CBS Sports updates Top 25 and 1 following upset-filled Tuesday night of college basketball
The college basketball regular season is entering the home stretch and with that, it’s getting more fun and competitive than it has at any point during the season. With that, CBS Sports has continued to put out its Top 25 and 1 rankings, this time following an upset-filled Tuesday night of college basketball.
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports is the curator of these rankings and he had plenty to consider after Tuesday night. With that, the list saw plenty of movement, including 11 different teams moving up in the rankings. That includes two teams who weren’t previously ranked. Meanwhile, a few teams who lost fell multiple spots in the rankings.
So, here is a look at where Parrish has decided to rank those top 26 teams in the country.
1. Purdue Boilermakers
It’s nothing new for Purdue to sit atop the rankings this season, including CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1 rankings. That hasn’t changed this week, with Parrish highlighting the Boilermakers’ recent win over Wisconsin as a key reason, along with the play of Zach Edey, why Purdue is still ranked so highly.
The Boilermakers are getting ready for a set of home games next week, against Indiana and Minnesota. At 10-2 in Big Ten play, Purdue is first in the Big Ten conference standings and is looking to build on that lead within the standings before things get tough again toward the end of the season.
2. UConn Huskies
The UConn Huskies are actually ranked first in the current AP Poll. However, CBS Sports only has the Huskies second in the country in its own rankings. In the past week, UConn added a pair of wins in Big East play, making it 11 wins in a row for the defending national champions.
UConn has eight games remaining in the regular season and the Huskies are already first in the Big East standings with an 11-1 conference record. That’s two and a half games ahead of Marquette, which currently sits at 8-3. With two games against one another remaining, the Big East race between UConn and Marquette could be an exciting one.
3. Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars are coming off a week where they dropped a tough road game against the Kansas Jayhawks. However, they bounced back with a big win over Oklahoma State, which was enough for Parrish to keep the Cougars ranked third and ahead of those Jayhawks.
In a competitive Big 12, it’s hard to win every game on the schedule, especially road games. However, when taking in the entire body of work, Houston still deserves its flowers. For now, the Cougars are first in the conference standings with a 7-3 record.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee earned an impressive win over Kentucky this past week. In turn, that helped the Volunteers to move up a slot in the CBS Sports rankings. At the same time, the Volunteers also suffered a loss to a very good South Carolina team.
Tennessee will get another shot at both of those teams, South Carolina and Kentucky, toward the end of the season. In the meantime, the Volunteers will need to avoid pitfalls in a tricky SEC schedule. For now, Tennessee is only fourth in the SEC standings, with the conference incredibly tough at the top end of the standings.
5. Wisconsin Badgers
Even with a loss to Purdue, where the Badgers put up a good effort, Wisconsin managed to rise in the CBS Sports rankings. It was a close game, after all, with Wisconsin only losing by six. However, it was also a second loss in a row for the Badgers after they dropped a surprising game against Nebraska.
Wisconsin is hitting the road this week with games against Michigan and Rutgers. At 8-3 in Big Ten standings, the Badgers are tied for second in the conference and are a game and a half behind Purdue. Still, if they get back on track quickly, winning the conference during the regular season is well within reach.
6. Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette is the second Big East team to make the CBS Sports’ rankings, after UConn. They’re also trailing those Huskies on the court, looking to make up ground late in the season. With two games head-to-head, that’s definitely going to be a possibility for the Golden Eagles.
Marquette has now won six games in a row and has an 8-3 conference record. The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Saturday when they host St. John’s.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the first team in the CBS Sports’ rankings who actually fell to the position they’re currently in. That, according to Parrish, is largely because of the team’s letdown loss against Clemson on Tuesday night, even though that was coming off a big win over Duke.
Even with the loss to Clemson, North Carolina is still first in the ACC’s regular season standings. The Tar Heels have a 10-2 conference record, keeping them ahead of Virginia. On Saturday, North Carolina will look to bounce back against Miami.
8. Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas at eighth is holding steady from its previous spot in the rankings. The Jayhawks are coming off a loss to rival Kansas State that hurt in the Big 12 race. It was also a big letdown after beating Houston. Still, Kansas is clearly a great team.
The Jayhawks are currently fourth in the Big 12 standings with a 6-4 conference record. Still, that’s only a game behind Houston, who is in first place. It’s also only a game ahead of Kansas State and Oklahoma, who are tied for 7th at 5-5. So, every game matters for Kansas.
9. Dayton Flyers
Dayton has been one of the best mid-majors in the country this season and is holding steady at the ninth spot in CBS Sports’ rankings. Now on a three-game winning streak, Dayton most recently beat Saint Joseph’s by 15 points and is getting ready to take on VCU on the road this Friday.
At 9-1 in Atlantic-10 play, Dayton is first in the conference. However, that’s not far ahead of Richmond, who already beat Dayton this season and has an 8-1 conference record this season. With eight games left, those two don’t play again and each game is going to help decide which team wins the A-10 in the regular season.
10. Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats round out the top 10 of the CBS Sports rankings. That’s after the Wildcats won their most recent game on Sunday over Stanford. That win was also Arizona’s third win in a row and fifth of their last six.
It’s the last season the Pac-12 will look the way it does now and winning it would be a great way to go out for any team. Right now, at least, Arizona is in a great position to do just that, with an 8-3 record putting them in first place with nine games remaining. The next one is on Thursday against Utah.
11. Baylor
12. Iowa State
13. South Carolina
14. Auburn
15. Duke
16. Illinois
17. Alabama
18. Creighton
19. Colorado State
20. San Diego State
21. Oklahoma
22. Indiana State
23. FAU
24. New Mexico
25. BYU
26. Saint Mary’s