College Basketball Rankings: Houston takes back No. 1 spot

It’s been a crazy college basketball season and the past week is no different. Purdue went into Evanston and got upset by Northwestern. Tennessee is trending downward, as well as many Big 12 teams. So, how is the ranking set up as we’re getting closer and closer to the end of the regular season? Let’s find out:

  1. Houston (23-2) (PREV: 2)

Houston moves up to the top spot after Purdue fell to Northwestern. The Cougars are the only team in the KenPom top 10 that is top 10 in both offense and defense. They did their job by blowing out Tulsa on Wednesday. Houston has eight days in between that game and their next: SMU on Thursday. They’ll host Memphis on Sunday.

  1. Alabama (22-3) (PREV: 3)

Alabama has an argument for being the best team in the country. The AP Poll believes they are, but no one knows who the true No. 1 team in college basketball is. A convincing road win at Auburn sets up a huge matchup on Wednesday between the Crimson Tide and Tennessee in Knoxville.

  1. Purdue (23-3) (PREV: 1)

For arguably college basketball’s best team, they have struggled lately, losing two of their last three games. It will be a tough stretch to end the regular season for Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. On Thursday, Purdue visits Maryland. They will then travel back home to host Ohio State on Sunday.

  1. Kansas (20-5) (PREV: 9)

Kansas had a strong week, winning convincingly against Texas and Oklahoma. When Jalen Wilson couldn’t get it going against the Longhorns, Gradey Dick stepped up. Wilson returned the favor by leading the Jayhawks to victory over the Sooners when Dick couldn’t score.

  1. UCLA (21-4) (PREV: 7)

After losing back-to-back games at Arizona and USC, the Bruins have won four straight, sweeping the Pacific Northwest teams. UCLA will head to the Bay Area this week, facing Stanford on Thursday and Cal on Saturday. Both games should be double-digit wins, but Stanford just knocked off Arizona this past weekend.

  1. Texas (20-5) (PREV: 5)

Don’t let Texas’ eight-point loss to Kansas take away from how good the Longhorns are this season. They remain in first place in the Big 12 after picking up a victory over West Virginia. Sir’Jabari Rice has continued to show that he’s one of the best sixth-man players in college basketball. Texas will travel to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech in a hostile atmosphere tonight. After that, the Longhorns return to Austin on Saturday for the Red River Showdown, but on the hardwood against Oklahoma.

  1. Virginia (19-4) (PREV: 8)

After losing to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, the Cavaliers picked up two huge wins at home against NC State and Duke. They won the latter game in overtime after a controversial call at the end of regulation went Virginia’s way.

  1. Arizona (22-4) (PREV: 4)

Arizona saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday as Stanford got their first home win against the Wildcats since 2009. The frontcourt duo of Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis combined for just 12 points and four rebounds. Those two need to be on their A-game for Arizona to stay as one of the best teams in college basketball. They have two bounce-back opportunities against Utah and Colorado at home this week.

  1. Baylor (19-6) (PREV: 14)

I might be back on the Baylor train after a strong week, with wins against Oklahoma and TCU. However, the latter win came against the Horned Frogs, who were without guard Mike Miles Jr. The Bears have won nine of their last ten games and they have an opportunity to stay hot with games against West Virginia and Kansas.

  1. Tennessee (19-6) (PREV: 6)

Tennessee has been ice-cold lately, losing three of their last four games. The most brutal loss in the last four games was a road loss to Vanderbilt by one point. The fact that the Vols have the AP No. 1 team in Alabama coming on Wednesday is not your ideal bounce-back game. However, if the Volunteers can clinch the victory, it could create even more chaos in college basketball. Also, to make their week even more difficult, they travel to Lexington to face Kentucky. Despite Kentucky struggling this season, any road game at Rupp Arena is a challenge.

  1. Gonzaga (21-5) (PREV: 16)

Gonzaga picked up back-to-back wins last week, staying at The Kennel against San Francisco and BYU. The headline game for the Zags this week is a rematch against Loyola Marymount, who broke their home winning streak. The Bulldogs will also head to Malibu to visit Pepperdine on Saturday.

  1. Marquette (20-6) (PREV: 10)

Because of all these ranked teams losing, Marquette doesn’t slide too far down after getting blown out at UConn. The Golden Eagles bounced back with a 14-point victory over Georgetown in the nation’s capital. Wednesday will feature a marquee Big East matchup against Xavier in Milwaukee.

  1. Indiana (18-7) (PREV: 18)

Indiana has won eight of their last nine games, including their last three games. On Tuesday, they held off then-ranked Rutgers in Bloomington, then edged Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Trayce Jackson-Davis won’t win the Big Ten Player of the Year award, but he will be key for the Hoosier down the stretch. Indiana will face the two Illinois teams this week: at Northwestern on Wednesday before hosting Illinois on Saturday. Mike Woodson better hope the Hoosiers don’t pull a Purdue and lose in Evanston.

