College basketball rankings: Chaotic week brings big changes to Top 25

Week 11 of the college basketball season is in the books and chaos was on the menu as five top-10 teams lost, including a trio who lost twice.

The feel of the NCAA Tournament hit college basketball in Week 11 as there were upsets everywhere as well as three top-five teams losing two games. Just like the rest of the season, Week 11 was chaotic and should cause major shakeups in the college basketball rankings.

Don’t believe me?

Just look at what Duke, Butler and Auburn did. The Blue Devils lost a couple of games to Clemson and Louisville, Butler lost to Seton Hall and DePaul and Auburn dropped to Florida and Alabama. It’s been a crazy week, but how will the newest rankings turn out?

College basketball rankings for Week 12

25. Wichita State Shockers (15-3)

Losing two games in a week in the American Athletic Conference will usually get you no consideration in the rankings, but Wichita State looked nearly unbeatable through the first three months of the year. Voters will give them the benefit of the doubt for a couple of losses at Temple and vs. Houston, giving them the No. 25 spot.

24. Colorado Buffaloes (14-4)

Colorado was looking for a clean sweep in the state of Arizona in Week 11, but the Wildcats had other ideas. The Buffaloes handled Arizona State on the road 68-61, but Arizona was a different story. Sean Miller‘s team had their way with the Buffaloes, 75-54. A 1-1 week will be just good enough to keep Colorado in the rankings, even by a hair.

23. Michigan Wolverines (11-6)

Juwan Howard‘s first year was off to a hot start, and then the Wolverines got some major tests with Louisville, Oregon, Michigan State and Illinois. Since a 7-0 start, the Wolverines have gone 4-6, including a loss at Iowa in Week 11, which happened to be their only contest. They will hold on to a spot in the rankings because of the teams behind them losing as well.

22. Arizona Wildcats (13-5)

Arizona has flirted with the Top 25 all season long, but the Wildcats just haven’t been consistent enough. They’ll get enough shot to prove their worth, getting back into the rankings thanks to wins over Utah and No. 20 Colorado to make up for five losses in their seven previous games.

21. Iowa Hawkeyes (13-5)

In and out of the rankings through the first couple months of the season, Iowa is one of the better teams in a loaded Big Ten. The Hawkeyes proved that in Week 11 with a win against Michigan, 90-83. They got revenge for an earlier loss to Michigan this season and also added a win over Northwestern. I see them jumping to the 20-21 range.

20. Illinois Fighting Illini (13-5)

Illinois fans are enjoying this first appearance in the AP Top 25 in years as Brad Underwood seems to be turning the program around. The Illini nearly lost that spot in the rankings, though, as their only contest of the week against Northwestern at home was much closer than expected. Illinois isn’t used to playing with a target on its back just yet.

19. Memphis Tigers (14-3)

Not having James Wiseman has been rough on Memphis as the Tigers are no longer the presumed dominant team from the AAC that we expected. They lost last week but bounced back with an 11-point win over Cincinnati.

18. Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-5)

A week after dropping a couple of games and somehow holding on to a spot in the AP Top 25, Texas Tech won a couple and will likely rise about five spots. The Red Raiders won at Kansas State by 14 and dominated Iowa State by 20. Will we start to see the team that was the national runner-up a year ago?

17. Maryland Terrapins (14-4)

You might be wondering how a team that lost a game in Week 11 didn’t drop a single spot, especially since they’ve had a tough time in Big Ten play, but Maryland made up for a two-point road loss at Wisconsin on a Brad Davison 3-pointer with under 20 seconds left with a seven-point win over Purdue. The Terrapins controlled the Boilermakers throughout so the final score was much closer than the actual game.

16. West Virginia Mountaineers (14-3)

One of the hottest teams in the country, West Virginia continued its upward trend to start the week with a blowout win over TCU. However, they struggled mightily at Kansas State to drop to 14-3 on the season. They still have plenty of potential but need to win those road games against mediocre teams.

15. Butler Bulldogs (15-3)

Butler had a rough week, to say the least. And even though the Bulldogs did lose to a ranked Seton Hall team and a solid DePaul squad on the road, two losses by a lightly tested team is not a good look. The Bulldogs will probably suffer a drastic fall this week and I’d say No. 15 is the sweet spot for them.

14. Kentucky Wildcats (13-4)

Earlier this season, Kentucky was ranked No. 1 in the nation, but it’s been an up-and-down couple of months for the Wildcats. They’ve been better lately, but a loss at South Carolina was unexpected and, frankly, unacceptable if the Wildcats want to win the SEC. Expect a slight drop in the rankings for the Wildcats despite ending the week with a win at Arkansas.

