I took a few weeks off from my top-25 for the holidays, but have been keeping up with games as much as I can. As SEC play tips off, I don’t get as much time to watch games around the rest of the country, but that’s what Twitter and all the wonderful websites such as KenPom are for.
Over the last few weeks, the main thing I’ve noticed is that Gonzaga and Baylor seem to be even more alone at the top as the best teams in college basketball, and the Big 12 and Big 10 have already started to devour each other as both leagues look to be pretty deep. The ACC certainly looks to be having a down year and the SEC is hard to fully evaluate right now with the league having pure chaos in the first few league games.
I have a new system for tracking teams and will use it to base a lot of my decisions. As the year goes on, I find that a lot of people get sucked into the most recent games and put a little too much weight on recent results sometimes. Because of this, and because I generally like objective data as much as possible, I’m going to use these metrics in my post as well as the basis for my thought process.
I use KenPom as my starting point and keep track of the top-50 overall teams and a few others as I see fit. A key win in my rankings is defined as a top-50 win at home, a top-75 win on a neutral court, or a top-100 win on the road. I will try to record all losses for now, but will also denote bad losses when necessary and those are just the opposite of the good wins. For instance, if a team loses to a team not in the top-50 at home, then it’s a “bad” loss. Same for a loss to a team outside of the top-100 anywhere.
1. Gonzaga (10-0)
Key Wins:
- Kansas on a neutral court by 12
- Auburn on a neutral court by 23
- West Virginia on a neutral court by 5
- Iowa on a neutral court by 11
- Virginia on a neutral court by 23
Losses: None
2. Baylor (9-0)
Key Wins:
- Illinois on a neutral court by 13
- Iowa State on the road by 11
Losses: None
3. Villanova (8-1)
Key Wins:
- Arizona State on a neutral court by 9
- Texas on the road by 4
- Marquette on the road by 17
Losses:
- Virginia Tech on a neutral court by 8 in OT
4. Texas (8-1)
Key Wins:
- Davidson on a neutral court by 2
- Indiana on a neutral court by 22
- North Carolina on a neutral court by 2
- Oklahoma State at home by 3
- Kansas on the road by 25
Losses:
- Villanova at home by 4
5. Iowa (9-2)
Key Wins:
- North Carolina at home by 13
- Purdue at home by 15
- Rutgers on the road by 2
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 11
- Minnesota on the road by 7 in OT
6. Houston (7-1)
Key Wins:
- Texas Tech on a neutral court by 11
- UCF on the road by 9
Losses:
- Tulsa on the road by 1
7. Illinois (8-3)
Key Wins:
- Duke on the road by 15
- Minnesota at home by 27
- Penn State on the road by 17
- Indiana at home by 9
- Purdue at home by 11
Losses:
- Baylor on a neutral court by 13
- Missouri on the road by 3
- Rutgers on the road by 3
8. Michigan (8-0)
Key Wins:
- Penn State at home by 4
- Maryland on the road by 11
Losses: None
9. Wisconsin (9-2)
Key Wins:
- Loyola Chicago at home by 14
- Michigan State on the road by 9
- Minnesota at home by 12
Losses:
- Marquette on the road by 2
- Maryland at home by 6
10. Tennessee (7-1)
Key Wins:
- Colorado at home by 9
- Missouri on the road by 20
Losses:
- Alabama at home by 8
11. Kansas (8-2)
Key Wins:
- Kentucky on a neutral court by 3
- Creighton at home by 1
- Texas Tech on the road by 1
- West Virginia at home by 14
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 12
- Texas at home by 25
12. Clemson (8-1)
Key Wins:
- Mississippi State on a neutral court by 11
- Purdue on a neutral court by 11
- Maryland at home by 16
- Alabama on a neutral court by 8
- Florida State at home by 10
- Miami on the road by 1
Losses:
- Virginia Tech on the road by 6
13. Creighton (8-2)
Key Wins:
- St. Johns on the road by 18
- Connecticut on the road by 2 in 2OT
- Providence on the road by 2
Losses:
- Kansas on the road by 1
- Marquette at home by 5
14. Minnesota (9-2)
Key Wins:
- Saint Louis at home by 8
- Iowa at home by 7 in OT
- Ohio State at home by 17
Losses:
- Illinois on the road by 27
- Wisconsin on the road by 12
15. Missouri (7-1)
Key Wins:
- Oregon on a neutral court by 8
- Wichita State on the road by 10
- Illinois at home by 3
- Arkansas on the road by 13
Losses:
- Tennessee at home by 20
16. Rutgers (7-2)
Key Wins:
- Syracuse at home by 10
- Maryland on the road by 14
- Illinois at home by 3
- Purdue at home by 5
Losses:
- Ohio State on the road by 12
- Iowa at home by 2
17. Oregon (8-1)
Key Wins:
- Seton Hall on a neutral court by 13
- Stanford at home by 17
Losses:
- Missouri on a neutral court by 8
18. West Virginia (8-3)
Key Wins:
- VCU on a neutral court by 12
- Richmond at home by 16
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 5
- Kansas on the road by 14
- Oklahoma on the road by 4
19. Virginia Tech (8-1)
Key Wins:
- Villanova on a neutral court by 8 in OT
- Clemson at home by 6
Losses:
- Penn State at home by 20
20. Florida (5-1)
Key Wins:
- LSU at home by 4
Losses:
- Florida State on the road by 12
21. Ohio State (8-2)
Key Wins:
- Notre Dame on the road by 5
- UCLA at home by 7
- Rutgers at home by 12
Losses:
- Purdue on the road by 7
- Northwestern on the road by 1
- Minnesota on the road by 17
22. Arizona (9-1)
Key Wins:
- Colorado at home by 14
Losses:
- Stanford on the road by 3
23. Saint Louis (7-1)
Key Wins:
- LSU at home by 4
- NC State at home by 11
Losses:
- Minnesota on the road by 8
24. Oklahoma State (7-2)
Key Wins:
- Marquette on the road by 8
- Wichita State on the road by 3
- Texas Tech on the road by 5 in OT
Losses:
- TCU at home by 1
- Texas on the road by 3
25. Louisville (7-1)
Key Wins:
- Seton Hall at home by 1
- Pittsburgh on the road by 10
- Kentucky at home by 3
Losses:
- Wisconsin on the road by 27
Also Under Consideration (Alphabetical)
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky , Loyola Chicago, LSU, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, San Diego State, Seton Hall, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, and Virginia