Although March Madness is still two months away, we’ve firmly gotten into what some consider the meat and potatoes of the college basketball season. Not only is conference play underway across the country but we’re starting to see brilliant matchups and unforgettable moments almost on a nightly basis across the various conferences that make up this sport.
The focus is clearly on the top leagues and most viewers of this sport will see plenty from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and other leagues. This isn’t the only basketball worth watching. Great teams play inspired basketball all over the country and we’ve got some players who flew under the radar really making their mark at programs this season. That same argument could even be said for some surprise contributors at those power conference schools.
Even though six teams entered the New Year unbeaten and many more have looked infallible at times this season, this sport is far from easy. It’s a challenge to be a great basketball program or coach or player and yet we’re seeing remarkable success and progress. A few programs like Nebraska and Vanderbilt are greatly exceeding expectations while others falter and there’s a very long list of standout players who might just become household names during March.
Keeping our attention on those great teams, we’re giving this week’s update to our Top 25 rankings after more brilliant basketball. It’s that time of the year when teams are usually playing multiple conference games a week and even the most dominant teams are really getting tested. With another week of fantastic efforts and surprise results, let’s start getting into just what changed and who we still think is the best of the best.