NCAA Basketball: OK State jumps up, Villanova crashes down in latest top-25 ranking
15. Purdue Boilermakers (18-8, 13-6)
In the first game this week for the Boilermakers, they defeated the Wisconsin Badgers by a final scorer of 73-69. The freshmen continue to lead the way, with big man Zach Edey leading all players with 21 points off the bench, while guard Jaden Ivey had 18 points, nine of which came from the free throw line. The duo had another great game on Saturday against Indiana, combining for 37 points for the 67-58 victory.
Purdue not only enters the Big Ten Tournament on a five-game winning streak, but they’re also set to be a 4 seed and gifted a double-bye. There are lots of talk about the disappointing teams in the Big Ten like Indiana and Minnesota but the Boilermakers have wound up as one of the biggest positive surprises of the season.
14. Creighton Bluejays (18-6, 14-6)
It’s been a difficult past week for the program. They’ve lost back-to-back games and head coach Greg McDermott has been suspended due to comments he made after the loss to Xavier in the locker room, with an unlikely return this season or even beyond. The team was able to come together this weekend to get the 93-73 victory over Butler, led by 32 points from Marcus Zegarowski.
Creighton is safely in the NCAA Tournament with a projected 4-5 seed and has a chance to improve it in the upcoming Big East Tournament. As the 2 seed, they’ll have to navigate a bunch of potential spoilers to make it to the rubber match against Villanova.
13. Florida State Seminoles (15-5, 11-4)
After easily beating Boston College by 29 points earlier in the week, the Seminoles had the chance to win back-to-back ACC regular-season titles with a win over Notre Dame. Instead, it the Irish that came out strong to get the early double-digit and held on to the very end, upsetting Florida State, 83-73. Scottie Barnes had 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench but the team couldn’t compete with Notre Dame going 28/34 from the three throw line.
With Virginia’s win, the Seminoles will have to settle for second place and a 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. The new goal for them is to win this event and try to land a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.