CBS Sports shakes up Top 25 and 1 as upsets continue in conference tournament action

We’re 48 hours out from Selection Sunday as the committee will release its bracket of 68 selections. That gives teams still in their conference tournaments just two days to close out their season well before the anticipation that comes with the announcement of the field.

With that coming, CBS Sports released another edition of their Top-25 & 1 on the Friday of Champ Week. The top-six maintained their spots while the back of the Top-10 saw a shakeup due to a conference tournament upset. Several teams in the Top-20 also so movement based on two other losses from Thursday’s action.

Here’s how Gary Parrish at CBS Sports sees has the Top-26 rated ahead of the weekend.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue has been in the No. 1 spot for CBS for almost a month now at 24 days. Winning five straight, 14 of their last 15, and 21 of their last 23 will do that for you in these rankings, though.

Now, as one of the three No. 1 seeds that are locked in, the Boilermakers enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed in Minneapolis. They will tip off soon against Michigan State in the quarterfinals as they look to push their record to 29-3 in hopes of sweeping both league titles for the second straight year.

2. Connecticut Huskies

UConn is amongst the trio of the accepted top-three entering the NCAA Tournament. The defending champions sits at 29-3 overall with them having won five straight and 19 of the past 20 since just before Christmas.

The Huskies opened the Big East Tournament with an 87-60 blowout of Xavier in the quarterfinals from New York City. That sets up a date between them and St. John’s inside Madison Square Garden this afternoon in what is a fascinating semifinal between them and the Red Storm.

3. Houston Cougars

Houston is the third of three teams that have locked in their spots as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Although CBS has them in last of the three, that’s nothing against the Cougars that are 29-3 after winning the regular-season in their first year in the Big 12.

A 60-45 deconstruction of TCU in the Big 12 Tournament was their 10th straight win and 15th of the last 16 against league competition. They’ll now try to make it 11 consecutive this evening against Texas Tech with their plan to be in the title game tomorrow in order to make it a phenomenal first year in the conference.

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina is one of the teams in that next pack behind the top-three with one No. 1 seed left up for grabs. UNC has made their case in that race with a 26-6 mark as the regular-season champions of the ACC.

The Tar Heels opened the ACC Tournament in Washington D.C. with a 92-67 win in the quarterfinal over Florida State. Now, with Duke out of the picture on the other side of the bracket, only Pittsburgh and then either Virginia or NC State stands in their way of sweeping the league titles, which is something that could be enough to get them that last No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament.

5. Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee is part of that same group with North Carolina as a team with a shot at the remaining No. 1 seed. As regular-season champions out of the Southeastern Conference, though, their resumé could be more favored in comparison to that of one out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Still, either way, the Volunteers have enough on their own at 24-7 to be the last team on the one-line in March Madness. That’ll especially be so if they can move their win total to 27 in the SEC Tournament over the weekend, which, for them, starts against Mississippi State today in the quarterfinals.

6. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State is projecting as a No. 2 seed at this moment. It’d be an achievement that is quite the leap for T.J, Otzelberger and the Cyclones with it being their best finish yet under him and one of their best records of the past decade or so.

They moved to 25-7 on Thursday with a 76-57 win over Kansas State to avenge a season-finale loss in Manhattan. That sets them up for a semifinal matchup with Baylor, another Top-10 team for CBS, tonight for the right to play in the Big 12 Championship.

7. Arizona Wildcats

Arizona is the third of the three teams that appears to still be in the hunt for the final No. 1 seed in March Madness. A 6-5 stretch from mid-December to the end of January, albeit against some quality competition, isn’t helping them in hindsight but, still, they’ve won 11 of 13 since then en route to winning the Pac-12.

Their latest victory was a 70-49 win over USC in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament after losing by 13 to the Trojans in Los Angeles in the season-finale. Now, while a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament still seems most likely, moving on and winning the Pac-12 Tournament, including tonight’s semifinal against Oregon, certainly wouldn’t work against them in those efforts.

8. Baylor Bears

Baylor moved up a spot in the Top-10 as one of a trio that did so due to an upset on Thursday. The Bears will take it too after a long campaign in Big 12 play.

Baylor still sit at 23-9 after going only 11-7 in conference this season, even though that was good enough to earn the No. 3 seed in the league tournament. After winning 68-56 over Cincinnati last night, they’ll now meet up with Iowa State, who they beat in their one regular-season meeting, in that major semifinal for a spot in the Big 12 Championship.

9. Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette is the last team to move up a spot after an upset in their portion of the Big East bracket led to some upward motion for the last three teams. It’ll do an extra favor for the Golden Eagles too as they’ll get to face the No. 7 seed in The Big Apple today rather than the No. 2.

They earned their spot in the semifinals themselves with a close, 71-65 victory over Villanova to move to 24-8 on the year. That leaves only Providence in their semifinal tonight between them and an appearance in the Big East Championship tomorrow.

10. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton helped several teams move up in the Top-10 for CBS after the Friars upset them in the Big East Tournament. The Bluejays lost 78-73 in their quarterfinal as the No. 2 seed to make it a short trip for them to New York from Omaha.

They’re still in position to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday. It’s just that an early exit from their conference tournament is going to potentially put that seeding in other team’s hands, which is a difficult position considering how well they were playing over their final eight to end the regular season.

Nos. 11 through 26

11. Utah State Aggies
12. Auburn Tigers
13. Illinois Fighting Illini
14. Kentucky Wildcats
15. Kansas Jayhawks
16. Duke Blue Devils
17. South Carolina Gamecocks
18. Texas Tech Red Raiders
19. Alabama Crimson Tide
20. BYU Cougars
21. Washington State Cougars
22. San Diego State Aztecs
23. Wisconsin Badgers
24. Saint Mary’s Gaels
25. Gonzaga Bulldogs
26. Nevada Wolf Pack

All of these teams from CBS are set to hear their names called on Saint Patrick’s Day in some order. The only question that’s left is what that arrangement looks like after the next few days and when they’re slotted into the final bracket.