CBS Sports updates Top 25 and 1 after 4 ranked teams lost on Tuesday
Gary Parish of CBS Sports has updated his College Basketball Top 25 And 1 following yet another chaotic day of results across the sport.
North Carolina fell for the third straight Tuesday to an unranked foe, while Baylor and Wisconsin rebounded for wins. Overall, the week to date has featured a slew of upsets and impressive performances involving these top ranked teams. To read up on the latest with each of the top 10 teams, go ahead and read below.
You can also view the entire updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 here:
1. Purdue
It’s a shame, a real shame, that 2023-24 Purdue will almost certainly be solely judged on how they perform in next month’s NCAA Tournament. Somehow, another dominant regular season has only increased the need for a March Madness run — and not just a run to the second weekend or Elite Eight. Matt Painter needs to get this core to a Final Four at the bare minimum. If they don’t, it’s an utter collapse and another major disappointment.
That’s all because Purdue was the No. 1 overall seed last year, lost in the first round of course, but are now back and even better. Zach Edey won National Player of the Year without virtually any competition and he’s set to do the same this season. Then, Purdue returned practically every player of note and then added their most dynamic perimeter player in Lance Jones. Heck, the Boilermakers have the best center of the 21st century and shoot over 40% from three as a team with just two losses — both to teams who shot 50% or better from 3. Painter has college hoops’ dominant team, no doubt. But the question is whether he can get the monkey off his back come St. Patrick’s Day.
2. UConn
Huskies fans may take offense to the penultimate sentence of the Purdue section, because UConn has arguably put together as impressive a resume so far this season and have a fair claim to No. 1, plus are the current reigning champs. This 2023-24 group is off to a far better start than the 2023 title-winners, as Dan Hurley’s guys are just hammering one Big East foe after another.
Connecticut is currently riding a winning streak of a dozen games which includes five quad one victories, and only two of the 12 came by one possession or less. At this same time last season, UConn already had seven conference losses before rolling off 12 wins out of 13 the rest of the way through April. If it’s not Purdue, UConn is the easy other title bet. And history tells us that you’re really wasting your time looking for true championship contenders outside of this top two.
3. Houston
Behind Purdue and UConn sits Houston in a tier of its own. Analytically, the case is there to be made that the Cougars belong right up with the Huskies and Boilermakers to form a triumvirate of top contenders. As we’ve outlined in past updates, Houston does have a historically great defense, but the offense and shooting numbers specifically leave a bit to be desired.
The problem really is that UH doesn’t have a single knock-down shooter. With Purdue, five of their six shooters to take 25+ 3s are shooting north of 40%, where Houston has zero such players on their entire roster. In fact, not a single Cougar has made better than 37.2% of their triples, which is lead scorer LJ Cryer’s mark right now. As we’ve watched over and over again the last few years, it’s a team with great shot-makers who often cuts down the nets. Not saying it’s impossible for Houston, certainly given their defense and rebounding, but things could get bogged down for UH on offense as they advance to later rounds.
4. Marquette
Since leaving Texas, Shaka Smart has completely flipped the script on his perception as a head coach. Actually, thinking about it, maybe he hasn’t changed everyone’s minds about him yet, but the dude has flat-out produced at Marquette. What’s so impressive is that he’s winning in different ways each year.
In his first season with the Golden Eagles, Marquette made a return to the Big Dance behind a chaotic and high-tempo approach that landed them as many puzzling losses as huge wins. Then, last season, Marquette was a top offensive team who nearly set history with their efficiency inside the arc (made 58% of their 2s). In 2023-24, Marquette has become a defensive force with similar personnel to a poor defensive team a year ago — all while maintaining an upper-echelon offense commanded by point guard and likely All-American Tyler Kolek. Texas may not have worked out, but there’s reason to believe the 46-year-old Smart is hitting his stride as a head coach.
5. Arizona
There was about a one-month stretch where Arizona took its lumps, going 6-5 during a particularly tough stretch of schedule from mid-December through late January. But in February, the Wildcats have returned to form and have a path to a one-seed given their remaining schedule.
