It was a nice change of pace to see some high-level non-conference matchups in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, with the SEC taking the narrow win but several teams, including Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas Tech getting important wins.
Speaking of Oklahoma, the Sooners continued their hot streak with wins over Texas and Alabama this week which vaults them into my top-15.
There were just two new teams this week, Florida and Virginia Tech, with everyone else just making movements up and down within my rankings.
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 in 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 in italics 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. Baylor (16-0)
Key Wins:
- Illinois on a neutral court by 13
- Oklahoma at home by 15
- TCU on the road by 18
- Texas Tech at home by on the road by 8
- Kansas 8
- Oklahoma State on the road by 15
Losses:
- None
2. Gonzaga (17-0)
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
- BYU at home by 17
- Saint Mary’s on the road by 14
Losses:
- None
3. Villanova (11-1)
Key Wins:
- Arizona State on a neutral court by 9
- Texas on the road by 4
- Marquette on the road by 17
- Seton Hall at home by 2
- Seton Hall on the road by 8
Losses:
- Virginia Tech on a neutral court by 8 in OT
4. Michigan (13-1)
Key Wins:
- Penn State at home by 4
- Maryland on the road by 11
- Minnesota at home by 25
- Wisconsin at home by 23
- Maryland at home by 24
- Purdue on the road by 17
Losses:
- Minnesota on the road by 18
5. Houston (15-1)
Key Wins:
- Texas Tech on a neutral court by 11
- UCF on the road by 9
- SMU on the road by 14
Losses:
- Tulsa on the road by 1
6. Texas (11-3)
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
- West Virginia on the road by 2
Losses:
- Villanova at home by 4
- Texas Tech at home by 2
- Oklahoma at home by 1
7. Ohio State (14-4)
Key Wins:
- Notre Dame on the road by 5
- UCLA at home by 7
- Rutgers at home by 12
- Rutgers on the road by 11
- Illinois on the road by 6
- Wisconsin on the road by 12
- Penn State at home by 4
Losses:
- Purdue on the road by 7
- Northwestern on the road by 1
- Minnesota on the road by 17
- Purdue at home by 2
8. Illinois (11-5)
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
- Northwestern on the road by 25
- Penn State at home by 14
- Iowa at home by 5
Losses:
- Baylor on a neutral court by 13
- Missouri on the road by 3
- Rutgers on the road by 3
- Maryland at home by 3
- Ohio State at home by 6
9. Iowa (12-4)
Key Wins:
- North Carolina at home by 13
- Purdue at home by 15
- Rutgers on the road by 2
- Maryland on the road by 22
- Minnesota at home by 15
- Northwestern on the road by 23
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 11
- Minnesota on the road by 7 in OT
- Indiana at home by 12
- Illinois on the road by 5
10. Alabama (14-4)
Key Wins:
- Providence on a neutral court by 17
- Tennessee on the road by 8
- Florida at home by 15
- Auburn on the road by 4
- Kentucky on the road by 20
- Arkansas at home by 31
- LSU on the road by 30
Losses:
- Stanford on a neutral court by 18
- Clemson on a neutral court by 8
- Western Kentucky at home by 2
- Oklahoma on the road by 5
11. Creighton (13-4)
Key Wins:
- St. Johns on the road by 18
- Connecticut on the road by 2 in OT
- Xavier at home by 5
- Providence on the road by 2
- Seton Hall at home by 36
- Connecticut at home by 8
- Seton Hall on the road by 4
Losses:
- Kansas on the road by 1
- Marquette at home by 5
- Butler on the road by 4 in OT
- Providence at home by 4
12. Texas Tech (12-5)
Key Wins:
- Oklahoma on the road by 2
- Iowa State on the road by 27
- Texas on the road by 2
- LSU on the road by 5
Losses:
- Houston on a neutral court by 11
- Kansas at home by 1
- Oklahoma State at home by 5 in OT
- Baylor at home by 8
- West Virginia on the road by 1
13. Oklahoma (11-4)
Key Wins:
