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College Basketball Rankings: Projected Top 25 for Week 17

By Connor Muldowney

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 21: Devon Hall #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers drives past Brandon Alston #4 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 21, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia defeated Georgia Tech 65-54. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 21: Devon Hall #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers drives past Brandon Alston #4 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 21, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia defeated Georgia Tech 65-54. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – FEBRUARY 21: Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels controls the ball against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 21, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. North Carolina defeated Syracuse 78-74. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – FEBRUARY 21: Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels controls the ball against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 21, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. North Carolina defeated Syracuse 78-74. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /

Cincinnati has a big rematch coming up against Wichita State on the road, but the Bearcats currently hold a one-game lead in the AAC after beating Tulsa and Connecticut in Week 16. The Bearcats have one of the best defensive teams in the country, but slipped up against Wichita State in Week 15, leading to a drop to No. 10 in the rankings. How will they finish the season?

Syracuse had the unfortunate task of facing both Duke and North Carolina in Week 16, but the Orange weren’t successful in either contest. They had their best chance to take down the Tar Heels in the Carrier Dome, but North Carolina toughed out a win, 78-74. Roy Williams’ squad may not be quite as good as last season’s national title-winning team, but they could make some noise in the tourney.

No, Purdue isn’t the Big Ten champion nor will they be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, losing the tie-breaker with Ohio State, but the Boilermakers could still contend for a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong run in Week 17. This is not a team to mess with and it’ll move up slightly after beating Illinois on the road and closing the regular season with a blowout win over Minnesota.

Villanova was sitting pretty with three first-place votes in the Week 16 AP rankings, but yet another conference loss against an unranked foe, the Wildcats’ fourth, could be enough to drop them from 1-seed consideration. That is, if the Wildcats don’t win the conference tournament. Villanova has some work to do to build that resume back, but it needs to worry about closing the regular season strong despite Xavier being on the verge of winning the Big East title.

Like a number of teams that moved up in the rankings this week, Gonzaga is getting hot at the right time. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight games since losing their only conference game to Saint Mary’s and have locked up the conference title. Mark Few just finds ways to win and has done so for the past decade-plus. Can the Bulldogs compete for a No. 2 seed? Another win over Saint Mary’s in the conference tournament would help.