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NCAA Basketball top 25 power rankings: Tennessee and Villanova rise, Alabama falls

By Joey Loose

Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler (1) drives to the goal during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arizona Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021.Kns Vols Arizona Hoops Bp
Tennessee guard Kennedy Chandler (1) drives to the goal during a basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arizona Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021.Kns Vols Arizona Hoops Bp /
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NCAA Basketball Tyrese Hunter Iowa State Cyclone (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Tyrese Hunter Iowa State Cyclone (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

7. Iowa State (12-0)

Coming off a two-win season, there’s really not more you could ask from new head coach T. J. Otzelberger and Iowa State this season, sitting here with twelve straight wins to open the season. Before the year began, the Cyclones were nothing more than an afterthought in the Big 12, but their sprint through the nonconference slate has certainly changed some minds.

It hasn’t exactly been a sprint through top 25 teams, but Iowa State has picked up some nice wins this season already. They picked up really nice wins against Xavier and Memphis back in late November. They’ve won on the road, getting a nice win at Creighton, before scoring a 20-point win over rival Iowa a few days later. When you put this all together, Iowa State sits here undefeated and has drastically exceeded expectations in the best way possible.

It’s still taking time for people (and the analytics) to catch up to this amazing start from Iowa State, but we see a defense playing at an elite level, having allowed fewer than 60 points in five straight games. We also see a team capable of stepping up and hitting clutch shots when necessary, while getting some really nice efforts from players like Izaiah Brockington and Gabe Kalscheur this season. It remains to be seen how this team will fare when playing Big 12 rivals on a daily basis, but Iowa State certainly looks to be back this season.

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