The AP top 25 rankings always get interesting in mid-February. There’s plenty of fluidity as rankings fluctuate weekly. Where a team is ranked right now doesn’t necessarily mean they have a clear path to a higher seed.
However, these rankings do give us perspective on how well a team is doing. It adds context for a team that either is having a strong season or has reaped the benefits of a strong schedule. And while rankings are a bit ambiguous, with the latest college basketball rankings, we have a good idea of who the contenders and pretenders are heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Here’s a look at who the three contenders and pretenders are after the latest AP top 25 poll rankings were released on Monday.
AP top 25: 3 contenders in the latest college basketball rankings
St. John’s Red Storm
If there’s one team you don’t want to see in March, it’s got to be St. John’s, especially with Rick Pitino at the helm. He will almost always field a team that’s hungry to pull off a stunner or two in March Madness, and this year is no different.
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update, the Red Storm are a No. 4 seed, in the same region as No. 1 seed Auburn. That would surely be a matchup to watch out for if both teams advance.
The Red Storm were nowhere near the top 25 when the season started. Then Ed Cooley adamantly claimed St. John’s is one of the best teams in college basketball and deserves to be ranked. Not long after he tooted that horn, did the Red Storm quickly climb up the AP rankings.
They have four losses on the season and all of them are one-possession losses. They’re currently atop the Big East standings and have hovered around the top 10 the past couple of weeks.
St. John’s will be dangerous in March. Even if they don’t win the Big East tournament — which they should — they are very capable of pulling off some big wins and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders have been one of those unexpected college basketball stories that could be a team to watch in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve worked their way from being unranked to start the season to the top 10 in this week’s AP poll.
The game that put them on the map was an overtime loss to Iowa State. Since then, the Red Raiders have knocked off Houston, split their series with Arizona and won nine of the last 10 games.
Texas Tech could be one of the most dangerous teams in the NCAA Tournament, and if they catch fire to end the regular season, they could have some momentum going into the conference championship.
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers made their return to the AP poll after they stunned Duke a few weeks back. Now they look like a team that’s ready for consecutive NCAA Tournament runs. In the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t have told you to buy stock in Clemson.
Now, after they’ve knocked off both Duke and North Carolina, they look like the ACC’s strongest team. They’re a team that could stun a few teams in the NCAA Tournament. Like last year, Lunardi has the Tigers listed as a No. 6 seed as of right now.
The Tigers are currently ranked No. 18 in the AP top 25 poll. Look for them to continue to soar up the rankings. They don’t have a single ranked opponent left and should finish the season without a loss.
AP top 25: 3 pretenders in the latest college basketball rankings
Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks have spiraled as of late. They’re 3-4 in the last seven games and have nearly played themselves out of the top 25 rankings. They’re currently ranked No. 23 in the poll. While Kansas is usually a team to watch out for in the NCAA Tournament, I wouldn’t be worried about matching up with Bill Self’s squad this year.
They haven’t been dominant since Big 12 play has started and it’s not like that’s a power conference right now. Iowa State, Houston, Arizona and Texas Tech are the top dogs in the conference, but aside from Houston, every other team doesn’t feel as dominant.
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers have done this each of the past two seasons. They stormed into the AP poll after monstrous, early season wins. Yet, when it comes to one of the weakest conferences in college basketball, they lose games they’re not supposed to.
Memphis is a good team, don’t get me wrong. But you never know which team you’re going to get. Are you going to get the team that knocked off both Michigan State and UConn at the Maui Invitational? Or are you getting the team that loses to teams like Arkansas State, Temple and Wichita State? That’s why I would hesitate to buy into Memphis. They have some good wins; they also have some bad losses. They’re one of those teams that should make it out of the first weekend and end up losing their first-round game.
Kentucky Wildcats
It’s hard to get a read on the Kentucky Wildcats. When conference play began, they were one of the top teams in the SEC. Yet since, they’ve taken a back seat to the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida and even Texas A&M.
The Wildcats have lost some games recently they shouldn’t have, including a loss to Texas. They have five conference losses in the last eight games. That doesn’t give me confidence that Mark Pope can get this team on an NCAA Tournament run.
It’s possible — especially if they catch fire in the SEC tournament. But it’s more likely Kentucky bows out early rather than make a surprise run. They dropped to No. 17 after the loss to Texas and are on the fringe of getting booted out of the AP top 25.