still strong, led by Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, but their defense does not rank in the top 50 on KenPom. Arizona is on the road this week with games against Oregon State and Oregon.
- Kansas State (14-1) (PREV: N/A)
Kansas State skyrocketed in my rankings after huge wins over West Virginia, Texas, and Baylor. Markquis Nowell is their leader, who was terrific in all three Big 12 games so far. The Wildcats have won eight straight. They host Oklahoma State tonight and then travel to face TCU on Saturday.
- Texas (13-2) (PREV: 4)
Texas lost in a high-scoring game against Kansas State, 116-103. They bounced back on Saturday on the road against Oklahoma State, led by Dillon Mitchell who had 12 rebounds and three steals. The Longhorns, who just fired Chris Beard, will host TCU and Texas Tech this week.
- Xavier (13-3) (PREV: 13)
Xavier put their name on the map with a huge win at home against UConn on New Year’s Eve, and they continued their now nine-game winning streak at Villanova. Zach Freemantle led the way with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Souley Boum had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. The Musketeers have one of the best frontcourts in the country and possibly the best starting lineup in the Big East. They host Creighton and Marquette this weekend in two difficult matchups.
- Iowa State (12-2) (PREV: 24)
Iowa State began its Big 12 schedule with three impressive wins over Baylor, Oklahoma, and TCU. The Cyclones are one of the best teams at forcing turnovers but cannot get a defensive rebound which hurt them in the early loss to UConn. Steals has been a major part of Iowa State’s success, as Gabe Kalscheur and Caleb Grill each recorded at least three steals while also leading the team in scoring in the past two games. The Cyclones will host Texas Tech tonight before facing their toughest matchup at Kansas on Saturday.
- Virginia (11-3) (PREV: 11)
Virginia struggled to begin the week, falling to Pittsburgh on the road. Virginia defeated Syracuse in Charlottesville, leading by as many as 23 points. However, the Orange cut into that big lead, as the Hoos won 73-66 on Saturday. The Cavaliers will host North Carolina in a big ACC battle tonight, then travel to Tallahassee on Saturday to take on Florida State.
- Arkansas (12-3) (PREV: 14)
Arkansas has lost two of its last three games, with both coming on the road against LSU and Auburn. In between those games was a win at home against Missouri. Ricky Council is considered one of the best players in the SEC, as he was the leader in the win against Mizzou. The Razorbacks will host Alabama tomorrow night and then go on the road to face Vanderbilt on Saturday.
- TCU (13-2) (PREV: 16)
The Horned Frogs may have just gotten embarrassed in the National Championship game, but fans can now turn their attention to a solid men’s basketball team that was on an eleven-game winning streak before falling to Iowa State on Saturday at home. TCU owns wins over Iowa, Providence, Utah, Texas Tech, and now Baylor. Mike Miles led the Horned Frogs to victory over Baylor in Waco with 33 points and two steals. Their schedule gets tougher with a road game against Texas tomorrow and a home game against Kansas State on Saturday.
- Miami (FL) (13-2) (PREV: 12)
Miami suffered its first loss in conference play at Georgia Tech, which is a bad loss. That broke their nine-game winning streak, including wins over Rutgers, NC State, and Virginia. Isaiah Wong and the Hurricanes have yet to win a game in 2023 but have opportunities to do that this week against Boston College and NC State.
- Providence (14-3) (PREV: 25)
The Friars are on a nine-game winning streak with wins over Seton Hall, Marquette, UConn, and, most recently, St. John’s. Devin Carter, Bryce Hopkins, and Noah Locke is a trio that is one of the best in the Big East. Providence is on the road for one game this week against Creighton, who’s coming off a cold shooting performance at UConn. Providence impressed me with their ability to get offensive rebounds, which gave the Friars second-chance points.
- Wisconsin (11-3) (PREV: 18)
Wisconsin is a weird team to look at. They’re not the most impressive team, but they have won six of their last seven games. They just suffered the third loss of the season at Illinois, but have a chance to bounce back with a big game against Michigan State. They also get a cold Indiana team on Saturday.
- Missouri (13-2) (PREV: 17)
When we thought Missouri was hot, they fell by six points to Arkansas in Fayetteville. On Saturday, the Tigers bounced back with a three-point win over Vanderbilt in Columbia. DeAndre Gholston came off the bench and had 18 points and two blocks in the win. Mizzou begins a two-game road trip this week with games at Texas A&M and Florida. KenPom ranks Missouri as one of the top offensive teams in the country, which makes up for a poor defense outside of steals and turnovers.
- Marquette (13-4) (PREV: N/A)
Marquette is currently on a four-game winning streak right now and is considered the Big East’s top offensive team. Tyler Kolek had a Rajon Rondo-like performance in the blowout win over Georgetown, with 15 assists and four steals. The best scorers are Kam Jones and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Prosper had 29 points and seven boards in the 11-point win over St. John’s. The Golden Eagles have two tough matchups against UConn and Xavier this weekend.
- Auburn (12-3) (PREV: 21)
Auburn suffered its worst loss of the season on the road against Georgia but bounced back on Saturday night against Arkansas. Wendell Green had 19 points, five assists, and three steals in the win. KenPom loves Auburn’s defense, which ranks 15th in the country. However, the defense is weighed down by their inability to grab defensive rebounds. The Tigers visit Ole Miss tonight and then host Mississippi State on Saturday.
- San Diego State (12-3) (PREV: N/A)
The Aztecs are in the top 25 due to their strong start in the Mountain West, defeating Air Force, UNLV, and Wyoming. San Diego State is led by Darrion Trammell, who averages 12.6 points per game. The Aztecs continue Mountain West play this week with home games against Nevada and New Mexico.
- Duke (12-4) (PREV: 15)
Duke nearly falls out of my ranking due to a 24-point loss at NC State and then barely beating Boston College in Chestnut Hill. The team needs more production outside Mark Mitchell, Kyle Filipowski, and Dariq Whitehead. Or, they need those three to step up more. The Blue Devils host Pitt tomorrow night and then are on the road against Clemson on Saturday.
- Clemson (13-3) (PREV: N/A)
Clemson is off to a strong start with a 5-0 record in the ACC, earning wins over NC State, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh in the last three games. PJ Hall led the way in the close win over Pitt with 12 points, ten rebounds, and a block. Hunter Tyson has been the best player, with four consecutive double-doubles. The Tigers host Louisville and Duke this week.
Calhoun's Corner 