College Basketball Rankings: Predicting the AP Poll Top 25 after top teams meet

The start of February brought on a weekend full of Top 10 matchups and rivalry showdowns. With so many big games in the books, the top of the AP Poll’s Top 25 is sure to see a big shakeup reflecting the results.

Trying to predict how the voters will view each win and loss leads to a shuffled up version of the Top 25, with some movement in the middle and plenty of intersecting resumes.

Some of the top teams had complicated weeks, with North Carolina beating Duke but losing to Georgia Tech and Tennessee beating Kentucky but losing to South Carolina. Voters must determine whether the big wins or losses carry more weight this week.

Here is how I think the new AP Top 25 will look on Feb. 5:

1. UConn (Last week: 1)

UConn continued its winning streak with a pair of wins against Providence and St. John’s last week. They have continued to find a rhythm across the board and separate themselves from the field with an impressive resume.

The Huskies will face off against Butler at home before playing on the road to play Georgetown.

2. Purdue (Last week: 2)

Purdue got revenge on Northwestern in overtime before managing to pick up one of the most impressive wins of the season so far against Wisconsin in a Top 10 showdown.

The Boilermakers will get a bye week before facing in-state rival Indiana this weekend.

3. Kansas (Last week: 8)

Kansas makes a big jump in the AP Poll Top 25 after going 2-0 with a win over Oklahoma State before knocking off Houston in Allen Fieldhouse as an underdog. The dominant performance was worthy of a big jump in the rankings.

The Jayhawks will play a rivalry matchup on the road against Kansas State before facing Baylor at home as they look to keep momentum.

4. North Carolina (Last week: 3)

North Carolina faltered early in the week against Georgia Tech, but bounced back in a major way with a win over in-state rival Duke over the weekend. The Tar Heels will hope the win outweighs the loss in the eyes of the voters.

The Tar Heels will face Clemson during the midweek before playing Miami on the road.

5. Houston (Last week: 4)

Houston picked up an overtime win against Texas early in the week before taking a road loss against Kansas this weekend. That loss certainly will not hurt the overall resume, but could drop them in the updated Top 25.

The Cougars will face Oklahoma State this week before a road matchup against Cincinnati.

6. Tennessee (Last week: 5)

Tennessee suffered a midweek loss against the fast-rising South Carolina team before heading on the road to knock off Kentucky over the weekend.

The Volunteers play against LSU in the midweek before a roadtrip to play against Texas A&M.

7. Marquette (Last week: 9)

Marquette picked up road wins against Villanova and Georgetown over the past week and move up in the rankings behind another strong week in the Big East.

The schedule continues with a home game against St. John’s coming up after a bye week.

8. Arizona (Last week: 11)

Arizona returns to the Top 10 once again thanks to Pac-12 wins over California and Stanford throughout the week. They remain among the top teams looking to keep winning to maintain their spot up top.

The Wildcats will face Utah on the road before another roadtrip against Colorado over the weekend.

9. Duke (Last week: 7)

Duke picked up a win against Virginia Tech before suffering a road loss in the biggest rivalry college basketball has to offer. Dropping a game against North Carolina will likely drop them in the Top 25 a bit but not hurt the overall resume.

The Blue Devils will look to rebound with games against Notre Dame and Boston College this week.

10. Illinois (Last week: 14)

Illinois moves back into the Top 10 once again thanks to a road win against Ohio State and a home win against Nebraska while others fall around them.

The Fighting Illini will face Michigan State on the road following a bye week to get ready.

Ranking 11-25

11. Wisconsin (Last week: 6)
12. Auburn (Last week: 16)
13. Baylor (Last week: 18)
14. Iowa State (Last week: 12)
15. Kentucky (Last week: 10)
16. Creighton (Last week: 13)
17. FAU (Last week: 20)
18. Dayton (Last week: 21)
19. BYU (Last week: 22)
20. Alabama (Last week: 24)
21. Utah State (Last week: 17)
22. Texas Tech (Last week: 15)
23. South Carolina (Last week: NR)
24. New Mexico (Last week: 19)
25. St. Mary’s (Last week: NR)

Projected to drop out: Oklahoma (Last Week: 23), TCU (Last week: 25)