NCAA Basketball: UVA drops, Kansas reappears in latest top-25 power rankings

9. Villanova Wildcats (14-3, 9-2)

In the lone game for the Wildcats, they took on a UConn squad desperate for a signature win and having star guard James Bouknight back from an injury. He proved effective in this one, going for 21 points and 10 rebounds. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Villanova, led by 20 points from Collin Gillespie and 17 points and 11 rebounds from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to get the 68-60 hard-fought win.

The top team in the Big East has one game on the schedule next week, a return home matchup against another bubble team in St. John’s. The Red Storm got on the bubble thanks to an earlier massive win against the Wildcats a couple of weeks ago. Villanova hopes to return the favor on Tuesday.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes (16-6, 10-5)

The Hawkeyes had one of their most impressive performances of the season, handling Wisconsin on the road, 77-62. Luka Garza reminded everyone why he’s still the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, scoring a game-high 30 points on 11/19 shooting. Joe Wieskamp chipped in with 17 points as well.

Iowa has just one game again this upcoming week, this time against Penn State at home. The Nittany Lions are under .500 overall and don’t have postseason plans but they’ve consistently been a thorn in the side of Big Ten foes. If the Hawkeyes don’t take them seriously, they could be on upset alert.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide (18-5, 13-1)

Weather issues took out the Tide’s first game this week but they were able to play Vanderbilt, currently at the bottom of the SEC standings. But Scotty Pippen Jr. and company didn’t care, keeping it close all 40 minutes and even leading for a fair amount. But a game-high 27 points from Jaden Shackelford led Alabama to an 82-78 victory. An important note was that senior forward Jordan Bruner was back after missing several weeks due to an injury.

He’ll be key for the Tide as they head onto the road, taking on Arkansas and Mississippi State, two teams with some momentum. The SEC regular-season title has been clinched but Alabama is looking to remain a 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament, with a possibility of moving to a 1 if things fall in place.