College basketball rankings: Week 6 AP Top 25 predictions

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 09: Jordan Bowden #23 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 9, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 76-73. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 08: Joey Hauser #22 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 74-69 in overtime at the Fiserv Forum on December 08, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Kansas State lost arguably the ugliest game of the week, going on the road and failing to break 50 points against Tulsa. Is Tulsa a bad team? Not at all, but the Golden Hurricane shouldn’t see the AP Top 25 any time soon, making this loss even more painful. Bruce Weber and the Wildcats will have to wait to rebound from that 47-46 road loss, but for now, they’ll hold on to a spot near the bottom of the AP Top 25 by the thinnest of threads.

Will Iowa fall out of the rankings after losing by 22 points to Michigan State in East Lansing? Probably not because the Spartans are playing so well and it was a bad all-around game from the Hawkeyes where nothing seemed to go right. The Hawkeyes battled back to earn a big victory over rival Iowa State, 98-84, to end the week. The Cyclones were on the verge of the AP Top 25, so this win is bigger than it looks on paper and should keep the Hawkeyes ranked.

Luguentz Dort continues to have an incredible freshman campaign for the Arizona State Sun Devils, but he needed some help on Friday night to hang on against Nevada and it never came. The Sun Devils’ 12-point halftime lead over the No. 6 team in the country dwindled in the second half as they fell short of an upset, 72-66. Arizona State should stick in the AP Top 25, but just barely.

Like a few other teams in the AP Top 25, the Syracuse Orange have had an up-and-down type of season. Tyus Battle is having an All-American caliber season at the guard spot, leading his team back from two early losses to Connecticut and Oregon which dropped the Orange from No. 15 to unranked. Five straight wins later, the Orange are back will be back in the rankings, likely at No. 22.

Markus Howard is having one heck of a season, averaging close to 36 minutes per game and 22.9 points per game but his shooting touch has been lacking. That hasn’t quite hurt the Golden Eagles yet as they are 8-2 and headed right back into the rankings after nearly a month-long hiatus. The Golden Eagles upset the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers in Week 5 and that’ll get them back into the poll after being the third team outside the AP Top 25 receiving votes a week ago.