13. Seton Hall Pirates (14-4)

Seton Hall is starting to play like the team we all expected at the beginning of the season, beating No. 5 Butler on the road and then closing the week with a win at St. John’s to improve to 14-4 on the year. Eight straight wins have turned this season around for the Pirates as they’ve gone from fringe-tourney team to a potential top-four seed.

12. Oregon Ducks (15-4)

Two road games faced Oregon in Week 11 and they stayed in Washington for both. The first was at Washington State and the Ducks were handled by 11 with a shocking loss to the Cougars and they almost suffered the same fate at Washington, but they won in overtime, 64-61. The Ducks are no longer atop the Pac-12 standings but they’ll still be the highest-ranked team from the conference.

11. Auburn Tigers (15-2)

Undefeated heading into the week, Auburn had to feel good about a little rivalry battle on the hardwood with Alabama, but the Tigers were stomped by the Crimson Tide. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they lost by 22 to Florida and will likely go from a top-five team to outside of the top 10, looking in.

10. Michigan State Spartans (14-4)

After getting stomped by Purdue last week, Michigan State went from the No. 8 spot in the rankings down to No. 15. However, the Spartans made up for that loss with a dominant win over a hot Wisconsin team, 67-55. If the Spartans closed the game strong — they allowed a 13-0 run to end the game — they would likely be a spot or two higher.

9. Villanova Wildcats (14-3)

While these aren’t the same Wildcats that won a national title not too long ago, Jay Wright‘s team has plenty of talent and could surprise some people in the tournament. Let’s not look too far ahead, though, as they’re still trying to win the Big East and they got big wins over DePaul and UConn this week to help that quest. The Wildcats should rise into the top 10.

8. Duke Blue Devils (15-3)

For most teams, losing two games in a week, including one at home, would cause a drastic drop, but Duke is not most teams. The Blue Devils were receiving first-place votes just a week ago and looked like one of the most complete teams in the nation but losing at Clemson and to Louisville in Cameroon Indoor Stadium has left them looking for answers. Still, only expect a slight drop as the Blue Devils remain in the top 10.

7. Dayton Flyers (16-2)

Dayton will see one of the biggest rises in the rankings in Week 12, going from 13th to No. 7 despite winning two games that the Flyers should have won easily. They beat VCU by 14 and had a little scare at Saint Louis, winning by just two on the road. The Flyers may be the nation’s best mid-major not named Gonzaga and this team is going to be scary in March.

6. Florida State Seminoles (16-2)

Florida State has been surprisingly consistent this season and with two more wins in Week 11, the Seminoles will rise from No. 9 to No. 6. They beat Virginia in an ugly offensive affair, 54-50, and then Miami in overtime. They weren’t the prettiest wins, but it doesn’t matter as long as you’re adding another tally to the ‘W’ column.

5. Louisville Cardinals (15-3)

The biggest game of the week was a top-15 battle between Louisville and Duke but to everyone’s surprise, the Cardinals came out on top at Cameron Indoor. This team is playing some impressive basketball right now as the Cardinals won at Pitt earlier in the week. Jordan Nwora may be the team’s star, but role player David Johnson helped carry the Cardinals on the road with 19 big points.

4. San Diego State Aztecs (19-0)

And then there was one. San Diego State is the last remaining undefeated team in college basketball after Auburn dropped two straight road games by double-digits. No, San Diego State’s competition isn’t quite as impressive as Auburn’s in SEC play, but the Aztecs are still looking like one of the nation’s best teams and potential No. 1 seed material.

3. Kansas Jayhawks (14-3)

Kansas lost to Baylor at home last week, dropping the Jayhawks from No. 3 down to No. 6, but they’ll quickly make up that ground this week thanks to a couple of losses from Duke, Auburn and Butler. Couple those teams’ downfalls with impressive road wins over Oklahoma and Texas and you’re looking at a team that is on the verge of fighting for that No. 1 spot. Kansas still has some work to do, but winning on the road isn’t easy in conference play.

2. Baylor Bears (15-1)

Can anyone beat this team right now? Baylor is scorching hot and it looks like the team to beat in college basketball right now. Before the season, I never would have guessed we’d be talking about Baylor as the No. 2 team in the country, receiving the most first-place votes of anyone in the middle of January, but here we are. The Bears took care of two lower-tier Big 12 teams in Week 11, beating Iowa State by 13 and Oklahoma State by seven on the road.

1. Gonzaga Bulldogs (20-1)

Gonzaga officially won the race to 20 wins this season, beating a couple of cupcakes to get there. The Bulldogs beat Santa Clara by 50 points and then BYU by 23 points to improve to 20-1 and hold on to that No. 1 ranking for another week even with Baylor receiving more first-place votes. Luckily for the Bulldogs, the Bears’ two wins in Week 11 were nothing to write home about, so they’ll hold on to that top spot for just a little longer — until Baylor gets another big win.

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