CBS Sports releases updated Top 25 and 1 with a new No. 1

We’ve hit a slow portion of the college basketball schedule. From the end of Feast Week, teams are using this time to ramp up in order to prepare for the start of conference play. Still, it’s not as if games have halted completely and, with big results coming in the last few days, CBS Sports has released yet another update to their Top 25 and 1 Rankings.

Illinois was this version’s big winner after an 85-78 win over Texas in the Jimmy V. Classic. It moved the Fighting Illini up nine spots to join the Top-5 while it knocked the Longhorns down just behind them to No. 6.

1. Houston Cougars
2. Purdue Boilermakers
3. Virginia Cavaliers
4. UConn Huskies
5. Illinois Fighting Illini
6. Texas Longhorns
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
9. Mississippi State Bulldogs
10. Indiana Hoosiers
11. Baylor Bears
12. Gonzaga Bulldogs
13. Maryland Terrapins
14. Kentucky Wildcats
15. Arizona Wildcats
16. Tennessee Volunteers
17. Kansas Jayhawks
18. Duke Blue Devils
19. Iowa State Cyclones
20. UCLA Bruins
21. Auburn Tigers
22. San Diego State Aztecs
23. Creighton Bluejays
24. Marquette Golden Eagles
25. Ohio State Buckeyes
26. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Brad Underwood picked up two major pieces in the transfer portal this offseason and both were on display in the win in Madison Square Garden. Terrence Shannon Jr. continued the hot start to his season with 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the Illinois victory. However, it was Matthew Mayer who finally broke out with a season-high 21 points and three blocks on 80% shooting from the field, including a perfect 5-5 from deep. Those performances helped the Illini push their record to 7-2 overall on the year.

There’s no shame in Texas letting that one slip away, though. Timmy Allen did his best to get his team this win with a near triple-double of 21 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. With that said, a pair of Top-10 wins over Gonzaga and Creighton already secured and a now 6-1 overall record gives Chris Beard’s team some wiggle room after this first loss of their season.

Texas’ loss was to Houston’s benefit, though. It moved the Cougars, who are 9-0 on the season, to the top spot in CBS’ rankings. Their defense is more than deserving of it too as they’re first in points allowed per game and defensive rating, which has helped them lead the nation in point differential as well.

Maryland is the other big loser in CBS’ updated rankings. The Terrapins dropped five spots after a 64-59 loss to Wisconsin, their first defeat during this season. They did their best to get back into the game but they couldn’t overcome their 38.2% shooting night in Madison.

With some of these conference seasons starting already, we’re getting close to the rollercoaster of conference play. As we get closer to that stretch of the year, it seems as though Illinois is priming itself for a strong run based on its play that earned them this new spot from CBS this week.