Did Kansas really do enough in Week 7 to warrant a four-spot jump in the rankings? Not really, but that’s what happens when a handful of teams lost right in front of you in the rankings. Kansas beat Omaha to open the week by 45 points and then the Jayhawks hit the road to take on Stanford, winning 75-54. The Jayhawks are putting up major points, but have yet to prove that they are the best team from the Big 12.
Here we have it, Virginia’s first appearance in the top 10 this season. Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers have been playing some of the best defense in the country, to no one’s surprise. The Cavaliers held both Savannah State and Hampton to under 50 points in Week 7, but the big question mark this season will be the offense. Does Virginia have enough offense to seriously compete for an ACC title?
Fortunately for Wichita State, the Shockers will likely spend just one week outside of the top-10 before getting bumped back in. The Shockers lost to Oklahoma last week and were dropped from No. 3 to No. 11 and they won two games against Arkansas State and FGCU to redeem themselves in Week 7. Gregg Marshall has a talented team, but consistency will be a big question mark moving forward.
Since losing the first game of the year to Texas A&M, West Virginia has been absolutely on fire. In fact, the Mountaineers have won 11 straight games, including games against Missouri, Virginia and Pittsburgh. This team can be a serious Big 12 contender but it will need to prove it can beat some ranked teams — outside of the Virginia Cavaliers. The senior duo of Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. have been impressive thus far, but can they remain consistent in conference action?
Xavier is inching closer and closer to a top-five ranking and there may be some AP voters out there who believe this team deserves a spot in that top tier. The Musketeers have won seven straight games since losing to red-hot Arizona State and they’re averaging the 17th-most points per game in the country, led by national player of the year candidate Trevon Bluiett. They squeaked by Marshall in Week 7 and then took down Northern Iowa on the road to improve to 12-1.