NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Seton Hall soars, Auburn drops

West Virginia split its games this week and therefore remains relatively stationary in my Top 25 power rankings. Even though its loss to Kansas State was definitely ugly, it came on the road and the team’s dominant win over TCU earlier in the week helps keep it from dropping too far. The Mountaineers, in my opinion, have earned their spot among the best teams in the country with strong play through the first two months. Similarly to Duke and Butler (more on them soon), one or two games in mid-January don’t do much too change my thoughts on a team.

WVU belongs in the Top 15.

While I still have some concerns regarding whether or not the Mountaineers’ offense is consistent enough to win a national title, their defense is flat-out elite. They might not force turnovers at the same rate as “Press Virginia”, but this group locks down the perimeter well and is stifling in the paint. West Virginia ranks third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and it is easy to see why on film.

Four of West Virginia’s next five games will come at home as this stretch is a great opportunity for the team to launch into the Top 10 of these power rankings if not higher. They could easily go 4-1 or 5-0 in the coming weeks to make another sizeable leap. West Virginia is a really good team – don’t let its loss to K-State fool you.