The non-conference portion of the college basketball season is winding down, with just two weeks left before most teams shift into conference play to make a move towards March Madness. There are some statement games left to be played, including a massive slate on Saturday with plenty of marquee matchups, most of the work teams can do to enhance their resumes outside of their leagues is done.
Some teams have blown their opportunities, like Kentucky tumbling out of the polls by failing to win its first four games against ranked foes, while others like UConn have taken advantage of their windows. The No. 5 Huskies did good work this week, beating No. 18 Florida at the Jimmy V Classic and toppling Texas on Friday night to wrap up their fifth win against a power conference opponent, setting themselves up for a high seed if they can do good work in Big East play.
How will the Huskies' strong week impact their position in the new AP Top 25 poll? Read on to look at the projected rankings for Week 7 with detailed analysis of some of the biggest games from Week 6 below.
Projected AP Top 25 Rankings After UConn Tops Florida In The Jimmy V Classic
1. Arizona Wildcats
2. Michigan Wolverines
3. Iowa State Cyclones
4. UConn Huskies
5. Duke Blue Devils
6. Purdue Boilermakers
7. Houston Cougars
8. Gonzaga Bulldogs
9. Michigan State Spartans
10. BYU Cougars
11. Louisville Cardinals
12. North Carolina Tar Heels
13. Vanderbilt Commodores
14. Arkansas Razorbacks
15. Alabama Crimson Tide
16. Kansas Jayhawks
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers
18. Illinois Fighting Illini
19. Texas Tech Red Raiders
20. St. John's Red Storm
21. Auburn Tigers
22. Tennessee Volunteers
23. Florida Gators
24. Virginia Cavaliers
25. Georgia Bulldogs
UConn handles Florida at The Jimmy V Classic
Even though this was considered a neutral site game, any time UCONN takes the floor at Madison Square Garden it is close to a road game for the opposition. Florida put up a game effort on Tuesday in a matchup of the last three national champions but the Huskies had too much firepower, winning 77-73 as three different Huskies scored in double figures, highlighted by Solo Ball's 19 that tied Florida's Xavian Lee for the game high.
The defeat dropped the reigning champs to 5-4 on the season with all four losses coming by six points or less. The fact that Florida is close to winning many of these games is encouraging as Todd Golden tries to mix his new roster together, which could prove helpful in a weaker SEC, while UCONN is primed to dominate a weak Big East thanks to its strong prep work outside the league.
Arizona adds another ranked win to its ledger
There has been an argument that No. 2 Michigan's sheer dominance should put them atop the polls, but No. 1 Arizona has held the top spot thanks to its impressive stack of victories against ranked opponents. The Wildcats added a fifth ranked victory with a strong comeback effort, rallying from a halftime deficit to beat No. 12 Alabama 96-75 in Birmingham to improve to 9-0 on the year.
It was impressive to watch Arizona reach another gear in the second half, outscoring a high-powered Crimson Tide attack 57-34 after intermission. On a night when Koa Peat had a quiet effort, fellow freshman Brayden Burries stepped up with 28 points, showcasing the Wildcats' depth as they have established themselves as the team to beat in what should be a stacked Big 12.
Nebraska Remains unbeaten after upsetting Illinois
The only power conference team without an NCAA Tournament win is No. 23 Nebraska, a fact that has bothered head coach Fred Hoibert immensely. The Cornhuskers turned a March Madness snub last year into motivation to win The Crown in Las Vegas and haven't lost since, racking up their 15th consecutive victory on Saturday with a quality 83-80 victory at No. 13 Illinois thanks to a buzzer-beater from Jamarques Lawrence.
Earning a road win against a ranked Big Ten school will be a valuable resume boost for Nebraska, which is off to an 11-0 start that includes wins over Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas State, Creighton and Wisconsin, with the first three of those coming on neutral floors. Expect a big jump in the polls for the Cornhuskers, who have two winnable buy games left in 2025 before diving into the meat of Big Ten play on Jan. 2 with a road trip to No. 9 Michigan State.
Kansas holds off NC State in overtime
Even though Darryn Peterson's hamstring started acting up late for No. 19 Kansas, forcing him out of the contest for good with 2:30 left in the second half, the Jayhawks' experience without him proved valuable in a road game against NC State. Kansas gutted out a road win, escaping with a 77-76 victory on the strength of a 36-point day from Melvin Council II, who hit 9-of-15 threes in the victory.
The result was another disappointment early in Will Wade's tenure as head coach of the Wolfpack, who have lost all four of their games against power conference foes while surrendering at least 11 made threes in three of those games. A game against Ole Miss doesn't offer much help to NC State's resume, meaning they will need to do the majority of their work inside the ACC (which isn't a bad thing this year with the league bouncing back) to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
Gonzaga survives a test from UCLA
Most of this season has seen No. 8 Gonzaga blowing out strong teams, with the one exception being a 40-point beatdown by Michigan at the Player's Era Festival final where nothing went right for Mark Few's team. Seeing the Bulldogs tested against No. 25 UCLA on Saturday night and emerge with a 10-point victory is solid work for Gonzaga, which hasn't had to try too hard most of the time aside from a 10-point victory over Alabama earlier in the Player's Era Festival.
UCLA will drop out of the polls after this week, which is disappointing for them since a signature victory slipped through their fingers. All 3 of the Bruins' losses outside of league play have been of the power conference variety, with a loss to Cal potentially being problematic if the Golden Bears can't sustain their strong start in ACC play, and failing to beat Arizona State this week would leave UCLA without a signature non-conference victory to tie their resume to in March.