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NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Purdue, Villanova soaring up the top-25

By Lukas Harkins

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: Cole Swider #10, Eric Paschall #4, Phil Booth #5, and Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats watch the game from the bench against the Seton Hall Pirates in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Seton Hall 80-52. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: Cole Swider #10, Eric Paschall #4, Phil Booth #5, and Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats watch the game from the bench against the Seton Hall Pirates in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Seton Hall 80-52. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 19: Oklahoma Sooners walk. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 19: Oklahoma Sooners walk. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

25. Oklahoma Sooners

Record: 15-5 (3-4 Big 12)

Last Week: Not Ranked

Oklahoma stumbled a bit out of the gates in Big 12 play to fall out of these rankings but they are now winners of two straight. And while victories over Oklahoma State (away) and Vanderbilt (home) might not be elite, they do mark the first time that OU has won back-to-back games since mid-December. The Sooners are clearly still among the nation’s best and they have a relatively favorable schedule approaching in that they play three of their next four games at home.

Christian James is still the clear offensive leader of this team but I also want to bring attention to sophomore big man Brady Manek. On an otherwise upperclassmen-laden roster, Manek has been superb as the second-leading scorer (11.5 points) and rebounder (6.8 boards) on the team. His efficiency from deep has taken a bit of a hit this year compared to last (38.3% –> 32.6%) but he is also getting to the free throw line (and converting) at a much higher rate. He is a major cog in the machine for OU this season and will be a driving force of any potential postseason success.

The Sooners remain superb on the defensive end of the floor and there are very few reasons for concern on that area of the floor. In fact, Oklahoma posted their third-best individual adjusted defensive rating of the season in their last win over Vanderbilt (76.8). They have had just two truly weak defensive performances so far this season and it can be assumed that they will continue to lock down opponents.

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