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ESPN updates BPI Top 25 rankings after upset-filled Saturday of college basketball

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•01/15/23•

Jonathan Wagner

Saturday was full of college basketball action from start to finish, and it definitely didin’t disappoint. After two matchups between AP-ranked teams and eight other ranked teams losing to unranked opponents, ESPN has updated its BPI Top 25 rankings with more big changes.

The biggest surprise from Saturday was No. 5 Tennessee losing against unranked Kentucky. The Wildcats entered on a two-game losing streak with rumors constantly surrounding the program in recent weeks, but that didn’t stop them from knocking off the Vols, winning 63-56. Tennessee wasn’t the only top ten team to lose, though, as No. 9 Arizona fell 87-68 to Oregon.

One of the most action-packed games was between No. 15 Arkansas and Vanderbilt, in a game that the Commodores won 97-84. The game also featured plenty of heat, with ejections and technical fouls, a player being kicked, and a skipped handshake line.

Other ranked teams to fall against unranked opponents were No. 16 Miami against NC State, No. 18 Wisconsin against Indiana, No. 19 Providence against Creighton, No. 20 Missouri against Florida, No. 23 San Diego State against New Mexico and No. 24 Duke against Clemson.

No. 2 Kansas knocked off No. 14 Iowa State in a tight 62-60 battle on Saturday in one ranked matchup, while No. 17 TCU defeated No. 11 Kansas State 82-68 in the other.

More changes could soon be on their way to ESPN’s BPI Top 25 rankings, with three ranked teams in action on Sunday. No. 6 UConn hosts St. John’s while No. 25 Marquette hits the road for a trip to No. 12 Xavier.

Updated ESPN BPI rankings

  1. Houston (17-1) (–)
  2. Tennessee (14-3) (–)
  3. UCLA (16-2) (–)
  4. Alabama (15-2) (+2)
  5. UConn (15-3) (-1)
  6. Texas (15-2) (-1)
  7. Purdue (16-1) (+2)
  8. Kansas (16-1) (-1)
  9. Gonzaga (16-3) (+2)
  10. Baylor (12-5) (+4)
  11. Rutgers (12-5) (-1)
  12. Ohio State (10-6) (-4)
  13. Iowa State (13-3) (+6)
  14. Virginia (13-3) (+2)
  15. Arkansas (12-5) (-3)
  16. Creighton (10-8) (+1)
  17. Indiana (11-6) (-4)
  18. Arizona (15-3) (-3)
  19. St. Mary’s (16-4) (+2)
  20. Kentucky (11-6) (-2)
  21. Auburn (14-3) (+2)
  22. Marquette (14-4) (+3)
  23. Xavier (14-3) (-3)
  24. TCU (14-3) (+6)
  25. Illinois (12-5) (+7)

North Carolina just missed out on cracking the top 25, as did Texas A&M, as the Aggies rose 13 spots up to No. 27. Also just missing out on this week’s rankings were Duke, Iowa and West Virginia.