College Basketball Top 25: Saint Mary’s, Indiana headline crazy Saturday

Saint Mary’s is the best team in the West Coast Conference, Indiana handed Purdue their second loss this season, and Xavier was able to keep winning despite losing Zach Freemantle. The rankings changed a bit thanks to another insane week of college basketball. You’re probably wondering how exactly did the rankings change. Take a look:

  1. Purdue (22-2) (PREV: 1)

Purdue may have lost on the road to Indiana, but it’s very difficult to come out of Assembly Hall with a win. They’re still one of the best teams in college basketball, if not the best. People may ask me, “What about Houston?” Houston wouldn’t stand a chance against Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. This week, Purdue has Iowa at home and Northwestern on the road.

  1. Houston (22-2) (PREV: 3)

After Tennessee lost to Florida on Wednesday, it made sense for Houston to move up in my top 25. They are the only team in the KenPom top 10 with their offense and defense ranked in the top 10. Unlike the Cincinnati game last weekend, the Cougars didn’t show much of a scare this past week.

  1. Alabama (20-3) (PREV: 5)

Alabama beat Vanderbilt so badly, they won by 57 points. Then they continued to win, earning their 20th win on Saturday at LSU. They’re a scary team that can go deep in March as long as Brandon Miller stays healthy. The Crimson Tide will host Florida on Wednesday and arch-rival Auburn on Saturday.

  1. Arizona (21-3) (PREV: 4)

Arizona has extended its winning streak to six after dominating performances against Oregon and Oregon State in Tucson. Azuolas Tubelis had a whopping 40 points in the win over Oregon State, continuing his All-American season. The Wildcats will travel to the Bay Area this week, visiting California on Thursday and then Stanford on Saturday.

  1. Texas (19-4) (PREV: 9)

Texas had an impressive win as they upset Kansas State at the electric Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday. That was thanks to a 14-point double-double by Sir-Jabari Rice, who has been a key player off the bench for the Longhorns. Tonight is a difficult matchup against Kansas at The Phog. After that, Texas will return to Austin to host West Virginia on Saturday.

  1. Tennessee (19-4) (PREV: 2)

Tennessee’s top-tier defense held Auburn to just 43 points, but the Vols’ offense was not impressive at all, only scoring 46 on Saturday. However, they slide to number 6 in my top 25 after a loss to Florida. It’s a rivalry for the Volunteers on Wednesday at Vanderbilt, then they host Missouri on Saturday.

  1. UCLA (19-4) (PREV: 10)

UCLA answered back-to-back losses with back-to-back wins over Washington and Washington State. Neither team is very good, but the rankings are all over the place right now. Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been big for the Bruins, putting up 24 points and 15 rebounds against Washington State. UCLA heads up to the Pacific Northwest where they have games at Oregon State and Oregon on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

  1. Virginia (17-4) (PREV: 6)

Despite solid scoring performances from Jayden Gardner, Kihei Clark, and Reece Beekman, Virginia fell to in-state rival Virginia Tech, 74-68. Cassell Coliseum was rocking, including a court storm to celebrate the victory. It’s the Cavaliers’ first loss since the first game of 2023, ending a seven-game winning streak. The Hoos will stay in Charlottesville as they host NC State and Duke this week.

  1. Kansas (18-5) (PREV: 8)

Kansas has been trending downwards, but they remain highly-ranked thanks to wins over Kentucky and Kansas State. The Jayhawks lost again on Saturday at Iowa State by 15 points. Jalen Wilson is one of the huge contenders for Big 12 Player of the Year, as he continues to have an All-American caliber season. Kansas will host Texas tonight, then they are on the road once again, at Oklahoma on Saturday.

  1. Marquette (19-5) (PREV: 13)

The Golden Eagles remain one of the best offenses in the country, led by Big East Player of the Year candidate Tyler Kolek. Marquette is on a five-game winning streak, headlined by a huge win against Providence. They will have one of their most difficult games tomorrow night as they visit UConn on Tuesday night. After that, they’ll travel to Washington, D.C. to take on last-place Georgetown on Saturday.

  1. Iowa State (16-6) (PREV: 16)

Had Iowa State not lost two of their last three games, they would be comfortably in the top 10 after an impressive win over Kansas. The MVP of that game didn’t score much but nearly had a triple-double with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. Not to mention he also had three assists. The Cyclones need to add more to the win column, and they have two chances to do that this week: at West Virginia and home against Oklahoma State.

  1. Xavier (19-5) (PREV: 14)

Despite losing Zach Freemantle for a month, Xavier held on to defeat Providence in overtime on Wednesday. The key to the win was big man Jack Nunge recording a 23-point, 14-rebound double-double. The Musketeers followed up the win with another one on Saturday against St. John’s. Xavier only has one game this week as they are on the road against Butler this Friday.

