College Basketball Rankings 2017: Projected Week 14 Top 25
The Week 14 college basketball rankings will be released Monday afternoon and here are our Top 25 projections.
The college basketball season is hitting the stretch run and we are starting to really find out who the top teams in the country are and which ones were just putting up the front of contenders while actually playing the role of pretenders.
Like last week, there were a number of upsets in the Top 25. In fact, three of the country’s top five teams fell in Week 13 and we will have a new look to the top of the college basketball rankings this week.
It’s still too early to tell which teams are going to be at the top for the long run, but we have a much better idea of who the Final Four candidates are and who might not even make the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s take a look at what college basketball rankings might look like for Week 14.
Creighton Bluejays
20-4, Last Week: 22
Creighton added yet another ranked win to its resume as the Bluejays took down No. 16 Butler in Week 13, but they followed that up with a two-point home loss against Xavier. The Bluejays, led by junior Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster, are two games behind Villanova in the Big East standings right now and the loss to the Musketeers puts them a half-game behind second place as well. They won’t fall out of the rankings, but close.
Xavier Musketeers
17-6, Last Week: NR
As previously mentioned, the Musketeers moved into second place in the Big East standings with a big road win against Creighton. Even after their recent rough patch of four losses in five games knocked them out of the rankings, the Musketeers will likely get back in because of the victory over Creighton. How did they beat the Bluejays? Four of five starters scored at least 15 points — an incredible stat.
SMU Mustangs
20-4, Last Week: NR
SMU’s addition to the Top 25 has been long overdue. After watching Notre Dame and Northwestern drop from the rankings, the Mustangs will finally get the opportunity to prove they belong in the conversation of the nation’s top teams. The Mustangs began the season just 4-3, but have won 16-of-17 games and are right on the heels of Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference standings.
Maryland Terrapins
20-3, Last Week: 17
It’s hard to believe that Maryland hadn’t faced a ranked team all season before Saturday’s contest against No. 23 Purdue. The Terrapins had put together a 20-2 start to the season after beating Ohio State on the road to start the week, but the Boilermakers would be the toughest test of the season. The game went back-and-forth, but Purdue got the last laugh, beating the Terrapins with some clutch shooting late, 73-72. Expect a decent drop because it was the first true competition for Maryland.
Butler Bulldogs
18-5, Last Week: 16
The Big East is as competitive as it’s been in years. Butler is sitting close to the top of the conference, just two games back, after losing to Creighton last week in its only game, but there’s still plenty of time to make a run. The Bulldogs still have games left against Xavier and Villanova to try and take over first place before the season is over and they’ll look to propel to the top with stifling defense.