#1 – Villanova (22-1) — No Change
Villanova owns three wins over top 15 teams, and their only loss comes @ Butler.
#2 – Virginia (22-1) — No Change
Virginia’s only loss this year was @ West Virginia, and the ‘Cavs are 11-0 in the ACC, with eight of those coming by double digits.
#3 – Purdue (23-2) — No Change
Purdue has gone 22-0 inside the United States, that could change this week with Michigan State and Ohio State on the docket.
#4 – Michigan State (22-3) — Up 1
Michigan State struggled with Indiana, but the Spartans pulled out a win and move up to #4.
#5 – Cincinnati (21-2) — Up 1
Cincinnati is all the way into the top five! The Bearcats are 10-0 in the AAC, with eight of the ten coming by double digits.
#6 – Auburn (21-2) — Up 1
Auburn looks primed to contend for a one seed come March. The Tigers have lost just once in conference play.
#7 – Duke (19-4) — Down 3
Duke is talented enough to win the NCAA Tournament, but they also might lose in the first round. The Dukies have beaten four KenPom top-40 teams, but also lost to three KenPom sub-50 teams, including #81 Boston College and #85 St. John’s.
#8 – Texas Tech (19-4) — Up 5
My highest ranked Big 12 team is not Kansas. Texas Tech looks primed to earn the one seed in the Big 12 tourney.
#9 – Xavier (21-3) — No Change
Xavier needed overtime to beat KenPom #101 Georgetown at home. I’m starting to really worry about this team.
#10 – Tennessee (17-5) — Up 2
Tennessee’s awesome defense propels them into the top ten.
#11 – Kansas (18-5) — Down 3
Kansas got controlled by Oklahoma State from start to finish on Saturday, and they fall out of the top ten.
#12 – Saint Mary’s (23-2) — Up 2
Saint Mary’s is going to end up being a six seed in March, but they’ll be the most dangerous six seed ever. The Gaels are so underrated.
#13 – West Virginia (17-6) — Down 3
In the chaos that is the Big 12, West Virginia had lost five of six before throttling Kansas State on Saturday by nearly forty points.
#14 – Gonzaga (21-4) — Down 3
Gonzaga struggled with San Diego and BYU this week but came up with the win in both. We’ll see what happens on Saturday when they travel to face Saint Mary’s.
#15 – Ohio State (20-5) — Up 1
OSU will have to travel to face Purdue on Wednesday.
#16 – Butler (17-7) — NEW
I’m really liking this Butler team as a surprise sweet sixteen pick. The Bulldogs own wins over Villanova and Ohio State.
#17 – Oklahoma (16-6) — Down 2
Oklahoma currently sits a game behind Texas Tech and Kansas in the Big 12 standings.
#18 – North Carolina (17-7) — Up 6
UNC has faced the toughest schedule in the nation, and they get back in the top 20 after beating Pitt.
#19 – Clemson (19-4) — Up 1
Clemson owns six top-50 KenPom wins, but also two sub-50 losses.
#20 – Arizona (19-5) — Up 3
My preseason national title pick continues to struggle, losing to Washington on Saturday, but other teams in front of them had even worse weeks, so the Wildcats move up.
#21 – Florida State (17-6) — Down 3
Florida State will host Virginia on Wednesday, trying to rebound after losing to KenPom #93 Wake Forest on the previous Wednesday.
#22 – Miami (17-5) — NEW
Miami is back in the top 25 after beating Virginia Tech on Saturday.
#23 – Wichita State (17-5) — Down 2
Wichita State is not having a fun time adjusting to their new league. The Shockers have already dropped three games and will be underdogs in three more.
#24 – Kentucky (17-6) — Down 7
I told you last week to watch out for Missouri, and sure enough, the Tigers beat Kentucky on Saturday.
#25 – Louisville (16-7) — Down 6
The ‘Cards were #2 in the ACC standings for a while, but have dropped three of their past four.
Others Considered: #26 Rhode Island, #27 Michigan, #28 New Mexico State, #29 TCU, #30 Nevada
Dropped Out: Then-#22 Florida, Then-#25 Michigan