1. Kentucky (25-0, 12-0 SEC). Last week: 1
Kentucky held off a talented LSU team on the road and then blew out South Carolina at Rupp Arena. Kenpom gives Kentucky at least an 84 percent chance of winning in each of its six remaining regular season games.
2. Virginia (23-1, 11-1 ACC). Last week: 2
Virginia survived in close games against NC State and Wake Forest last week to retain a multi-game lead atop the ACC standings. The Cavaliers will be at home this week against Pittsburgh and Florida State, who have a combined 4-11 record in road games.
3. Wisconsin (23-2, 11-1 Big Ten). Last week: 4
Wisconsin continued to smother the Big Ten last week with wins against Nebraska and Illinois. The Badgers should get two more wins this week with games against Penn State and Minnesota.
4. Gonzaga (26-1, 14-0 WCC). Last week: 3
Gonzaga once again struggled with Pepperdine but came away with another win. The Bulldogs can clinch an outright WCC title with a win Saturday at Saint Mary’s.
5. Duke (22-3, 9-3 ACC). Last week: 5
Duke won a pair of tough road games last week against Florida State and Syracuse. The Blue Devils host rival North Carolina on Wednesday.
6. Villanova (23-2, 10-2 Big East). Last week: 6
Villanova survived at Butler thanks to a heroic performance by Darrun Hilliard. The Wildcats have won six games in a row with struggling Seton Hall and Marquette coming up this week.
7. Kansas (21-4, 10-2 Big 12). Last week: 8
Kansas defended its home floor Saturday with a nice win against Baylor. The Jayhawks have another difficult matchup this week when they travel to West Virginia.
8. Louisville (20-5, 8-4 ACC). Last week: 7
Louisville was upset by NC State on Saturday, its first loss of the season against an unranked team. The Cardinals have to play three of their next four games on the road, but three of those games are against below .500 teams in the ACC.
9. Iowa State (18-6, 8-4 Big 12). Last week: 9
Iowa State blew out West Virginia on Saturday to stay within two games of Kansas in the Big 12. The Cyclones are on the road this week against Oklahoma State and Texas.
10. Arizona (22-3, 10-2 Pac-12). Last week: 10
Arizona swept its Washington road trip to stay atop the Pac-12 standings. The Wildcats return home this week to face USC and surging UCLA.
11. Utah (20-4, 10-2 Pac-12). Last week: 11
Utah remained perfect at home by beating Stanford and California last week. The Utes are tied with Arizona for first place in the Pac-12.
12. Notre Dame (22-4, 10-3 ACC). Last week: 14
Notre Dame bounced back from its thrashing at Duke with a 60-58 win at Clemson. The Fighting Irish have struggled ever since beating Duke in their first meeting.
13. Northern Iowa (24-2, 13-1 MVC). Last week: 15
Northern Iowa is on a 13-game winning streak and has two games against teams in the bottom half of the MVC this week. The Panthers will be the No. 1 seed in the MVC Tournament if they win three of their last four games, as long as one of the wins comes at Wichita State in the regular season finale.
14. Wichita State (23-3, 13-1 MVC). Last week: 16
Wichita State held off a tough Illinois State team Saturday for its fourth straight win. After facing last-place Southern Illinois, the Shockers have a fairly difficult finish with games against Evansville, Indiana State and Northern Iowa.
15. Oklahoma (17-8, 8-5 Big 12). Last week: 18
Oklahoma’s five-game winning streak ended Saturday with a loss at the buzzer to Kansas State. The Sooners are in the middle of a rare stretch in this year’s Big 12 where they have four straight games against unranked opponents.
16. North Carolina (18-7, 8-4 ACC). Last week: 12
With Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh, North Carolina has dropped three of its last four games. That slide could very well continue Wednesday when the Tar Heels travel to Duke.
17. Baylor (18-7, 6-6 Big 12). Last week: 13
Baylor fell to .500 in Big 12 play with losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas last week. The Bears will have an easier go this week when they face Texas Tech and Kansas State.
18. Butler (18-7, 8-4 Big East). Last week: 17
Butler’s five-game winning streak ended Saturday with a last-second loss to Villanova. The Bulldogs will travel to Creighton and Xavier this week.
19. Arkansas (20-5, 9-3 SEC). Last week: 23
Arkansas has won four straight games, including most recently a last-second win at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks face two of the lesser teams in the SEC, Missouri and Mississippi State, in their next two games.
20. SMU (21-5, 12-2 AAC). Last week: 24
SMU is asserting its presence as the American’s top team. The Mustangs won with room to spare at Tulsa last week, and this past weekend they blew Connecticut.
21. Oklahoma State (17-8, 7-6 Big 12). Last week: 21
Following an impressive win at Baylor, Oklahoma State lost 70-55 at TCU. The Cowboys play two more huge Big 12 games this week against Iowa State and West Virginia.
22. Ohio State (19-7, 8-5 Big Ten). Last week: 22
Ohio State still lacks a key road win after falling short at Michigan State on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ best victory away from home is against Minnesota in overtime.
23. Maryland (21-5, 9-4 Big Ten). Last week: 25
Maryland is in shape for its third straight win Thursday when it hosts Nebraska.
24. Texas (17-8, 6-6 Big 12). Last week: Unranked
Texas has capitalized on a stretch against the lower competition in the Big 12, winning three straight games. The Longhorns will be tested again in an upcoming stretch that includes five of the league’s top six teams.
25. West Virginia (19-6, 7-5 Big 12). Last week: 20
West Virginia still has just one win over a likely NCAA Tournament team after getting blown away at Iowa State on Saturday. The Mountaineers get two more big opportunities this week against Kansas and Oklahoma State.