  1. Miami (FL) (20-5) (PREV: 17)

Miami has won four straight, including wins over Clemson and Duke. Despite having a poor defense, the Hurricanes have the ninth-ranked offense on KenPom, led by guard Isaiah Wong. Tonight’s road game against North Carolina will be a tough test for Jim Larrañaga’s team.

  1. Xavier (19-6) (PREV: 12)

Xavier is vulnerable without Zach Freemantle, especially on the road. After dominating the Big East early on, the Musketeers have now dropped three games since January 18, including a brutal road loss against Butler on Friday night. Xavier isn’t trending in the right direction, but they’re not healthy. What makes not having Freemantle even worse is that they play Marquette on Wednesday night.

  1. Saint Mary’s (22-5) (PREV: 13)

Saint Mary’s suffered their first West Coast Conference loss on Thursday after an overtime battle against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The Gaels would then pick up the pace with a blowout win at Portland on Saturday. Two games this week for Saint Mary’s: at San Diego on Thursday and BYU at home on Saturday.

  1. Kansas State (19-6) (PREV: 15)

Kansas State is plummeting after starting Big 12 play at a high level. The Wildcats have lost four of their last six games, most recently against Texas Tech, who’s in last place in the Big 12. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson need to step up and lead this team because this is February, the most important month of the regular season. Tomorrow, they will travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma. They will host Iowa State in a rematch on Saturday, looking to split the season series.

  1. Iowa State (16-8) (PREV: 11)

Much like Kansas State, Iowa State has fallen off quite a bit. They have lost six of their last nine games and four of their last five games. The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball, there’s no catching them. However, the Cyclones need to pick things back up if they want to be taken seriously in March. Iowa State hosts TCU on Wednesday, then travels to Manhattan to take on Kansas State on Saturday.

  1. Creighton (17-8) (PREV: 22)

Creighton is arguably the hottest team in the country, and easily the hottest team in the Big East. The Bluejays have won eight straight, all coming against conference foes. This looks like the team we were all hyping up before the season, predicting them to win the Big East. It looks like Greg McDermott’s team is making a huge push for the Big East regular season title, with an 11-3 record in the conference. Creighton has a road battle with Providence tomorrow night before traveling to Carnesecca Arena to play St. John’s on Saturday.

  1. UConn (19-7) (PREV: 21)

I feel good about UConn. They struggled in the Big East for the majority of conference play, but a blowout win against Marquette shows why they can go into Madison Square Garden and win the whole Big East Tournament. They were one foot behind the three-point line away from forcing overtime at Creighton, the hottest team in the conference. I truly believe had Jordan Hawkins had his foot behind the line, the Huskies would’ve won that game. Despite the loss, UConn fans have a lot to like right now. Dan Hurley’s team seeks to get revenge on Seton Hall on Saturday at Gampel Pavilion.

  1. Providence (18-7) (PREV: 20)

Maybe Providence should be lower after losing to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, but they only fall one spot in my ranking this week. Bryce Hopkins is still one of the Big East’s best players, and I can’t wait to see how he performs down the stretch as the Friars seek back-to-back Big East regular season titles. Tomorrow’s game against Creighton is the Friars’ biggest home game of the season. On Saturday, they wrap up the two-game home stand against Villanova.

  1. TCU (17-8) (PREV: 19)

What’s with strong Big 12 teams struggling lately? TCU is in the same boat as Kansas State and Iowa State, on a big losing skid right now. The Horned Frogs desperately need Mike Miles Jr. to return as soon as possible, as they have lost four of their last five games. They start the week with a road game at Iowa State tomorrow night, in hopes of avoiding getting swept. After that, they’ll host Oklahoma State, with those same hopes. If I were a TCU fan, I would keep my faith in Jamie Dixon to make the right adjustments.

  1. San Diego State (20-5) (PREV: N/A)

San Diego State is back in the top 25, with some help from teams at the bottom of my top 25 struggling. The Aztecs, led by Matt Bradley, have won seven of their last eight games, with the Colorado State game the only one not by double digits. San Diego State will travel up the state to take on Fresno State on Wednesday.

  1. Missouri (19-6) (PREV: N/A)

Missouri has won five of their last six games, headlined by a huge road win at Tennessee. The SEC Coach of the Year award is likely going to head coach Dennis Gates, who has led Mizzou back to relevance. The Tigers have a strong offense, ranked fourth in the nation. Tuesday’s road matchup against Auburn will be a test to see if Missouri is catching fire at the right time. Mizzou will then return to Columbia after tomorrow’s game to face Texas A&M on Saturday.

  1. Illinois (17-7) (PREV: N/A)

Illinois has won eight of its last ten games, and four of its last five. The Fighting Illini, led by star guard Terrence Shannon Jr., picked up a big road win against Rutgers and head into a two-game road trip this week. Tomorrow will feature the two best guards in the Big Ten: Shannon and Penn State guard Jalen Pickett. On Saturday, Illinois will have a tough task as they face Indiana at Assembly Hall.

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