CBS Sports shakes up Top 25 and 1 after Kentucky falls to Florida, marquee Wednesday matchups
The latest Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings from Gary Parrish of CBS Sports have been released following a wild night of hoops on Wednesday. Kentucky was upset by Florida at home, dropping its second contest in three games.
Elsewhere, Purdue needed overtime to survive against Northwestern in a game that saw Wildcats coach Chris Collins get ejected down the stretch. Here’s the full Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings from Parrish:
1. Purdue
Purdue wasn’t at its best during Wednesday night’s game against Northwestern. The Boilermakers missed 17 free throws and allowed Northwestern to shoot 52 percent from 3-point range, as the Wildcats nearly pulled off the upset.
Wildcats guards Ty Berry and Boo Buie combined to make 13 of 20 3-pointers, as the Wildcats had no problem scoring on the Boilermakers. Purdue has some work to do on both sides of the ball before a huge game at Wisconsin on Sunday.
2. UConn
UConn led by only one at the half on Wednesday against Providence but eventually pulled away for a 74-65 victory. The Huskies have now won nine straight games and appear to be serious contenders to repeat as college basketball national champions.
Part of what makes UConn so hard to guard is the fact that the Huskies have five players who average in double figures. On Wednesday it was Stephon Castle who led the way with 20 points. Up next, UConn plays at St. John’s on Saturday.
3. Houston
Houston escaped with a huge win at Texas earlier this week, earning its fifth straight victory after dropping back-to-back games in early January. The Cougars haven’t been tested the way the other top teams in college basketball have as Kelvin Sampson’s club has yet to face a top-20 team this year.
That is about to change, though, as Houston will play Kansas Saturday night in Lawrence in one of the biggest college basketball games of the weekend. A road win over the Jayhawks would go a long way towards showing that Houston is ready to compete for a spot in the Final 4, as well as for a national title.
4. Wisconsin
Wisconsin currently sits at the top of the Big Ten standings with an 8-1 record, but things are about to get a lot tougher. The Badgers have a huge two-game stretch coming up, beginning Thursday at Nebraska.
Wisconsin then comes home to face Purdue. First place in the Big Ten will be on the line in that matchup, regardless of what happens Thursday night. The Badgers play excellent defense, don’t turn the ball over and can score in a variety of ways. Not a ton was expected from Wisconsin in the preseason, but the Badgers just continue to win.
5. North Carolina
The Tar Heels suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds at Georgia Tech earlier this week, but they’ll quickly move past that if they can find a way to beat rival Duke on Saturday. Duke and UNC have separated themselves as the class of the ACC, and the two bluebloods will meet for the first time this season on Saturday.
Even with the loss to the Yellow Jackets, North Carolina enters the game having gone 10-1 in its last 11 games. Duke has had some scares recently, but the Blue Devils are 11-1 in their past 12 games. Saturday’s showdown should be another classic game in the rivalry.
6. Iowa State
Iowa State earned its biggest win of the season over the weekend, knocking off a top-10 Kansas squad for a huge Big 12 victory. The Cyclones are one of three teams in the Big 12 with only two losses, joining Houston and Texas Tech.
Iowa State has some massive games in the Lone Star State coming up. Iowa State will play at Baylor on Saturday, before traveling to Texas on Tuesday. The Cyclones are dangerous, thanks in part to a balanced scoring attack. Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic each average between 13 and 14 points per game.
7. Kansas
Right behind Iowa State is a Kansas team that gave the Cyclones all they wanted over the weekend. Kansas lost by four in a game where a flagrant foul on Parker Braun and technical foul on Bill Self late in the first half might have been the difference.
Kansas isn’t the deepest team in the country, but the Jayhawks have a scary one-two punch with Kevin McCullar Jr. averaging 19.8 points per game and Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson not far behind at 18.7. Kansas also has a coach in Bill Self who knows how to win come tournament time.
8. Tennessee
The Vols suffered an ugly home loss to South Carolina earlier this week, falling 63-59 to the Gamecocks. South Carolina is one of the most improved teams in college basketball and is an excellent defensive team, but the lack of scoring by the Vols is still concerning.
Dalton Knecht led the way for Tennessee in scoring against South Carolina with 31 points. No one else scored more than 10. Outside of Knecht, Tennessee was 2 of 13 from 3-point range. The Vols have a big opportunity for a bounce back win on Saturday at Kentucky, but they’re going to need others to step up around Knecht on the offensive side of the floor.
9. Utah State
The Aggies have quietly put together an incredible season under first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle. Utah State sits at 19-2 (7-1) after an 82-61 win over San Jose State earlier this week.
Up next for the Aggies is a tough test at San Diego State on Saturday. Utah State is starting to get more attention and is sure to get everyone’s best shot over the last month of the season. However, with the way Great Osobor is playing it might not matter. The junior leads the Aggies with an average of 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
10. Marquette
Marquette has rebounded nicely after dropping back-to-back games in early January. The Golden Eagles have won five straight games, with three more winnable games coming up against Georgetown, St. John’s and Butler.
Should Marquette win those three it would set up a huge college basketball matchup with top-ranked UConn on Feb. 17. Marquette played a tough nonconference schedule that included games against Illinois, Kansas, Purdue and Texas. The hope for the Golden Eagles is that those early tough matchups will pay off come NCAA Tournament time.
CBS Sports college basketball 11-26 Rankings
11. Duke
12. Dayton
13. Creighton
14. Arizona
15. South Carolina
16. Baylor
17. Auburn
18. BYU
19. Illinois
20. Alabama
21. TCU
22. Texas Tech
23. Oklahoma
24. Colorado State
25. Ole Miss
26. Indiana State