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College basketball rankings: Week 15 AP Top 25 predictions – Can Duke overtake Tennessee?

By Connor Muldowney

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Duke Blue Devils Forward (1) Zion Williamson gets a break away dunk during a game between the Duke Blue Devils and the University of Virginia Cavaliers at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia on February 9, 2019. (Photo by Justin Cooper/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Duke Blue Devils Forward (1) Zion Williamson gets a break away dunk during a game between the Duke Blue Devils and the University of Virginia Cavaliers at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia on February 9, 2019. (Photo by Justin Cooper/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE STATION, TX – JANUARY 30: LSU Tigers guard Marlon Taylor (14) drives hard into the lane as Texas A&M Aggies guard Jay Jay Chandler (0) defends during the basketball game between the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena on January 30, 2019 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TX – JANUARY 30: LSU Tigers guard Marlon Taylor (14) drives hard into the lane as Texas A&M Aggies guard Jay Jay Chandler (0) defends during the basketball game between the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena on January 30, 2019 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

It seems like the Seminoles’ skid happened months ago, but in reality, it was only a few weeks back, but Florida State is back to playing some good basketball. The Seminoles went on the road to beat a potential tourney team in Syracuse by 18 and then they topped a red-hot Louisville team in Tallahassee in overtime. The Seminoles may not have a true shot at the ACC regular season title — barring some serious meltdowns — but they are primed to make noise in March.

The Tigers had a good week, beating two quality teams, but it won’t be enough to move them up a ton in the AP Top 25. Sure, they’ll see a jump, but it won’t be more than a couple of spots because teams ahead of them, too, made noise. Could LSU seriously contend with Tennessee and Kentucky for the SEC title? It’s not going to be easy to keep pace, but the Tigers control their own destiny with a road game at Kentucky approaching in Week 15.

Iowa watched as Michigan State was unable to beat Indiana at home just last weekend, which made the Hawkeyes’ trip to Bloomington in Week 14 that much more uncomfortable. Fortunately, the Hawkeyes were able to overcome a tough road atmosphere to beat the Hoosiers and then capped off the weekend with a home win over Northwestern. Iowa can be streaky, but when the Hawkeyes are hitting their shots, they are incredibly dangerous.

Villanova avoided disaster in Week 14, escaping a home overtime loss against a struggling Creighton team, 66-59. If the Wildcats lost that one, we may be talking about Villanova dropping completely out of the rankings, but they held on and tried to carry that momentum into a big-time battle at Marquette. They nearly took down the No. 10 Golden Eagles, but fell by just a single point and will drop a few spots.

Buzz Williams’ Hokies entered ACC play with just one loss on the season and they entered Week 14 with just two conference losses and a real shot to make moves in the standings, but they lost both of their games to Louisville and at Clemson. It was the worst-case scenario for Virginia Tech when it came to staying alive in the conference title race — especially with a home game against Louisville being squandered.