NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Gonzaga tops the list, Texas Tech rises

With another week of NCAA Basketball about to begin, who are the top teams in the nation. Check out this edition of our top-25+ power rankings.

Here we go. With the regular season coming to a close around the country, teams are starting to seriously solidify their positions in my NCAA basketball top-25. With that said, though, there were plenty of shakeups near the top of the rankings thanks to some crucial games over the past week. Perhaps above all other changes, there is now a new No. 1 team in the rankings. Additionally, some mid-majors continue their rise up while Nevada plummets following their second loss of the year.

Now, without any further ado because the format is the same as always, let’s quickly dive into my newly updated top-25+ NCAA basketball rankings for this week.

(Note: All statistics used in their article were found via Sports-Reference or KenPom and are updated prior to games on Feb. 25.)

Others to think about…

Louisville Cardinals: Louisville dropped out of the rankings during this past week following back-to-back losses to Syracuse and Virginia. There is nothing to be concerned about with that and they have a good chance to win their next two games. If that occurs, the Cardinals will be back in the rankings before a road meeting with Virginia in their regular-season finale.

Villanova Wildcats: Inconsistencies are once again showing for Villanova. After starting conference play at 10-0, the Wildcats have now lost four of their last five games, albeit all on the road, to fall out of the rankings. They are no longer in control to win the conference and that is a bit disappointing for the team.

Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State also dropped two games during this past week but it is clear that they are among the nation’s top teams. The Cyclones have been quite inconsistent throughout the year but they are one of the toughest teams in the country to beat when on their game. Watch out for Iowa State to be either a first-round exit in the Big Dance or a team that makes a very deep run.

VCU Rams: VCU might not be a top-25 team in the country but I want to bring light to how well the team has played as of late. Behind one of the best, and most underrated, defenses in the country, the Rams have won eight consecutive games and have emerged as an at-large candidate from the Atlantic 10. This is a team nobody will want to play in March.

Utah State Aggies: Another crazy hot team that nobody is talking about right now, Utah State controls its own destiny with regards to winning the Mountain West. That’s right. The Aggies have won 11 of their last 12 games and hold a 12-3 record in conference play. One of the more balanced teams in the country, Utah State is fifth in the nation in assists per made field goal (62.5%).