A shake-up is imminent Monday within the AP High 25 school basketball rankings after a chaotic week within the sport that noticed the No. 2, No. 6 and No. 9 groups all take losses to lower-ranked groups. No. 2 Alabama was the highest-ranked crew to stumble final week, falling quick Friday to Purdue inside rowdy Mackey Arena, which is mirrored within the ranks under projecting how we expect the newest AP ballot shakes out Monday. However Duke and Arizona additionally slipped final week as favorites, and are projected to tumble out of the highest 10 because of this.
So let’s try to untangle the mess that was within the house under.
This shall be a weekly protected house for us to guess how we expect AP voters will react to the outcomes of the week, making it in fact completely different from Gary Parrish’s day by day Top 25 And 1 rankings and completely different than my weekly Power Rankings. That is all about bearing in mind all the season’s physique of labor, factoring within the final week since the latest AP High 25 ballot, after which making an attempt to interrupt into the mind of voters to guess how we expect the upcoming ballot Monday will look.
Our greatest guess is under — with a well-known identify remaining at No. 1.
1. Kansas (Final week — 1): Kansas has not been the very best crew in school basketball this season however it has not finished sufficient to warrant being got rid of the No. 1 spot within the rankings after starting the 12 months there. Wins over Michigan State and Oakland this week saved it unbeaten at 4-0.
2. UConn (3): The back-to-back champs are 3-0 on the season with a scoring margin of 38.7 ppg — which ranks third nationally. The schedule has been mushy, however the Huskies have been forceful of their efforts so far. They transfer as much as take Alabama’s earlier spot at No. 2.
3. Gonzaga (4): Gonzaga doubled-up UMass Lowell 113-54 in its solely outing of the week. The Zags needs to be No. 3 heading into an enormous Monday evening assembly on the highway vs. San Diego State.
4. Auburn (5): The Tigers ranked No. 1 in my debut Power Rankings of the season last week, however I am skeptical voters shall be fairly as excessive on Auburn as me. This appears like the appropriate spot for them proper now coming off a 23-point dwelling drubbing of Kent State.
5. Iowa State (7): One other win by 25+ over a crew it was favored to win massive over would not transfer the needle a lot for Iowa State, however it does transfer up two spots after Alabama and Duke tumbled this week. The Cyclones have IU Indy on Monday earlier than a doozy the next Monday vs. Auburn.
6. Houston (8): The No. 1-ranked protection in adjusted effectivity margin at KenPom.com belongs to the Cougars, who bounced again from a troublesome loss to Auburn with a 91-45 beatdown at dwelling vs. Louisiana this week.
7. Purdue (13): Hellllllllooooooooooo, Boilermakers, and welcome to the highest 10! Voters had been proper to be skeptical of this crew’s ceiling after Zach Edey moved on to the NBA, however voters ought to now acknowledge the apparent after Purdue downed Bama 87-78 on Friday: this crew very a lot stays a contender regardless of shedding Edey with Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn operating the present.
8. Alabama (2): It is arduous to ascertain voters penalizing Alabama an excessive amount of after shedding on the highway — at Mackey Enviornment! — to a Purdue crew that clearly is best than its rating instructed. The Tide ought to fall under the Boilermakers, and one spot under them looks as if an affordable response to latest outcomes.
9. Kentucky (19): Coach Mark Pope and his Kentucky crew made a press release this week in defeating No. 6 Duke within the Champions Basic 77-72. The Wildcats needs to be in rivalry to maneuver into the highest 10 after that outcome, which moved them to 3-0 on the season.
10. North Carolina (10): UNC gained 107-55 in its lone outing of the week over American. The Tar Heels’ solely loss on the early season stays towards No. 1 Kansas.
11. Tennessee (11): Two video games this week as heavy favorites resulted in two massive wins for Tennessee over Montana and Austin Peay. The Vols get Virginia on Thursday within the Bahamas.
12. Duke (6): How far will voters push Duke down? We’ll see. My hunch is the Blue Devils fall out of the highest 10 after its 77-72 loss to No. 19 Kentucky on Tuesday within the Champions Basic. The Blue Devils should not fall a lot additional, although. They’re 3-1 on the 12 months and already again on monitor after an 86-35 win at dwelling Saturday vs. Wofford.
13. Baylor (12): The Bears had an ideal 2-0 week after simply downing two fellow Texas colleges in Sam Houston State (104-67) on Tuesday and Tarleton State (104-41) on Sunday to enhance to 3-1 on the season. Baylor has been rolling after its season-opening loss at Gonzaga.
14. Creighton (14): Not but dealing with a crew ranked inside the highest 200 of KenPom’s rankings is what’s holding the Bluejays from shifting up, however they don’t seem to be shifting down given what they’ve finished in these video games. Creighton is 4-0 and has gained by a mean of greater than 24.0 factors in these outings.
15. Indiana (16): I will be watching ballots intently Monday to see how voters rank Indiana and whether or not or not they’re nonetheless sleeping on the Hoosiers. An 87-71 win over South Carolina at dwelling Saturday was one other checkpoint crossed for IU, they usually’ve constantly regarded good this season.
16. Arizona (9): Perhaps seven spots is an excessive amount of of a punishment for a highway loss to an unranked Wisconsin crew. However this feels about proper. The Wildcats’ protection is once more a query mark regardless of an incredible offense.
17. Marquette (15): Kentucky and Indiana shifting up within the ballot means a deserving Marquette crew will get an undeserved bump down two spots regardless of an enormous highway win vs. Maryland. Curious to see how voters method this — and would wager Duke and/or Arizona falling under Marquette may be a choice they wrestle with.
18. Florida (20): The Gators handed their first powerful check of the season with an 87-72 highway win at Florida State on Friday to enhance to 4-0. Their offense is firing on all cylinders led by their veteran-laden backcourt of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin.
19. Cincinnati (17): Cincinnati falls two spots within the rankings this week partly due to its mushy nonconference schedule that makes it arduous to gauge its bona fides. The Bearcats dominated a hapless Nicholls crew of their solely recreation of the final week 86-49.
20. Arkansas (18): A 65-49 dwelling win over Troy needs to be sufficient to maintain Arkansas someplace within the prime 20 this week regardless of the noise surrounding different groups round this spot within the ballot from final week.
21. St. John’s (22): Rick Pitino and St. John’s took down Richard Pitino and New Mexico on Sunday 85-71 to remain unbeaten on the 12 months. The Purple Storm have an enormous one upcoming Thursday vs. Baylor within the Bahamas.
22. Texas A&M (23): Texas A&M defeated No. 21 Ohio State at dwelling Friday 78-64 and needs to be on the climb Monday when the following rankings drop. The Aggies dropped their season-opener vs. UCF on the highway however have responded nicely the final two weeks.
23. Rutgers (24): Wins over Saint Peter’s and Monmouth by 10 and 17 factors, respectively, is not more likely to transfer voters a method or one other on the Scarlet Knights. They’re 3-0 and ranked correctly proper now within the mid 20s.
24. Ole Miss (25): Chris Beard’s Rebels are 4-0 on the season and will proceed to be ranked come Monday.
25. Texas Tech (NR): I am hopeful voters see simply how good Texas Tech has been towards inferior opponents this season and rank the Purple Raiders, although I might perceive if we wait till they face some actual competitors. Their 96-49 win over Wyoming on Wednesday barely even registered as a wow after successful by 21 and 33 factors within the two video games prior.
Projected to drop out: No. 21 Ohio State
