College Basketball: Coaches Poll Top 25 updated for week of Jan. 22

On Monday, the USA Today Coaches Poll received its latest update. While this week wasn’t quite as hectic as the last in terms of upsets, there were still a slew of results that threw a wrench into the rankings.

Particularly, a couple of blue bloods went down in head-scratching losses at Kansas fell on the road for the second time in as many weeks, this giving up 91 in a loss to a West Virginia club that had a 6-11 record. Then, Pittsburgh’s Blake Hinson immortalized himself as a Cameron Indoor villain when he leapt onto the scorer’s table and razzed Blue Devil fans after his Panthers upset Duke on their home floor.

See where those powerhouses fall in the rankings as well as this week’s full top-25 from the coaches just below:

1. UConn (17-2)

After nearly a month off, Husky big man Donovan Clingan re-joined the lineup to help UConn complete yet another 2-0 week, marking their sixth and seventh wins in a row in the Big East after losing the opener at Seton Hall. However, Villanova really gave the No. 1 team in the land a scare in a 66-65 win for Dan Hurley’s group.

The UConn offense has operated with elite efficiency from the first game of the season and that machine has not slowed down. But it’s their progress on the defensive side of the ball that’s really been encouraging. As noted, ‘Nova scored just 65, but in the midweek, despite a tough night offensively themselves, UConn handled Creighton on the back of lockdown defense, holding the Blue Jays’ potent scoring attack to just 48 total points. Perhaps that’s the Clingan Effect.

2. Purdue (17-2)

Purdue and UConn have really separated themselves at the top of both the Coaches and AP Polls. The Boilermakers experienced some uncharacteristic defensive performances in losses to Northwestern and Nebraska where they gave up 92 and 88, but have otherwise been an even more dominant version of the team that earned the No. 1 overall seed last season.

Really, there’s not a ton of difference between the ’23 Boilermakers and the current group, just that this year’s rendition is older and more mature, arguably with more options. They have a guard trio you can truly rely on in Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones — who each average 11 points a game around Zach Edey’s monstrous numbers in the middle. It’s feeling like 2019 Virginia over in West Lafayette.

3. North Carolina (15-3)

Aside from the ridiculous Houston defense, North Carolina has posted the best defensive efficiency numbers in the country since their mid-December loss to Kentucky (and nobody has been able to stop them). Since Dec. 17, They’re holding opponents to 23% shooting from 3, 42% from 2, and are posting elite rebounding numbers as well.

Hubert Davis might just be one heck of a ball coach, folks. There was worry the 2022 title game run was a bit of a fluke after that regular season was up-and-down and the Tar Heels followed it up with the most disappointing year of any preseason No. 1 team in the history of the polls. Alas, with RJ Davis running the show alongside an elite defense, Davis has silenced the doubt and has this UNC group as an obvious title contender.

4. Houston (16-2)

Here comes a Tale of Two Sides of the Ball, starting with the Cougars’ superior defensive unit. If you like charts, check out this one which illustrates just how wide the margin is between Houston and the No. 2 defensive team in the country. It’s a canyon! UH is allowing less than 0.8 points per possession, which is absolutely wicked, while also scoring a whole eight points lower than No. 2 on schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency. They are historically great on that side of the ball.

But not on offense. Kelvin Sampson’s teams have typically thrived on three-point shooting and offensive rebounding on this side of the ball — and while they’re still No. 6 in offensive rebounding rate, the knockdown shooters just aren’t there. LJ Cryer, Jamal Shead and Emmanuel Sharp have taken more than 75% of the team’s 3s but are only knocking down 36.8% of them, with no other player on the team shooting better.

5. Tennessee (14-4)

From mid-December through early January, Dalton Knecht experienced a five-game stretch where he averaged just 7.6 points per game on 32% field goal shooting. But in his last four, he’s now averaged a whopping 32 points per game on 53% shooting from the field, including 48% on over seven 3-point attempts per contest.