  1. Saint Mary’s (21-4) (PREV: 17)

Saint Mary’s currently has the nation’s second-longest active winning streak with 12 straight wins. They haven’t won since before the Winter Solstice, and the best one came on Saturday in overtime against Gonzaga. The Gaels control their destiny in the West Coast Conference. After back-to-back home games, Saint Mary’s is on a three-game road trip at Loyola Marymount, Portland, and San Diego.

  1. Baylor (17-6) (PREV: 11)

Baylor fell to Texas on Monday in Austin but followed up with a commanding victory over Texas Tech on Saturday. On Wednesday, the Bears will host Oklahoma. Then, it’s off to Fort Worth to take on TCU on Saturday in a top-25 matchup.

  1. Kansas State (18-5) (PREV: 7)

K-State has fallen off quite a bit, losing three of their last four games. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are two of the best players in the Big 12, but the team entirely needs to step up, especially with games against TCU and Texas Tech coming up this week.

  1. Gonzaga (19-5) (PREV: 12)

Gonzaga has lost twice in the West Coast Conference already, which is surprising considering their dominance in the conference. Their second loss came on Saturday, in an overtime thriller at Saint Mary’s. The Zags need to turn things around, as February is the most important month of the regular season. The Bulldogs will host San Francisco and BYU on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

  1. Miami (FL) (18-5) (PREV: 20)

Miami had a strong week with wins over Virginia Tech and, most notably, Clemson. Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack led the Hurricanes with 20 points in the road victory and they have won three of the last four games on their schedule. Coming up tonight is a tough battle in Coral Gables against Duke, but then they host Louisville which should be an easy victory.

  1. Indiana (16-7) (PREV: 22)

The Hoosiers did not open their week well, with an 11-point loss on the road to Maryland. However, they answered with their best win of the season against Purdue. Trayce Jackson-Davis has skyrocketed to a potential first-team All-American season. Indiana has a tough battle tomorrow against Rutgers, then are on the road to play Michigan on Saturday. This week is a test of Indiana’s legitimacy as a top-25 team.

  1. TCU (17-6) (PREV: 15)

TCU went 1-1 this week, defeating West Virginia but losing to Oklahoma State. Despite having one of the best guards in the country in Mike Miles, I’m not blown away by the Horned Frogs right now as they have had a rough start to 2023. TCU will travel to Manhattan to face Kansas State tomorrow night, then they host Baylor on Saturday. Big week for Jamie Dixon’s squad.

  1. Providence (17-6) (PREV: 18)

Providence saw their three-game winning streak come to an end as they lost in overtime on the road to Xavier. I was impressed with the efforts of Ed Croswell and Noah Locke, who were the best players on the floor for the Friars. Providence has Georgetown on Wednesday before facing St. John’s on the road on Saturday.

  1. UConn (18-6) (PREV: N/A)

Jordan Hawkins has taken over recently, Tristen Newton has found his rhythm again, and Alex Karaban might have locked up Big East Freshman of the Year with how phenomenal he’s been playing this year. The Huskies have won back-to-back games for the first time since beginning the season 14-0, even though they were against two teams in the bottom half of the Big East. Even though UConn had a close call against Georgetown, maybe that’s the beginning of winning close games, something the Huskies have not been able to do this year. This week is extremely difficult, as they host Marquette tomorrow night before traveling to Omaha to take on Creighton.

  1. Creighton (15-8) (PREV: N/A)

Creighton looks like they are back to what they looked like in November, winning their last six games. That also includes wins over Providence and Xavier. Trey Alexander played terrific in Saturday’s win over Villanova, recording a game-high 27 points. The Bluejays will travel to Seton Hall on Wednesday, but the headliner for a loaded Saturday of college basketball is a rematch against UConn.

  1. Duke (17-6) (PREV: N/A)

Duke is back in the top-25 after a thrilling home win against arch-rival North Carolina. It wasn’t Kyle Filipowski leading the way, but actually, it was Dereck Lively who was the best player on the floor. Despite only scoring four points, Lively had 14 rebounds and a stunning 8 blocks as he was the biggest impact for the Blue Devils. Duke will travel this week with tough opponents awaiting them: Miami and Virginia.

  1. Rutgers (16-7) (PREV: N/A)

Rutgers has won three of their last four games, including a win at Madison Square Garden against Michigan State. Cliff Omoruyi had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win over the Spartans. The Scarlet Knights will travel to Indiana and Illinois this week on Tuesday and Saturday respectively.

  1. Maryland (16-7) (PREV: N/A)

The Terps return to the top-25 as they are currently on a four-game winning streak, highlighted by a win over Indiana on Tuesday. It’s been a roller-coaster first year for Kevin Willard, but they look to peak at the right time. Coming up for Maryland is a road game against Michigan State tomorrow night. They will then host Penn State on Saturday.

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