NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: West Virginia rises, Louisville falls

There were not a ton of high-profile NCAA basketball games during this past week but there were still some shifts in our Top 25 power rankings.

It is almost time for NCAA basketball to take center stage in the sporting world. With football seasons winding down (both college and professional), basketball is starting to gain more and more attention and it is coming at the perfect time as conference play is about to tip-off across the nation. For those that are just starting to follow college basketball for the season, there is no easy way to describe the first two months of the year.

“Hectic”, though, is the first word that comes to mind. Throughout non-conference play, highly-rated teams consistently dropped questionable games and several underrated programs have risen into the national spotlight. Perhaps more than anyone else, the likes of Butler, Dayton, San Diego State, and Wichita State have all made their claims as Top 25 teams in the nation.

These squads, along with a number of others, have capitalized on poor starts by North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and several others as top-rated teams in the preseason.

During this past week, West Virginia was easily the biggest mover in my national power rankings. While the majority of nationally-ranked teams played final tune-up games before their conference schedules, the Mountaineers tested themselves against a top-5 opponent in Ohio State. Behind a superb defensive effort and a breakout freshman scorer, they were able to come out victorious and now belong among the Top 15 teams in the country.

But which teams fill out the rankings around WVU? Let’s find out by diving into my final Top 25 national NCAA basketball power rankings prior to the start of conference play across the nation.