With that sort of production, the Vols absolutely rolled in home wins this week — by 19 vs. Florida and then by 20 against an Alabama team that was red hot. Now, UT gets their easiest week of the season with just one game on the road vs. lowly Vanderbilt before heading to South Carolina and Kentucky the following week.

6. Kentucky (14-3)

Georgia coach Mike White, along with every other coach in the SEC, likely threw their hands up in the air on Saturday evening as John Calipari pulled yet another rabbit out of his hat by inserting freshly-eligible Croatian freshman Zvonimir Ivisic into the lineup. The 7-foot-2 debutant poured in three 3s, blocked a couple shots and dished a behind-the-back assist in limited first-half action vs. the Bulldogs, lighting Rupp Arena on fire in the process.

Ivisic (or Big Z) becomes just the latest Wildcat freshman to showcase his immense talent and wow NBA scouts. Plus, Kentucky remains the most consistent and best offense in the SEC by a country mile with another performance of 100+ points. There is just no guarding this group — but on the flip side, the ‘Cats can’t stop anyone, including Georgia, who put up 96 in a game they were never competitive in.

6. Auburn (16-2)

The resume simply isn’t there yet, but the Tigers could be sleeping giants as one of the nation’s very best squads. Since a head-scratching loss at Appalachian State, Auburn is on an 11-game winning streak and is one of just two teams to post a top-10 offense and defense per KenPom’s metrics (Arizona is the other).

What’s crazy is that the Tigers are performing like a title contender without the star power of Bruce Pearl’s other best Auburn teams. There’s no top draft pick like Jabari Smith or an elite veteran guard like Jared Harper or Bryce Brown. Instead, as Pearl’s preached all year, this team’s strength is its depth.

8. Kansas (15-3)

Kansas built up such a great resume in the first month or so that they can afford to drop as many Big 12 road games as they want. Their wins over UConn, Tennessee and Kentucky mark the nation’s best trio of victories and set KU up for a No. 1 seed even with a few more slip-ups.

However, the recent losses are quite concerning. Last week, they fell on the road against UCF, which really shouldn’t be one of the tougher Big 12 road games. Then, against a 6-11 West Virginia squad, they gave up 91 to one of the conference’s worst offenses in another loss. This coming Saturday’s game at Iowa State could be very telling for where this Kansas group is heading.

9. Arizona (14-4)

The west-coast Wildcats have experienced an up-and-down start to conference play, but escaped this past week unscathed. They welcomed LA-area Pac-12 schools USC and UCLA for a pair of wins, although they needed a comeback effort to topple a struggling Bruins’ team on Saturday.

Regardless, Tommy Lloyd’s group still rate as analytical darlings, and as mentioned, they join Auburn as the only clubs to boast top-10 units in KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency metrics. After a home stand vs. California schools, Arizona will make a trip to Oregon for games at the Ducks and Beavers this week.

10. Wisconsin (14-4)

The Badgers suffered a pretty brutal loss early last week at Penn State. However, they did rebound to score a home win over Indiana where they put up 91 points, their highest mark since the very first game of the season vs. Arkansas State.

For Wisconsin, the offense is the story. Greg Gard’s clubs are always disciplined on defense, especially with a veteran group like this one. But they currently rank No. 5 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency, a spot that no Gard team has ever come close to.

Coaches Poll 11-25

11. Illinois
12. Duke
13. Oklahoma
14. Baylor
15. Marquette
16. Creighton
17. Dayton
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Utah State
21. Texas Tech
22. Memphis
23. Colorado State
24. FAU
25. New Mexico

Others receiving votes: San Diego State 43; Alabama 43; Seton Hall 33; Gonzaga 30; TCU 26; Texas 18; Clemson 15; Kansas State 14; Princeton 13; Utah 10; Saint Mary’s 6; Boise State 5; Indiana State 4; Grand Canyon 4; Ole Miss 2; James Madison 2; Michigan State 1