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College Basketball Rankings 2017: Projected Week 12 Top 25

By Connor Muldowney

January 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Chance Comanche (21) reacts after scoring a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Chance Comanche (21) reacts after scoring a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 21, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Ray Spalding (13) defends Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the second half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Ray Spalding (13) defends Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the second half at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
10

Arizona Wildcats

18-2, Last Week: 14

Honestly, No. 10 might be too low for the Wildcats this week, but I have a hard time believing they will jump some of the teams right ahead of them in the top 10. Arizona is the hottest team in the Pac-12 right now, along with Oregon, and the two are headed on a collision course in a couple of weeks as the they match up as potentially the only unbeaten Pac-12 squads, barring an upset before then. Sean Miller’s squad picked up a gigantic win over No. 3 UCLA on the road in the long-awaited return of Allonzo Trier. This team has the feel of a Final Four squad.

9

Oregon Ducks

18-2, Last Week: 11

Oregon has been on fire in recent weeks. All seemed doomed at the start of the season when the Ducks were just 2-2, but they’ve been as rock-solid as anyone since. In fact, Oregon has won 16 straight games including double-digit wins against California and Stanford in Week 11. This team is looking like the one that earned a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and if Dillon Brooks can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit.

8

Florida State Seminoles

18-2, Last Week: 10

Florida State is another team I could see making an even bigger jump in the rankings, depending on how the AP voters compare the Seminoles to other top-10 programs. Week 11 was kind to the Seminoles, though, as they finished with wins over No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 12 Louisville which brings them into a tie atop the ACC standings. Losing to North Carolina on the road last week didn’t have a negative effect, which is a good sign. Florida State has beaten Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Louisville to start conference play — unreal.

7

North Carolina Tar Heels

18-3, Last Week: 9

North Carolina followed up a big win against Florida State in Week 10 with a 20-point victory over Syracuse and a road triumph against Boston College. The Tar Heels are coming together at the right time and they look like the favorites to come out of the extremely deep ACC this season — or at least one of a few favorites. The Tar Heels opened conference play with a loss against Georgia Tech, but have since won six straight.

6

UCLA Bruins

19-2, Last Week: 3

The second loss of the season for UCLA was a tough one given the fact that the Bruins were hosting No. 14 Arizona, but Allonzo Trier’s return sounded some alarms. Arizona proved it can play with the big boys, but UCLA is still the class of the conference. The Bruins’ two Pac-12 losses this season were against the two other teams from the conference that I predicted would jump into the top 10 (Arizona and Oregon). How will the Bruins rebound in a road game against USC this week?