NCAA Basketball: Alabama, Ohio State rise, Gonzaga, BYU fall in top-25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
18. Wisconsin (7-1)
Wisconsin’s season hasn’t been perfect, but their current 5-game winning streak is about as impressive as anything any team in the country has put together to this point. Their big win came last week against Houston at the Maui Invitational, eventually winning the championship, but they got two more solid wins this week.
On Wednesday night, they went to Georgia Tech and knocked off the Yellow Jackets 70-66 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, getting a heroic 27-point effort from Brad Davison. Then, back home, the Badgers dealt with rival Marquette, getting 25 points from Jonathan Davis in a nice 89-76 win over the Golden Eagles.
The Badgers have been very good these last few weeks and are starting to play their best basketball at the right time. The offense has had its ups and downs, but they’ve done enough in recent games. This stretch of tough games certainly has not come to an end, as the Badgers get two Big Ten foes on the schedule next week; a home date with Indiana and then a very tough road game at Ohio State. If the Badgers run their win streak to seven games then I guarantee we’ll be talking about this team a lot more in seven days’ time.
17. Tennessee (6-1)
They had a putrid performance against Villanova two weeks ago, but the Volunteers have looked great in their four games since, picking up two more nice wins this past week. They scored another easy home win on Tuesday, knocking off Presbyterian 86-44 for their easiest win of the season. On Saturday, Tennessee played their first true road game of the season, heading to Boulder and scoring a 69-54 win over Colorado, getting 27 points from Kennedy Chandler.
The SEC looks very talented at the top of the league and this Tennessee squad is just trying to prove they belong in that top group. The defense was fantastic this week, albeit against a few weaker foes, but that win over North Carolina looks better this week. They get another chance at a nice win when they play Texas Tech on Tuesday, while a home date with UNC Greensboro will take place on Saturday. Winning those two games would certainly turn a few heads in Tennessee’s direction.
16. Connecticut (8-1)
This week presented another opportunity for the Huskies to stockpile wins, seeing them face off against a pair of weaker foes at home. After last week’s success at the Battle 4 Atlantis, the break is well-deserved, but their first effort wasn’t exactly a blowout. They held on 72-63 against Maryland Eastern Shore, playing one of their worst defensive games of the season. Saturday’s effort was much improved, knocking off Grambling State by 29 points and getting 18 from R.J. Cole in the win.
Connecticut has won eight games this season, but six of them have been home games against unimpressive mid-major programs. They looked the part in the Bahamas, picking up wins over Auburn and VCU, but we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out, especially since there are no more easy games on this schedule. Big East play starts very soon, but first, the Huskies have two tough games in the week ahead; a road game at West Virginia on Wednesday and a weekend date with a potent St. Bonaventure squad.