The Week 18 college basketball rankings will be released Monday afternoon and here are our Top 25 projections.
It’s hard to believe that the regular season has already come to a close and we are starting conference tournaments in the face this week. That doesn’t mean there won’t be major shakeups in the college basketball rankings come Monday afternoon, though.
A common trend this season has been with teams barely sneaking into the rankings only to lose a couple of games and never sniff the Top 25 again. Another trend has been teams in the top 10 dropping like flies. There have been no truly dominant teams this season that has been looked at as clear favorites to win the national title.
There was some movement from top to bottom from last week’s rankings and we even have some new faces in the Top 25, or at least we believe there will be.
Let’s take a look at what the Week 18 college basketball rankings could look like Monday.
Iowa State has had a good run to end the season, playing itself off the bubble that it was on a few weeks ago and into the ‘lock’ discussion. Despite losing to West Virginia on the Mountaineers’ Senior Day, the Cyclones will likely stay in the Top 25 in Week 18 due to the lack of deserving teams on the outside looking in. A deep run in the Big 12 Tournament will be a cherry on top of the cake for the Cyclones.
Wisconsin, like Iowa State, won’t fall out of the rankings even after losing to Iowa to start the week, especially because the Badgers blew out a red-hot Minnesota team on Sunday evening. The Golden Gophers would likely be in this spot had they beaten the Badgers, but Wisconsin held its own, beating Minnesota by 17, thanks to five 3-pointers by Bronson Koenig. If Wisconsin can get back to its winning ways, the Badgers will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.
Everyone’s favorite cinderella from last year might just be in a far better position heading into the NCAA Tournament this season. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have put together a solid encore to that improbable 2016 NCAA Tournament upset over No. 2 Michigan State, following up with a 27-4 regular season and sitting on top of Conference-USA as the clear favorite to win the conference tournament.
Notre Dame had a surprisingly successful season in a loaded ACC but Mike Brey’s team isn’t quite finished yet. The Fighting Irish did lose a tough one to Louisville on the road to end the season, but they were never truly demolished in any of their conference losses outside of Virginia. Plus, the Fighting Irish finished the regular season on a good note, winning 6-of-7 games after a four-game losing streak.
Don’t believe in Saint Mary’s yet? You’re definitely not alone. Even after winning their only game of Week 17, there’s a good chance the Gaels may drop a spot because of the quality wins from teams behind them in the rankings. Saint Mary’s did have its way with Portland, but the mediocre conference wins won’t get them anywhere. If the NCAA Tournament started today, it’d likely earn a No. 6 seed — not ideal for a 27-3 team.