College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 predictions

College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 predictions – Duke loses Zion, then No. 1 ranking

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 20: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 16: Purdue Boilermakers center Matt Haarms (32) shoots a free throw during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Purdue Boilermakers on February 16, 2019, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Week 17 wasn’t exactly the easiest week for the Badgers. Wisconsin hosted a suddenly-hot Illinois team and then it hit the road to take on a Northwestern team that hasn’t had the best season but has come close to a few major upsets. Both games were decided by single figures and the Badgers escaped with a couple of victories which could get them back into that top-20 range.

Three teams are tied atop the SEC standings and LSU made quite the move over the past two weeks with wins at Kentucky and at home against Tennessee. Without those victories, this team isn’t even talking about a conference crown, but it’s been on fire outside of a loss in Week 16 against Florida at home in overtime. If the Tigers don’t lose to Florida, they’re in first place by themselves.

There’s no doubt about it, Purdue has the easiest remaining schedule in the Big Ten of the top three contenders for the title. The Boilermakers got probably their two toughest games out of the way in Week 16 with slim road wins over Indiana and Nebraska. Can Purdue avoid a letdown in the final couple of weeks and let Michigan and Michigan State beat up on each other?

Nevada suffered another rare loss in Week 16 and that could mean the Wolf Pack will drop a decent amount since they really shouldn’t be losing many games in WAC play. They still may be considered a top-10 team, but don’t be surprised if they drop about 6-7 spots just because they did fall to a lesser, unranked team. The Wolf Pack closed the week out strong with a win over Fresno State.

How does one team prepare to face their top rival? By beating a Minnesota team that is on the verge of an NCAA Tournament attention on the road. The Wolverines got home from long-range and beat the Golden Gophers in a tough road environment. You would think that’d be enough momentum for the Wolverines to beat No. 10 Michigan State at home with the Spartans down two starters, but it wasn’t. Expect a drop out of the top-10 this week.