NCAA Basketball: Duke, Illinois, and Virginia tumble in latest top 25 power ranking

The week before Christmas in NCAA Basketball can be both boring and thrilling. Due to the holiday break, the end of non-conference scheduling, and final exams, there typically aren’t too many games that are even on paper featuring top-25 opponents. But add the potential for players to “sleepwalk” through games, and you have a recipe for some interesting results.

Take Iowa for example. They’re a team that’s been receiving top-25 votes and after what else happened, had a shot to make the cut had they taken care of business. Instead, the Hawkeyes fell, 92-83 to an Eastern Illinois squad who they were favored by around 30 points on paper. It’s one of the bigger upsets in recent memory, one of several eye-raising results from the past week.

With six teams in the latest AP NCAA Basketball top-25 poll lost, expect there to be some movement in Busting Brackets’ latest rankings as well. Here’s who we have as the best teams in the country, as league play gets fully underway.

25. Virginia Tech Hokies

A six-game win streak that included wins over Dayton, North Carolina, and Oklahoma State came to a sudden halt on the road in overtime at Boston College, which had struggled mightily in the non-conference beforehand. The score was 70-65, with Makai Ashton-Langford leading all scorers with 21 points for the Eagles, with both Sean Pedulla and Justyn Mutts scoring 18 each for Virginia Tech.

What looked to be their undoing is just one point combined from the entire bench, which isn’t going to work unless several starters have a big game. But help is reportedly on the way, with top-50 freshman wing prospect Rodney Rice set to make his debut soon with the team.