Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
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) /

Another season, another conference title. It’s hard to remember the last time Kansas didn’t win the Big 12 regular season title, probably because it last happened in 2004. That’s an incredible feat, especially since this year’s team hasn’t been as impressive as most Bill Self-coached squads. They locked up the crown with a 30-point win over Oklahoma and strong road win over then-No. 6 Texas Tech. Expect the Jayhawks to jump into the top-five.

Duke encountered some issues on Friday when the Yahoo! Sports report came out naming players who were potentially recipients of improper benefits, but the Blue Devils shook off the distractions to record a nice home win over Syracuse, 60-44. The Blue Devils also blew the doors off Louisville earlier in the week, and that was without Marvin Bagley. This team is looking more like a No. 1 seed with each passing week.

Xavier is going to move back into the top-three after Villanova lost in Week 16. The Musketeers may not have been able to beat the Wildcats during the regular season, losing by double-digits in both meetings. That doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things, though. Xavier will lock up the conference title with one more win after beating Georgetown last week.

Another team to face issues stemming from the Yahoo! Sports report was Michigan State, but Miles Bridges, whose mother allegedly accepted $400 from an agent’s runner, was cleared to play moving forward by the NCAA. The Spartans responded with a gritty win at Wisconsin to end the regular season, locking up the outright Big Ten crown. This team has now won 12 straight games and continues to find ways to win.

It’s tough to trust a team that ranks 307th in the country in points per game, but when you realize the Virginia Cavaliers have the No. 1 defense in the nation, it makes sense that they’re 26-2. The Cavaliers shut teams down on the defensive end and did so yet again in Week 16, holding Georgia Tech to 54 points and Pittsburgh to just 37 in two wins. Virginia will hold on to the No. 1 spot for the third straight week.