Tommy Lloyd’s group has already rolled off five straight victories and there’s plenty of reason to believe they could double that streak going forward as the Wildcats have four of their next five at home. They’ll face Arizona State, Washington State and Washington all in a row at home, then hit the road to face ASU before coming back home to face Oregon. KenPom has the ‘Cats as a favorite of 12+ points in each of those contests.
6. Tennessee
In an odd turn of events, Tennessee is currently fourth place in the SEC with arguably its two toughest games remaining down the line, all while they’re still very likely to be the highest-seeded SEC team in the NCAA Tournament. But that’s life on the basketball court in their conference nowadays.
The Volunteers are simply rowing steadily along, avoiding bad losses (even South Carolina at home has turned into a very respectable defeat) while still padding up their resume with quality wins over Alabama, Florida and on the road vs. Kentucky. The Vols do catch a break the next few weeks, though, as they face the three worst teams in the SEC in a row before returning home to face Texas A&M. These guys are only fixing to climb higher.
7. Baylor
Baylor has steadied out since a roller-coaster start in Big 12 play. They won three in a row all by single digits, then lost three in a row… all by single digits. However, since that 3-3 start to the conference slate, Scott Drew’s club are winners in four of five with the lone loss by three points at Kansas.
As is typically the case with the Big 12, Baylor’s road only grows tougher. A trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia represents their easiest remaining game, before, in a row, the Bears face: BYU on the road, Houston at home, TCU on the road, Kansas and Texas at home, and then Texas Tech on the road. You could argue that’s six coin flip games for BU.
8. Iowa State
Iowa State entered Big 12 play 11-2 as analytical darlings but without a single top-50 KenPom win, lending major doubt that the Cyclones were as stout as their metrics suggested. Turns out that beating the snot out of bad teams is a sign of a pretty good one, as ISU has only played even better statistically since beginning league play.
TJ Otzelberger has this team in first place in the Big 12 standings as of this writing, tied at 8-3 with Houston, who they beat in Ames back in early January. Plus, many of the toughest tests are in the rearview, as Iowa State toppled the Cougars (who they do play again), swept TCU, beat Kansas at home, and won at Texas. The Cyclones are Bart Torvik’s No. 4 team in the country analytically since the start of conference play, and the results + eye test only back that up further.
9. North Carolina
North Carolina exploded out of the gate with nine straight wins to start ACC play. But as of late, the Tar Heels have run into some midweek road bumps now having lost three of five.
Tuesday has not been a kind day to Hubert Davis‘ program, as UNC has now lost on the last three Tuesdays and are now 1-4 on that day of the week vs. 18-2 on all others. Plus, the losses came against Georgia Tech on the road, Clemson at home, and at Syracuse — none of which are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. So, is Davis hitting the panic button after the rough run? Not yet, but the Tar Heels are in the thick of a brutal stretch.
10. Kansas
You know who else is in the thick of a brutal string of bad breaks? Bill Self and Kansas. The Jayhawks just lost by 29 points this week at Texas Tech after welcoming their starting point guard back from injury while also missing their best player and likely All-American Kevin McCullar.
Since thumping Houston on their home court to re-declare this group as yet another Big 12 favorite, KU has stumbled back to the middle of the pack in the league standings at just 7-5, and their path to Bill Self’s 18th Big 12 title in Lawrence is quickly muddying up. Either way, with their resume in the non-conference and several huge victories in league play, Kansas is unlikely to fall off the top three (or even two) seed lines.
CBS Sports 11-25 Rankings
11. South Carolina
12. Duke
13. Dayton
14. Auburn
15. Alabama
16. Illinois
17. San Diego State
18. Wisconsin
19. Washington State
20. Colorado State
21. Oklahoma
22. BYU
23. Creighton
24. Saint Mary’s
25. Clemson
26. Utah State
Look at South Carolina just continue to climb, now leaping over Duke and ahead of Auburn and Alabama as the second-highest SEC team. Frankly, given the Gamecocks’ standing as first place in the SEC and with a 21-3 overall record plus a win AT Tennessee, it’s hard to fathom their resume isn’t deserving of a top-five spot in various polls and in NCAA Tournament discussions. But as Lamont Paris has said, if Carolina continues to keep taking care of business, those sorts of things will work themselves out.