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College Basketball Rankings 2016: Projected Week 5 Top 25

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 3, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Javin DeLaurier (12) reacts with forward Amile Jefferson (21) after Jefferson was fouled by against the Maine Black Bears in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Javin DeLaurier (12) reacts with forward Amile Jefferson (21) after Jefferson was fouled by against the Maine Black Bears in the second half of their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 29, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) celebrates with forward Martinas Geben (23) in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 92-78. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) celebrates with forward Martinas Geben (23) in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 92-78. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

Iowa State went without a win in Week 4, which was disappointing, but the only loss was a one-point overtime defeat against a tough Cincinnati team. I don’t think the Cyclones drop completely out of the rankings, especially since their two losses are by a combined three points and the opponents weren’t slouches. They’ll have a tough road game against a struggling Iowa team this week, though.

USC is a football school, right? Wrong. The Trojans’ basketball team is pretty good, too. They added wins over South Dakota and BYU this week to improve to 8-0 on the season and this team might just contend for a Pac-12 title. It took a couple of years, but Andy Enfield has USC in the conversation as one of the best teams in the conference.

Another team that has gone from unranked to AP Top 25-worthy is Notre Dame. After fans suffered through a football season in which the Fighting Irish missed out on a bowl game, they’re watching a solid basketball team start to develop. The Fighting Irish are coming off a double-digit home win against Iowa and have beaten Northwestern and Colorado as well.

Last week, the Gators lost to red-hot Gonzaga, but it seems like everyone is losing to the Bulldogs these days. However, they rebounded to beat Miami to end the week and in their only contest of Week 4, they took down North Florida by 31 points. It’s tough to tell what kind of talent this team truly is right now, but we will learn this week when it takes on Duke and Florida State.

Arizona remains without Allonzo Trier, which has likely led to the Wildcats’ two slim losses to Butler and Gonzaga over the past couple of weeks, but this team is still worthy of a spot. Dropping from No. 16, the depth is hurting, but once they get everyone back, the Wildcats will be a force to be reckoned with. Yet another team with a Gonzaga loss on the resume, though.