Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 09: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts on the court after scoring against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of 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: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts on the court after scoring against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of 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) /

Ignas Brazdeikis is putting together one heck of a true freshman season, leading the Wolverines in scoring, but Michigan is getting solid play from Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson as well. Michigan escaped an upset in Evanston as Big Ten play concluded its early slate, beating the Northwestern Wildcats in a 62-60 scare. The Wolverines ended the week with an 89-78 victory over South Carolina, and you can bet John Beilein will be preaching defense this week.

Virginia isn’t going to beat teams with offense, and that much was evident in the Cavaliers’ two wins in Week 5. Tony Bennett’s squad kept the defensive theme once again, though they did win 83-45 against Morgan State before a tight 57-49 victory over VCU. This team may be the only one that can hold Duke in check in the ACC, but will the Cavaliers be able to keep up offensively?

I’ll be the first to admit that I had penciled Gonzaga in for a big win over Tennessee to end the weekend, but the Volunteers surprised me. The Volunteers upset the No. 1 team in the country thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers from senior guard Admiral Schofield, who finished with a game-high 30 points. This was Tennessee’s only game of the week, and it should be enough to vault it into the top five.

I’ll admit it, I was wrong about the Blue Devils last week as I had them moving up to No. 2 in the polls after a blowout win over Indiana and a 64-point victory over Stetson — that seemed to be more impressive than Kansas’ week. However, it wasn’t enough, and wins over Yale and Hartford won’t be, either. Zion Williamson and Co. have been playing some great basketball, and that should continue until ACC play starts. Oh, and Coach K got some good recruiting news as five-star Vernon Carey Jr. committed.

Kansas had a bit of a scare in Week 5 as New Mexico State took the Jayhawks down to the wire on Saturday, 63-60. The reason for the close call? The absence of Udoka Azubuike in the post after he sprained his ankle in the win over Wofford earlier in the week. There’s a good chance he could be out until Big 12 play starts up, which means he could miss ranked battles against Villanova and Arizona State.