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College basketball rankings: Week 6 AP Top 25 predictions

By Connor Muldowney

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)
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) /
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VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 05: Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21, Jermaine Samuels #23, Phil Booth #5, and Saddiq Bey #15 of the Villanova Wildcats celebrate during a timeout in the second half against the Temple Owls at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls 69-59. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA – DECEMBER 05: Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21, Jermaine Samuels #23, Phil Booth #5, and Saddiq Bey #15 of the Villanova Wildcats celebrate during a timeout in the second half against the Temple Owls at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls 69-59. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

You might be wondering how Furman found itself in the AP Top 25, but the Paladins have wins over Villanova on the road, and also at Loyola-Chicago. They are now 10-0 on the year and could blow by the rest of the Southern Conference with an unbeaten record. Jordan Lyons and Matt Rafferty are having all-conference caliber seasons and could very well lead this team to the NCAA Tournament — maybe even as an at-large bid — in March.

The Wildcats still haven’t shown much this season and that has to be concerning for John Calipari. His young team will need to prove more after losing to Seton Hall in wild fashion. The Wildcats hit a buzzer-beater from half court to send it to overtime in the CITI Hoops Classic but the Pirates got the best of Kentucky in the overtime period, 84-83. Can the Wildcats truly win the SEC this season or are they too far behind?

It was a good week for Mississippi State once again as the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five games after losing to Arizona State a few weeks ago. They beat McNeese 90-77 and then followed that up with an 82-71 victory against a tough Clemson squad. What makes this team so dangerous is the balanced scoring, as five players are averaging in double figures, led by Quinndary Weatherspoon at 16.8 points per game.

The Wisconsin Badgers are one of the top three or four contenders in the Big Ten this season, but truly, the conference may come down to a two-team race between Michigan and Michigan State. That may leave the Badgers as the first team out, but they could still surprise some people and push the Spartans and Buckeyes. They did, however, suffer a tough loss against Marquette which will cause a drop despite beating Rutgers earlier in the week.

The defending national champs have had a roller-coaster of a 2018-19 season, losing to Michigan and Furman already, but they have bounced back to win six straight games after that 2-2 start. In Week 5, the Wildcats — looking much different than they did last season — defeated Temple and Saint Joseph’s rather easily on their way to an 8-2 record. This team climbed back into the rankings after dropping from the top 10, and they’re on the verge of the top 15.