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College Basketball Rankings: Projected Top 25 for Week 13

By Connor Muldowney

MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 27: Nick Richards #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts after scoring against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on January 27, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 27: Nick Richards #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts after scoring against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on January 27, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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NORMAN, OK – JANUARY 23: Oklahoma Sooners Guard Trae Young (11) works against Kansas Jayhawks Guard Devonte’ Graham (4) during a college basketball game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Oklahoma Sooners on January 23, 2018, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK. (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK – JANUARY 23: Oklahoma Sooners Guard Trae Young (11) works against Kansas Jayhawks Guard Devonte’ Graham (4) during a college basketball game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Oklahoma Sooners on January 23, 2018, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK. (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

How far will West Virginia fall after losing two games in Week 12? The average drop seems to be between 7-9 games this season and since the Mountaineers have lost 4-of-5 games, they will get around eight spots. West Virginia is talented and there was a reason it started the season 15-1, jumping all the way to No. 2 in the country, but will the Mountaineers be able to avoid a complete collapse? The Big 12 title is still in reach.

Wichita State will get a decent jump in the rankings after watching a few teams ahead of the Shockers lose in Week 12. Gregg Marshall and the Shockers have had a shaky start to their play in the American Athletic Conference but bounced back with wins against Tulsa and Central Florida, each by double digits, in Week 12.

Oklahoma is going to go as far in March as Trae Young will carry it. The Sooners are led by the young freshman point guard who has been compared to Steph Curry and whether that’s fair or not, his team is going to lean heavily on him in the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma beat Kansas at home to start the week off right, but ended it on a sour note with a seven point loss to a tough Alabama team on the road.

Don’t look now, but Saint Mary’s is one of the hottest teams in college basketball. Just when you thought you could write off the Gaels in 2017-18, they go on to win 16 games in a row. In fact, their 16-game winning streak is the longest in school history. Jock Landale is also one of the most underrated players in the nation as he helped lead Saint Mary’s to wins over BYU and Portland. The Gaels will get a decent bump.

Another West Coast Conference team will emerge in the top-15 in Week 13 and it’s a familiar face. Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are national contenders year after year, and a lot has to do with the separation they have from the rest of the conference — outside of Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs just lost to Saint Mary’s last week, but rebounded with victories over Portland and San Francisco in Week 12. They’ll see Saint Mary’s again in two weeks.