Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 26: Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his made basket in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Breslin Center on January 26, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 26: Jaren Jackson Jr. #2 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his made basket in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Breslin Center on January 26, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

Xavier was one of only two teams in the AP Top 25 last week to play just one game. Fortunately, the Musketeers made the most of it, beating Marquette rather easily and gaining momentum in the Big East standings. The Musketeers will get a relatively winnable week against St. John’s and Georgetown before having to prove themselves against Butler and Creighton on the road in Week 14.

After the week Michigan State had off the court, Tom Izzo and the Spartans still found a way to go 3-0 and win two games in a 48-hour stretch on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. They started the week with a road win against Illinois, took down Wisconsin on Friday and then went to Maryland and came back from a 13-point deficit to win, 74-68. Just a couple weeks after losing 2-of-3, the Spartans have since won four in a row and are red-hot.

Purdue had a strong week with a home victory over No. 25 Michigan and then a road win against rival Indiana. The Wolverines gave the Boilermakers all they could handle in West Lafayette, but Purdue came away with its second win on the season over a tough Michigan squad. Indiana looked to be nearing an upset, but Purdue showed toughness and depth late, beating the Hoosiers in Bloomington. They’ve won a school record 17 straight games now.

Tony Bennett deserves all the awards for the work he’s done with Virginia this season. Before the year, the Cavaliers were barely on the radar to even contend in the ACC and now they’re No. 2 in the country and likely to receive a good number of No. 1 votes in Week 13 after beating ranked Clemson and top-five Duke teams. The Cavaliers’ defense is smother — just ask the Blue Devils and Tigers who combined for 99 points against them in Week 12.

Road games in conference play are never easy, but Villanova found a way to close out the week on a high note despite getting Marquette’s best shot. The Wildcats didn’t make it look pretty, but they got the job done and Jay Wright’s team will likely hold onto that No. 1 spot in the rankings unless voters believe Virginia did enough to surpass them. I don’t think that’s happened yet.