NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma rise, Tennessee falls in latest top-25 power rankings
25. Virginia Tech Hokies (11-3, 5-2)
After beating Wake Forest on the road last Sunday, the Hokies struggled against Syracuse and its zone, losing by 20 points. Nahiem Alleyne had 20 points to lead the way but leading scorer Keve Aluma had just two points on 1/10 shooting from the field.
Virginia Tech remains on the road against Notre Dame, before taking on in-state rival Virginia on Saturday. The Hokies are still in great shape to make the NCAA Tournament but need to get Aluma back into form or risk going on a skid in ACC play.
24. USC Trojans (12-3, 6-2)
The scrambling of the Pac-12 schedule gave the Trojans Oregon State and Cal this week. And it nearly ended in complete disaster, as they lost to the Beavers by two points. USC then needed all 25 points from Evan Mobley to get past the Bears on Saturday to salvage the road trip.
USC is set to get a rematch against Oregon State at home, while also getting Oregon, who may or may not have key players next weekend. While Mobley has been great, the Trojans need more consistency from the rest of the roster if they’re going to win the Pac-12.
23. Boise State Broncos (13-1, 9-0)
After losing the first game of the season, Boise State has since won 13 straight and is in first place in the Mountain West Conference. The latest came in a 73-51 win over Fresno State, led by 21 points from leading scorer Derrick Alston Jr. Marcus Shaver had 17 points, while Abu Kigab had a double-double.
There was a scare with the Broncos via a positive covid test result but that proved to be a false positive. So their set of road games against Colorado State is still on, as they look t continue this great momentum now that everyone is healthy and eligible.
22. Saint Louis Billikens (7-1, 0-0)
The Billikens are officially out of practice and is set to play against Dayton on Tuesday, which will be their first game in Atlantic 10 play. To remain on the right side of the bubble, Saint Louis will need to beat them and Richmond on Saturday. Otherwise, they’ll have to look towards the conference tournament to get in the Big Dance.