College basketball rankings: Duke, Auburn moving up; Michigan State, LSU stumble

Duke escaped a major upset on the road against North Carolina and the college basketball rankings remain largely unchanged, at least in the Top 10.

Twice, Duke was on the ropes at the Dean Center in Chapel Hill and it looked like North Carolina was going to turn its season around with a big rivalry win over the Blue Devils.

And then Tre Jones hit a buzzer-beater in regulation to cap off a 13-point comeback and send the game to overtime. The Blue Devils would cap off another comeback in overtime, winning the game at the buzzer and escaping a massive upset in the rivalry game.

The rest of the top 10 remained relatively unchanged but we may see some new teams in the rankings this week as well.

What will the rest of the rankings look like?

College basketball rankings for Week 15

25. Michigan State Spartans (16-8)

Michigan State probably doesn’t deserve to be ranked after the week that it had and the three-game losing streak it’s on, but since the field is not nearly as deep this year as it’s been in years past, the Spartans will hold on. Losses to Penn State and at Michigan hurt, though.

24. LSU Tigers (17-6)

LSU didn’t have a single loss in conference play before Week 14 but that all changed with a shocking loss at Vanderbilt which didn’t have a single SEC victory. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Tigers choked away a lead at Auburn for its second loss of the week.

23. Illinois Fighting Illini (16-7)

Brad Underwood has gone from hot seat talk to Big Ten Coach of the Year candidate in just a few months and he’s turned the Illini into true contenders. Illinois is fighting for that No. 1 spot in the standings but it took a hit with a home loss to Maryland where it allowed a Terps second-half comeback.

22. Texas Tech Red Raiders (15-8)

Texas Tech received the most votes to be ranked of any unranked team last week and after wins over Oklahoma and at Texas will change that outlook. The Red Raiders will find their way back into the Top 25 this week with those wins, likely at No. 22.

21. Houston Cougars (19-5)

Houston will see a nice bump from No. 25 this week after beating Tulane by 13 but the most impressive victory for the Cougars was a 33-point victory over Wichita State. The Shockers were on the verge of being ranked but this type of blowout squashed that nation and improved Houston’s optics in the Top 25.

20. Iowa Hawkeyes (17-7)

Losing by 36 points at Purdue, which isn’t guaranteed a tournament spot this year, may seem like enough to knock a team out of the Top 25, but the Hawkeyes rebounded with a 24-point win at Nebraska. The Hawkeyes will also benefit from the terrible play from teams in the 10-to-25 range.

19. Villanova Wildcats (17-6)

Week 14 was a disaster for Villanova. The Wildcats lost at Butler to start the week in a winnable affair but had a chance to finish strong only to drop a home game against No. 12 Seton Hall. The Wildcats will see a decent drop, especially with a couple of other Big East teams rising.

18. Butler Bulldogs (18-6)

Butler has a weird case on its hands this week with a win against No. 10 Villanova but a loss to an unranked Marquette team (which will soon make a Top 25 appearance) on the road. The Bulldogs will jump a spot because of a top-10 win and it would have been potentially 6-7 spots with a win over Marquette as well.

17. Marquette Golden Eagles (17-6)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Marquette in the rankings but after being the second team outside of the Top 25, in terms of votes, and beating DePaul and No. 19 Butler by 19 points, the Golden Eagles will see a massive leap. And they’ll have a chance to rise even more with a road game at Villanova and Creighton at home on the schedule this week.

16. Colorado Buffaloes (19-5)

A drastic jump for a team that beat Cal and Stanford by a combined 13 points at home, but Colorado was one of few teams from the 10-25 range that didn’t lose in Week 14. Colorado will jump to anywhere between 15-20.

15. Oregon Ducks (18-6)

Oregon dropped three spots a week ago and should fall again after losing to rival Oregon State on the road. If the Ducks want to win the Pac-12, it can’t be dropping winnable games like these, but luckily they won’t fall much in the rankings.

14. West Virginia Mountaineers (18-5)

West Virginia lost in Week 14 but should only drop one spot, at most. The Mountaineers handled Iowa State with ease but then couldn’t overcome an average Oklahoma team in Norman. Bob Huggins‘ team looks poised to contend in the Big 12, but it may be the odd team out of a two-man race.

