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

By Connor Muldowney

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)
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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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 24: Cassius Winston #5 and Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans react after a basket late in the game while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 24, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 77-70. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 24: Cassius Winston #5 and Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans react after a basket late in the game while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 24, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 77-70. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech had just one opportunity in Week 16 to move up in the rankings and the Red Raiders took full advantage, making quick work of the Kansas Jayhawks to take over that second-place position in the Big 12 standings. They avenged an earlier loss to the Jayhawks in Lawrence in a big way, beating Kansas 91-62, embarrassing them on the road. The Red Raiders should see a definite rise, flirting with the top-10.

It looks like Marquette is going to win the Big East comfortably now that Villanova has dropped three straight and will likely fall from the rankings completely. That didn’t mean Marquette was going to take its foot off the gas in Week 16 with double-digit wins over Butler and at Providence. The Golden Eagles have exceeded just about everyone’s expectations this season and that’s what happens when you have an All-American talent leading the way.

A week after dropping from the No. 1 spot in the national rankings, Tennessee lost yet again. The Wildcats took it to the Volunteers in Week 15 and that seemed to carry over into Week 16 as they scored just 58 points against Vanderbilt and then lost at LSU in overtime. Credit the Tigers for playing Tennessee tough, but this team is not trending in the right direction as the season winds down.

Houston has been on a mission all season long and that’s not going to change until the Cougars reach the NCAA Tournament and finish with a better taste in their mouths than they did in 2018 when they lost to Michigan on a heart-breaking buzzer-beater. The Cougars dispatched South Florida with no problem in Week 16 and they look like a force to be reckoned with from the AAC.

What a win for Tom Izzo and Michigan State on Sunday. The Spartans went on the road down two starters to beat No. 7 Michigan in convincing fashion. It was one of the grittiest wins of the season for Michigan State and it showed that the three-game losing streak a few weeks back was nothing more than an extreme outlier. Expect a decent rise from the Spartans, knocking on the door of the top five.