NCAA Basketball Top 25 for 1/19
FYI: All ratings, including SOS, Offensive Efficiency, and Defensive Efficiency, are courtesy of the KenPom.
Top 25:
1. Arizona (18-0) (1) – Their Big 12 schedule is mostly backloaded, as they have yet to encounter Texas Tech, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, or Kansas. Does this diminish their dominance? Hell no, given their non-conference conquests and recent road wins against TCU and UCF.
2. Michigan (16-1) (3) – The Wolverines set expectations so high that “merely” winning road games by ten worries their fans.
3. Purdue (17-1) (4) – The Boilermakers have casually won nine straight after being crushed by Iowa State.
4. Duke (17-1) (6) – Not all Quad 1 games are created equal, but Duke is up to eight wins after destroying California and Stanford on the road.
5. UConn (18-1) (5) – The KenPom is not in love (UConn’s standard is so high that being 11th is “not in love”), and it may be hard to judge the Huskies in a watered-down Big East. All they can do, however, is keep winning.
6. Gonzaga (19-1) (9) – Braden Huff’s injury is a blow, but he should be back for the postseason. After a few closer-than-expected games, they have found their stride in the WCC.
7. Houston (17-1) (10) – 11 straight wins with their typical suffocating defense.
8. Nebraska (18-0) (11) – Can they get to Ann Arbor sporting a 20-0 record? The road game against Minnesota could be tricky.
9. Iowa State (16-2) (2) – In this season of long winning streaks, losing a pair in a row can be enough to drop you seven slots. Their upcoming schedule isn’t daunting, but when you aren’t playing well…
10. Illinois (15-3) (12) – With the headlines going to Michigan and Nebraska (+ Purdue’s big start), the Fighting Illini are just coasting along.
11. Michigan State (16-2) (13) – We have talked about how other teams have played well defensively. Currently, Michigan State is ranked #1. Offensively? The defense is ranked #1.
12. Vanderbilt (16-2) (7) – Like Iowa State, two straight losses knock them down several pegs.
13. BYU (16-2) (8) – No shame in a road loss to Texas Tech. The game on January 26 against Arizona is circled.
14. Texas Tech (14-4) (14) – Added BYU to their conquest of Duke. Can they avenge their loss to Houston?
15. Florida (13-5) (17) – Four straight wins, three against ranked opponents. They are making up for brutally close losses earlier this season.
16. Alabama (13-5) (18) – Being an Alabama basketball fan requires a strong heart. The offense is, at times, unstoppable. The defense, meanwhile, often likes to give it all back.
17. Virginia (16-2) (19) – I had my share of skepticism, but I can’t deny that road wins over Louisville and SMU are impressive. Their offense and defense are ranked in the Top 20.
18. Clemson (16-3) (NR) – The only team other than Duke that is unbeaten in the ACC. They have yet to lose a game by double-digits.
19. Louisville (13-5) (15) – The Cardinals needed a laugher and earned one over Pitt. Now, they need Mikel Brown Jr. to regain his health.
20. Kansas (13-5) (NR) – Just when you thought they were falling apart, they maul Iowa State and Baylor.
21. Georgia (15-3) (21) – Like Alabama, not a team that is for the faint of heart. They play fast and wild, scoring points in bunches without much efficiency. I have a soft spot for teams like this.
22. Saint Louis (17-1) (NR) – Big schools want nothing to do with the Billikens, which depresses their metrics. Considering Stanford’s strong performance this season (excluding the Duke game), St. Louis’ narrow one-point loss on a neutral court has earned them considerable respect.
23. Arkansas (13-5) (24) – The Razorbacks feel like the pure definition of a bottom-of-the-top-25 squad. Enough quality wins to keep their profile strong + enough red flags to make you hesitate.
24. St. John’s (13-5) (NR) – Four straight wins, three of which were on the road. It appears they are firmly entrenched as the second-best team in the Big East after their road win over Villanova on Saturday.
25. Miami (OH) (19-0) (NR) – The strength of schedule isn’t good. They have three wins outside of Division I. Their best win is Akron. I can list all the reasons why they don’t belong here. However, I am going to start to ride this wave until it crashes.
Dropped Out:
North Carolina (14-4) (16) – Winless in California. One true road win. Times are tough for the Tar Heels.
Utah State (15-2) (20) – The good news is that they are well-respected by the KenPom and NET. There isn’t much bad news, though they do lack a signature win.
Tennessee (12-6) (22) – “Are you seriously saying that Miami (OH) is better than Tennessee?” Not really, though if they matched up in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I wouldn’t automatically pick the Volunteers to move on to Round 2.
Saint Mary’s (17-3) (23) – There’s one dominant team and two good teams in the WCC. Saint Mary’s lost on the road to the other good team (Santa Clara)
Seton Hall (14-4) (25) – They may have hung on to their #25 ranking if not for the loss to Butler. They played UConn tough (which they have a knack for doing). Their offense holds them back.
Just Missed:
Iowa (13-5) – The Hawkeyes have their share of close losses to good competition. They needed that 17-point road win over Indiana.
Villanova (14-4) – The Wildcats own some nice road and neutral court wins.
Kentucky (12-6) – Finding a third “just missed” squad took longer than it should have.