13. Penn State Nittany Lions (18-5)

No one could have seen this breakout season from Pat Chambers taking place this season, but the Nittany Lions continue to prove people wrong. Penn State will jump drastically because of a poor performance from the rest of the AP Top 25 ahead of them and a win at No. 16 Michigan State.

12. Kentucky Wildcats (18-5)

Kentucky was starting to look like the third-best team from the SEC this season but after an LSU meltdown in Week 14, the Wildcats may be the biggest threat to Auburn and LSU for the title. It wouldn’t be all that surprising to see this uber-talented Kentucky team win the SEC title.

11. Seton Hall Pirates (18-5)

Has there been a hotter mid-major team in college basketball not named Gonzaga than Seton Hall over the past couple of months? Probably not. Seton Hall continued its hot streak with wins at Georgetown and at No. 10 Villanova to improve to 18-5. The Pirates will flirt with the top 10.

10. Auburn Tigers (21-2)

The doubters of Auburn basketball got a lot quieter this week as the Tigers beat a good Arkansas team in Fayetteville and then hosted No. 18 LSU, which paced the SEC standings, coming away with a comeback victory. Auburn will slide into the top 10 with these two wins and the SEC title race is now heating up even more.

9. Maryland Terrapins (19-4)

If this was any other week this season, Maryland would have jumped a few spots in the rankings for the performances it had against Rutgers and Illinois. The Terrapins are the hottest team in the conference and beat a solid Rutgers team and No. 20 Illinois on the road. Unfortunately, no one ahead of the Terrapins lost this week.

8. Florida State Seminoles (20-3)

Getting Cole Anthony back was huge for North Carolina but the Seminoles held off North Carolina despite the Tar Heels putting up a fight in Tallahassee. Then Florida State hosted rival Miami and there was very little defense to be had as the Seminoles won 99-81. The ACC is looking like a three-team race at this point in the year.

7. Dayton Flyers (21-2)

Obi Toppin has been one of the nation’s biggest breakout stars this season and one of the main reasons Dayton has been put back on the map post-Archie Miller. The Flyers have improved to 21-2 with a six-point win over Saint Louis but they’ll likely drop a spot because of Duke’s solid week.

6. Duke Blue Devils (20-3)

Duke evaded major disaster in Week 14, escaping an upset loss against Boston College early in the week and then another on Saturday at North Carolina. Road games in conference play are never a given, but both North Carolina and Boston College have been bad this year, however, the Blue Devils accrued two wins. Duke will jump Dayton this week.

5. Louisville Cardinals (21-3)

While the ACC may not be as dominant this season at the top like it has been in recent years, Louisville has been a consistent force in the top five. The Cardinals beat Wake Forest and reigning national champ Virginia in Week 14. This team looks like Duke’s main competition for the ACC title, but don’t count Florida State out yet. Chris Mack has done a fantastic job with this program after the Rick Pitino era.

4. San Diego State Aztecs (24-0)

There are just five games left on San Diego State’s schedule which means the Aztecs’ 4.5-game lead in the Mountain West is large enough to essentially lock up the regular-season title. If San Diego State wins one more game, it will be the regular-season champion but that doesn’t mean the Aztecs should lose focus. San Diego State won at Air Force this week and improved to 24-0 and a No. 1 seed is a real possibility.

3. Kansas Jayhawks (20-3)

This Kansas vs. Baylor race for the Big 12 title is going down to the wire and it might be the biggest storyline for the remainder of the season. Kansas lost to the Bears at home earlier in the year but still have another shot at tying up the standings at the top. Bill Self has his team in position to win yet another Big 12 title after beating Texas and TCU by double figures.

2. Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-1)

Gonzaga received the second-most first-place votes a week ago and that certainly won’t change after the Bulldogs beat Loyola Marymount by 18. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Gonzaga went on the road to face the second-best team in the conference, Saint Mary’s, by 30 points on the road. It now seems like a lock that Gonzaga will win out, especially after smacking the Gaels around away from home.

1. Baylor Bears (21-1)

Baylor received 49 first-place votes a week ago and that number should grow as the Bears went on the road to beat Kansas State by six and then hosted Oklahoma State with a 78-70 victory. This team has arguably been the most consistent in the power conference field this season and there’s almost no way the Bears aren’t widely considered the best team in the country and the likely No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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