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NCAA Basketball top 25 power rankings: Wisconsin rises, Duke and Purdue fall

By Joey Loose

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - JANUARY 03: Johnny Davis #1 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives to the basket in the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 03, 2022 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA - JANUARY 03: Johnny Davis #1 of the Wisconsin Badgers drives to the basket in the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 03, 2022 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Umoja Gibson Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Umoja Gibson Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

25. Oklahoma (12-3)

Last season, Lon Kruger’s retirement ended a fruitful decade of Oklahoma basketball and ushered the Sooners into a new era under successor Porter Moser. The initial expectation was that Oklahoma could become a national contender again under Moser, but that it would take some time, especially as Moser puts his stamp on this roster. After these first few months, the Sooners have done enough to get back into the national rankings.

The week actually started with the Sooners’ third loss, dropping a tough 84-74 game at Baylor. Four players were in double-digits, but it’s just so hard to stop that high-powered Baylor offense. What made this week awesome for Oklahoma came on Saturday, with an impressive 79-66 win against Iowa State, handing the Cyclones just their second loss of the season. Umoja Gibson had 20 points for the Sooners in their biggest win of the season.

The analytics love the Sooners, and they have the fortune of playing in a very tough conference, meaning they’ll get plenty of chances to prove that they belong. The defense has had some remarkable outings, including in wins over Florida and Arkansas back in December. That toughness continues next week, as the Sooners will travel to Texas and TCU with two chances to really prove they belong back in the national rankings.

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