College Basketball Rankings 2016: Projected Week 5 Top 25

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 24, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts during the second half against the Wichita State Shockers in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Wisconsin proved its dominance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 17-point win over then-No. 22 Syracuse and then closed out the week with 20-point victory against Oklahoma. This team is starting to click after a sluggish start to the season and we are seeing now why they were considered the favorite to win the Big Ten. Bringing back basically everyone from last year’s team, Wisconsin won’t go down easy.

Xavier suffered its first loss of the season against Baylor over the weekend and I think they’ll get a pretty sizable drop in the rankings. Why? Well, this was the first game in which the Musketeers faced off against a ranked opponent and they ended up losing by 15 points. Trevon Bluiett is one of the best players in the country, but they’ll need to avoid more non-conference losses with a tough schedule approaching.

Virginia took its first tumble of the season as well last week as the Cavaliers dropped a tough one at home against West Virginia in a border battle. Tony Bennett has a talented team at his disposal, but he’s going to have to figure out how to replace a guy like Austin Nichols who was dismissed from the team earlier this season.

After blowing a double-digit lead against Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship last week, the Louisville Cardinals rebounded to put together a couple of solid wins over No. 15 Purdue and to close out the week against Grand Canyon. Not having a true go-to scorer might hurt Rick Pitino’s team in conference play, but the Cardinals have enough size to cause matchup nightmares.

This year’s West Coast Conference race is going to be extremely top-heavy with Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga battling it out, but it will also be one of the more intriguing matchups in the country. The Gaels are coming off a win over Stanford on the road by 15 points and they remain unbeaten heading into the fifth week of the season. They don’t face another tough opponent for the remainder of non-conference play, so don’t expect them to rise too much.