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NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Tennessee, MSU vie for top spot

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 21: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers and the rest of his team's bench react after a foul is called on Louisville Cardinals during the first half of the game during the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 21: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers and the rest of his team's bench react after a foul is called on Louisville Cardinals during the first half of the game during the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 20: Edwards #3 of the Boilermakers reacts. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 20: Edwards #3 of the Boilermakers reacts. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

This past week was an extremely exciting one in NCAA basketball. Where does each team stand in our updated top-25+ rankings?

Another week of NCAA basketball is complete and there were plenty of movers in my top-25+ rankings. As per usual, there were some elite matchups in conference play over the past seven days and it resulted in arguably the most shifts in the rankings so far this season. With Duke falling to Syracuse, Michigan dropping its first game of the season, and Florida State dropping back-to-back (among others), this week featured several surprising and exciting results.

And before I immediately dive into breaking down my top-25+ for this week, I want to make something quite clear: The top six teams in my rankings are all serious national title contenders and it is nearly impossible to rank them at this point in time. In my opinion, all six teams can make a legitimate argument to be the top team in the nation. My rankings reflect where I believe each team should stand right now but it is completely reasonable to place those six teams in whatever you think is correct.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into the rankings for this week. (Note: These rankings are based on final results through Sunday, Jan. 20. In addition, all statistics used in this article were found via Sports-Reference and KenPom unless otherwise noted.)

Others to watch for…

Purdue Boilermakers: After starting this season at 6-5, many lost hope in the Boilermakers. Since then, though, head coach Matt Painter’s team has won six of its last seven games to climb into top-25 consideration. Carsen Edwards is playing at an All-American level and Purdue has risen into the KenPom top-10.

Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin has certainly struggled over the past few weeks but they responded in a big way this past weekend by taking down my top-ranked team in the Michigan Wolverines. The Badgers can beat anyone when on their game but we have also seen them play down to opponents from time to time.

Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State fell out of my top-25 following losses to Baylor and Kansas State. During this past week, though, the Cyclones won back-to-back over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to return to consideration for the rankings. With road games against Kansas and Ole Miss approaching, Iowa State has a couple of big chances to rise or fall.

Louisville Cardinals: Louisville did absolutely nothing to drop from these rankings as they took down Boston College and Georgia Tech in the last week. I have not completely bought in on the Cardinals so far this year but they are more than deserving of top-25 consideration. Not many teams have two better wins than Louisville’s over Michigan State and North Carolina.

Wofford Terriers: Wofford might not have any “great” wins but they have won six consecutive games and remain undefeated in SoCon play. The Terriers have moved into the KenPom top-40 and I wanted to bring attention to how well they are playing at the moment. Cameron Jackson and Fletcher Magee make up a dynamic duo.

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (21), Indiana (24), and Louisville (25).

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