1. Kentucky (17-0, 4-0 SEC). Last week: 1
Kentucky purely dominated Missouri and Alabama last week to remain undefeated. The Wildcats are back to No. 1 on Kenpom, and there they have a 36% chance of finishing the regular season undefeated.
2. Virginia (17-0, 5-0 ACC). Last week: 2
Despite struggling at Boston College, Virginia still came away with a 15-point win there. The Cavaliers face two of the ACC’s winless teams, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, this week.
3. Villanova (17-1, 4-1 Big East). Last week: 3
Villanova knocked off Xavier and Philadelphia rival Pennsylvania last week. The Wildcats have now swept the Big Five this season.
4. Gonzaga (18-1, 7-0 WCC). Last week: 4
Gonzaga had to fight on the road to beat Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, and the Bulldogs came away with two more WCC wins. They begin a four-game home stand Thursday against Saint Mary’s with first place in the WCC on the line.
5. Wisconsin (16-2, 4-1 Big Ten). Last week: 5
Wisconsin bounced back from its bizarre loss to Rutgers with an easy win against Nebraska. The Badgers host Iowa, which is also 4-1 in the Big Ten, Tuesday.
6. Duke (15-2, 3-2 ACC). Last week: 6
After dropping two straight games, Duke pummeled Louisville on the road for a quality win. If the Blue Devils win both of their games this week, Coach K will achieve his 1,000th victory Sunday at St. John’s in Madison Square Garden.
7. Arizona (16-2, 4-1 Pac-12). Last week: 10
Arizona moved into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 with Saturday’s win against Utah. The Wildcats head north this week to face Stanford and California.
8. Utah (14-3, 4-1 Pac-12). Last week: 7
Utah had a chance to make a national statement, but the Utes fell 69-51 on the road to Arizona. They now return home, where they are perfect this season, to face Washington State and Washington.
9. Kansas (14-3, 3-1 Big 12). Last week: 9
Kansas dropped out of first place in the Big 12 with a loss Saturday at Iowa State. But not many teams leave Hilton Coliseum with a win, so it’s not quite time to start questioning if the Jayhawks are still the conference favorite.
10. Notre Dame (17-2, 5-1 ACC). Last week: 11
Every single one of Notre Dame’s ACC games has been close. The only game decided by more than two possessions went to two overtimes.
Last week, the Fighting Irish won close games against Georgia Tech and Miami (Florida).
11. Maryland (17-2, 5-1 Big Ten). Last week: 12
Maryland completed a sweep of Michigan State to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten for the time being. The Terrapins have a tough road game Thursday at Indiana, which has also lost just one conference game.
12. Louisville (15-3, 3-2 ACC). Last week: 8
Similarly to last year’s, Louisville’s résumé lacks meaningful wins. The Cardinals’ best victories are against Ohio State and Indiana, and they have lost to Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke, with two of those losses coming at home.
13. Wichita State (16-2, 6-0 MVC). Last week: 13
After a rocky start to MVC play, Wichita State’s last four wins have all come by double figures. The Shockers shouldn’t have any trouble this week with Missouri State and Drake.
14. UNC (14-4, 4-1 ACC). Last week: 14
North Carolina has won three games in a row and eight of its last nine overall. The Tar Heels have a relatively easy three-game stretch coming up with games against Wake Forest, Florida State and Syracuse.
15. Iowa State (13-3, 3-1 Big 12). Last week: 15
Iowa State has not had a single Big 12 game decided by more than five points. In fact, Saturday’s win against Kansas was the Cyclones’ first conference game decided by more than one possession — and the score was 86-81.
16. VCU (15-3, 5-0 A10). Last week: 18
VCU survived road games against Rhode Island and Duquesne to remain unbeaten in the Atlantic 10. The Rams finish their road trip Friday at Saint Louis.
17. Texas (13-4, 2-2 Big 12). Last week: 22
Texas ended a two-game slide with a 77-50 win against West Virginia. The Longhorns travel to TCU and then play three straight games against Top 25 teams.
18. West Virginia (15-3 3-2 Big 12). Last week: 16
West Virginia went 1-2 in its recent three-game stretch against ranked opponents. The Mountaineers could really use a win Saturday against TCU.
19. Oklahoma (12-5, 3-2 Big 12). Last week: 19
Oklahoma had a wacky week. After getting blown out by West Virginia, the Sooners blew out Oklahoma State. That’s life in the Big 12.
20. Northern Iowa (16-2, 5-1 MVC). Last week: 23
Northern Iowa has been on a roll, winning its last five MVC games.
21. Miami Fla. (12-5, 2-2 ACC). Last week: Unranked
Miami had about as good of a 1-1 week as you can get. The Hurricanes blew past Duke on the road and then nearly knocked off Notre Dame in South Bend.
22. Dayton (15-2, 5-0 A10). Last week: 25
Dayton continues to tear up the A10. The Flyers will have their hands full this week with Davidson and one of the nation’s best offenses.
23. Iowa (13-5, 4-1 Big Ten). Last week: Unranked
Iowa is off to a strong Big Ten start, but the Hawkeyes will truly be tested in the next two weeks. This week they travel to Wisconsin and Purdue. Next week they host Wisconsin in their second meeting.
24. Georgetown (12-5, 4-2 Big East). Last week: Unranked
Georgetown has won four of its last five games, and the only loss came in overtime at Providence. The Hoyas can move into a share of first place in the Big East with a win Monday against Villanova.
25. Michigan State (12-6, 3-2 Big Ten). Last week: 21
Michigan State nearly lost to Northwestern and then lost by 16 points at Maryland. However, the Spartans have an easy stretch coming up.
Their next six games are as follows: vs. Penn State, at Nebraska, at Rutgers, vs. Michigan, vs. Illinois, at Northwestern.
