College Basketball: Updated USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 released with a new No. 1
The latest version of the USA Today college basketball coaches poll top 25 rankings have been updated after a phenomenal week of college basketball.
There’s a new top team in the nation after the Arizona Wildcats fell to the Purdue Boilermakers over the weekend. That wasn’t the only major game to take place though, as a bevy of fantastic clashes have shaken up the rankings.
Let’s dive into the latest coaches poll rankings from USA Today after the seventh week of the season. Here’s where each team stands at the moment, as Christmas approaches with each passing day.
1) Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue had the best win of the week, defeating the former No. 1 team in the Arizona Wildcats. The Boilermakers continued their impressive play, defeating the Pac-12 squad by a score of 92-86 over the weekend.
Additionally, Purdue added a win over Iowa last Monday, making for a nice week for the Big Ten squad. They’ll have a slight reprieve this week, as the Boilermakers will only have one game, with it coming against Jacksonville on Thursday.
2) Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas survived an impressive effort from the Indiana Hoosiers last weekend. The Jayhawks walked out of Assembly Hall with their heads held high, a 75-71 victory in their back pocket over the Big Ten power.
Only one game is on their schedule before Christmas arrives now. The Jayhawks will welcome Yale to town on Friday night, looking to advance to 11-1 on the season by this time next week.
3) Houston Cougars
Houston advanced to 11-0 on the season last week, adding another win to their total with a victory over Texas A&M. The SEC program couldn’t take down the Cougars during The Halal Guys Showcase, as the Aggies fell by four points.
Undefeated and roaring with win after win, Houston has a real shot to enter 2024 without a loss. Their next contest comes against Texas State on Thursday, another game where the Cougars will be heavily favored.
4) Arizona Wildcats
In their lone game of the week that was, Arizona suffered their first loss of the season. It came against Purdue, as the Boilermakers continued their resurgence after an early season loss with a victory over the Wildcats.
Arizona showed a lot of heart, only losing by eight to Purdue, but it still wasn’t enough to continue their undefeated run. They’ll look to bounce back this week, as they’ll face Alabama in the Hall of Fame Series on Wednesday, and FAU in the Desert Holiday Classic on Saturday.
5) Connecticut Huskies
The reigning champions of college basketball continued their impressive start to the season with a win over Gonzaga last Friday. The Bulldogs wanted to give Connecticut the gift of a loss, but the Huskies were too much when it all came down to it.
The Huskies final two games of 2023 will take place this week. UConn faces Seton Hall on Wednesday and St. John’s on Saturday, as they’ll be hoping to advance to 12-1 ahead of a new year.
6) Marquette Golden Eagles
Marquette took care of business over the last seven days. They only had one game, facing St. Thomas (MN) on Thursday, but their five-point victory advanced their record to 9-2 on the season.
However, business is about to pick up for the Golden Eagles. They’ll face Providence and Georgetown this week, two teams who will be hoping to rain all over Marquette’s Christmas time joy.
7) Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee captured two wins over the last week. First, the Volunteers defeated Georgia Southern, and then they won against the NC State Wolfpack during the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio.
The Volunteers are sitting at 8-3 on the season, and they only have one more game remaining in 2023. That’ll come on Thursday, as they face Tarleton State at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
8) Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma continued their surge last week, as the Sooners advanced to 10-0 on the season with a win over Green Bay on Saturday. They wouldn’t be denied, and that’s become the story of their young campaign thus far.
Arguably their toughest test of the season will take place this week though. Oklahoma will face North Carolina on Wednesday, as part of the Jumpman Invitational. We’ll see if they can continue their unbeaten streak.
9) Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky had a fantastic showing last weekend, as they defeated North Carolina on Saturday during the CBS Sports Classic. The Wildcats only won by four, but it was enough to turn the heads of many in the college basketball world.
They’ll only have one game this week, but it’s a doozy. The Wildcats will face Louisville on Thursday, a heated rivalry showdown against the 5-6 Cardinals right before Christmas.
10) Baylor Bears
Baylor suffered their first loss of the season over the weekend. The Bears were railroaded by the Michigan State Spartans, falling to the embattled team by 22 points on Saturday afternoon.
Nevertheless, Baylor will have an opportunity to bounce back in a big way this week. They’ll face Duke on Wednesday and Mississippi Valley State on Friday, two games the Bears will be hoping to add to their win column.
USA Today Coaches Poll Top 25 — 11 through 25:
11) Illinois
12) Florida Atlantic
13) North Carolina
14) Creighton
15) BYU
16) Gonzaga
17) Colorado State
18) Clemson
19) Duke
20) Virginia
21) James Madison
22) Texas
23) Memphis
24) Wisconsin
25) Ole Miss
Others receiving votes: Auburn 60; Miami (FL) 41; Colorado 36; TCU 26; Michigan State 18; Ohio State 17; Grand Canyon 13; Iowa State 12; Utah 7; Texas A&M 7; South Carolina 5; New Mexico 4; Nebraska 4; Princeton 3; Nevada 3; San Diego State 2; Alabama 2; Indiana State 1; Dayton 1
As you can see, the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll for the seventh week of college basketball reflects the action we’ve seen thus far on the court. With some awesome games over the next couple of days, we’ll see where each team ends up at this time next week.