CBS Sports shakes up latest Top 25 and 1 after three ranked teams fall Wednesday
At this point in the college basketball season, there is a clearer and clearer picture of what teams are the best in the country and where every team stands. With that, CBS Sports has continued to update its Top 25 and 1 rankings, this time following a Wednesday that saw three ranked teams fall.
These are the rankings of Gary Parrish and he had a lot to consider after Wednesday’s slate of games. That included a major matchup between teams ranked at the top of the SEC, an upset in Big Ten play, and another ranked Big East team went down. With that, the rankings got a shake up from the last time they were updated.
So, here is a look at where CBS thinks the Top 25 teams, plus one more, rank at this point in the season.
1. Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue has consistently sat atop the rankings this season. That, obviously, includes the CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1 rankings. Nothing has changed this week and with no weekday game, it doesn’t seem likely to until the Boilermakers actually lose another game.
Heading into next week, Purdue is getting ready for a set of home games against Indiana and Minnesota. With a 10-2 record in Big Ten play, Purdue is first in the Big Ten conference standings. Late in the season, the Boilermakers are now looking to build on that lead ahead of the conference tournament.
2. UConn Huskies
Defending national champions UConn Huskies are actually ranked first in the current AP Poll. Despite that, they’re only second in these rankings from CBS Sports. This comes after the Huskies have won 11 games in a row and have been dominating Big East play.
With eight games left in the regular season, the Huskies are looking to lock up a Big East regular season title. With a conference record of 11-1, that’s seeming more and more likely. If there is a contender to knock off the Huskies, it would be Marquette, at 8-3 in Big East play with two games against one another coming up at the end of the season.
3. Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars have won six of their last seven games, with their one loss being a tough one on the road against the Kansas Jayhawks. Since that game, the Cougars got back on track with a win over Oklahoma State. That win helped keep Houston ranked in the top three of CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1.
The Big 12 has proven itself to be an incredibly tough conference this season and road games are always going to be tough. Given everything Houston has done this season, it’s clear the Cougars are still one of the top teams in the conference, especially since they’re still at the top of the Big 12 standings.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee earned an impressive win over Kentucky last week. Since then, the Volunteers have kept it going, earning a big win over LSU. With that, Tennessee has found itself ranked as one of the top teams in the country, according to CBS Sports.
As of now, Tennessee is only fourth in the SEC standings, which is really a credit to how competitive the conference is at the top. Still, tests against the likes of Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, and South Carolina in the future should give the Volunteers a shot to win the SEC during the regular season.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette is the first team to move up in these rankings from CBS Sports, with every previous team standing firm in their previous ranking. The Golden Eagles are also the second Big East team ranked in the top five of the rankings, behind only UConn. Still, with two games against UConn left, Marquette is going to be able to make up the difference.
Marquette doesn’t have any regular season games this week. Still, the Golden Eagles have won six games in a row now and have another game on Saturday when the Golden Eagles host St. John’s.
6. North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels fell in the CBS Sports’ rankings earlier in the week, when they lost to Clemson on Tuesday night. However, the Tar Heels are moving back up in the rankings again. After all, this is a well respected and veteran team.
Even with the loss to Clemson, North Carolina is still first in the ACC’s regular season standings, with a slight lead over Virginia. A big part of that was North Carolina’s recent win over rival Duke. Next Saturday, North Carolina will look to bounce back from that Clemson game against Miami.
7. Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas has had an up and down couple of games. After beating Houston in a massive game, the Jayhawks followed that up with a loss to rival Kansas State. Since then, Kansas hasn’t had another chance to play and earn a bounce back win. That will change Saturday, though, with a home test against Baylor.
The Jayhawks are fourth in the Big 12 standings with a 6-4 record in conference play. At the same time, in an incredibly competitive conference, Kansas is more than capable of winning the Big 12 regular season and is in a good position for postseason play.
8. Dayton Flyers
Dayton has had an excellent season and CBS Sports is recognizing that with this ranking as the Flyers continue to have tons of success in the Atlantic-10. That includes a recent three-game winning streak that saw Dayton beat Saint Joseph’s most recently.
Still, it’s a tight race at the top of the A-10. At 9-1 in conference play, Dayton is first in the conference, which is only slightly ahead of Richmond, a team that has already beaten Dayton this season and has an 8-1 conference record this season. There are just eight games left in the regular season for Dayton and without another game against Richmond, every game is going to matter.
9. Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats are coming in ninth in the CBS Sports rankings while sitting at first in the Pac-12 standings with an 8-3 record. Recently, Arizona has gotten a boost by winning five of its last six games. Still, Arizona has little room for more conference losses in the second half of conference play.
On Thursday night, Arizona is going to be back in action against Utah. The Utes are only two games back in their own right, making this both an important and tricky matchup during the last season for the Pac-12 in its current makeup.
10. Baylor Bears
The Baylor Bears round out the current top 10 in the CBS Sports rankings. The Bears are also the only new team in the top 10 after Wisconsin fell to 14th after getting upset on Wednesday night. After three wins in a row, including against two ranked opponents, it’s easy to see why Baylor took this spot.
Baylor is currently 6-3 in the Big 12 standings. That puts the Bears in a tie for second place, tied with Iowa State and only a little behind Houston in a wide open Big 12 race. Next up, the Bears have an excellent chance to make a statement against Kansas on Saturday.
11. Auburn
12. Iowa State
13. South Carolina
14. Wisconsin
15. Duke
16. Illinois
17. Alabama
18. Colorado State
19. San Diego State
20. Oklahoma
21. Indiana State
22. FAU
23. New Mexico
24. BYU
25. Saint Mary’s
26. Virginia