- TCU on the road by 4
- West Virginia at home by 4
- Kansas at home by 7
- Texas on the road by 1
- Alabama at home by 5
Losses:
- Xavier on the road by 22
- Texas Tech at home by 2
- Baylor on the road by 15
- Kansas on the road by 4
14. Tennessee (12-3)
Key Wins:
- Colorado at home by 9
- Missouri on the road by 20
- Arkansas at home by 5
- Kansas at home by 19
Losses:
- Alabama at home by 8
- Florida on the road by 26
- Missouri at home by 9
15. Wisconsin (13-5)
Key Wins:
- Loyola Chicago at home by 14
- Louisville at home by 37
- Michigan State on the road by 9
- Minnesota at home by 12
- Indiana at home by 7 in 2OT
- Rutgers on the road by 6
- Maryland on the road by 6
Losses:
- Marquette on the road by 2
- Maryland at home by 6
- Michigan on the road by 23
- Ohio State at home by 12
- Penn State on the road by 10
16. West Virginia (11-5)
Key Wins:
- VCU on a neutral court by 12
- Richmond at home by 16
- Oklahoma State on the road by 3
- Texas Tech at home by 1
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 5
- Kansas on the road by 14
- Oklahoma on the road by 4
- Texas at home by 2
- Florida at home by 5
17. Virginia Tech (13-3)
Key Wins:
- Villanova on a neutral court by 8 in OT
- Duke at home by 7
- Notre Dame on the road by 9
- Virginia at home by 14
Losses:
- Penn State at home by 20
- Louisville on the road by 2
- Syracuse on the road by 18
18. Virginia (11-3)
Key Wins:
- Notre Dame on the road by 9
- Boston College on the road by 12
- Clemson on the road by 35
- Syracuse at home by 23
Losses:
- San Francisco on a neutral court by 1
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 23
- Virginia Tech on the road by 14
19. Oklahoma State (11-4)
Key Wins:
- Marquette on the road by 8
- Wichita State on the road by 3
- Texas Tech on the road by 5 in OT
- Kansas at home by 5
- Arkansas at home by 4
Losses:
- TCU at home by 1
- Texas on the road by 3
- West Virginia at home by 3
- Baylor at home by 15
20. Purdue (12-6)
Key Wins:
- Ohio State at home by 7
- Maryland at home by 3
- Michigan State on the road by 1
- Indiana on the road by 12
- Penn State at home by 8
- Ohio State on the road by 2
- Minnesota at home by 19
Losses:
- Clemson on a neutral court by 11
- Miami on the road by 4
- Iowa on the road by 15
- Rutgers on the road by 5
- Illinois on the road by 8
- Michigan at home by 17
21. Missouri (11-3)
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
- Tennessee on the road by 9
Losses:
- Tennessee at home by 20
- Mississippi State on the road by 15
- Auburn on the road by 6
22. Florida State (10-3)
Key Wins:
- Indiana at home by 2 in OT
- Florida at home by 12
- North Carolina at home by 7
- Louisville on the road by 13
Losses:
- UCF at home by 12
- Clemson on the road by 10
- Georgia Tech on the road by 11
23. Kansas (11-6)
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
- TCU on the road by 29
- Oklahoma at home by 4
Losses:
- Gonzaga on a neutral court by 12
- Texas at home by 25
- Oklahoma State on the road by 5
- Baylor on the road by 8
- Oklahoma on the road by 7
- Tennessee on the road by 19
24. USC (13-3)
Key Wins:
- BYU on a neutral court by 26
- Arizona on the road by 14
- Arizona State on the road by 9
Losses:
- Connecticut on a neutral court by 3
- Colorado at home by 10
- Oregon State on the road by 2
25. Florida (10-4)
Key Wins:
- LSU at home by 4
- Tennessee at home by 26
- Georgia on the road by 8
- West Virginia on the road by 5
Losses:
- Florida State on the road by 12
- Alabama on the road by 15
- Kentucky at home by 18
- Mississippi State on the road by 3
Also Under Consideration (Alphabetical):
Arizona, Arkansas, BYU, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Louisville, Loyola Chicago, LSU, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Saint Louis, San Diego State, Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure, Stanford, Syracuse, UCLA, Utah State, Xavier