RAHL REVIEWS WEEK 10 CBB TOP 25 RANKINGS
As always, contact the Rahl Reviews sports staff on Twitter (@RahlBets) to give us any feedback or suggestions that you may have regarding our Top 25! We look forward to hearing your remarks! Enjoy!
-Rankings mentioned in the article are in reference to the Rahl Review rankings, they are not the official AP Rankings unless stated otherwise.
-Scheduled games are subject to change due to COVID-19.
ADDED: #18 Alabama, #20 Oklahoma, #21 Florida State, #22 Florida, #24 USC
DROPPED: #21 Colorado, #22 Oklahoma State, #23 Clemson, #24 Duke, #25 Oregon
1. GONZAGA BULLDOGS (15-0) | LW: 1
Gonzaga’s dominant season pressed on this past week. The Zags won their lone game in impressive fashion on Saturday. The Bulldogs hosted Pacific; however, they were not very hospitable. They cruised out to a 52-21 lead after the first 20 minutes and kept the pressure on in the final 20, eventually winning by a score of 95-49.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 at San Diego, 1/30 at Pepperdine
2. BAYLOR BEARS (14-0) | LW: 2
Baylor held serve on their end in regard to keeping pace with Gonzaga, as both schools look to finish the season undefeated. The Bears posted an impressive 77-69 victory over #9 Kansas to start the week. They capped the week off on Saturday with a 15-point win over #22 Oklahoma State. As of now in the Big 12, it appears that Baylor is on a collision course with Texas, as the winner of that game should control their own destiny to be crowned the Big 12 champions.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 vs Kansas State, 1/30 vs Auburn
3. VILLANOVA WILDCATS (10-1) | LW: 3
Finally. After what felt like an eternity, the Wildcats were able to get back on the court this past Tuesday. They appeared a bit rusty, as they needed a last-second foul and following free throw conversions to break the tie with Seton Hall. The Pirates buzzer beater was off the mark, allowing Villanova to narrowly escape with a 2-point victory. They looked better in their 2nd game back when they handed Providence a 71-56 loss.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 at Connecticut, 1/30 at Seton Hall
4. TEXAS LONGHORNS (11-2) | LW: 6
The Longhorns were idle this week as their games were postponed due to COVID. They will look to get back on the court this week against an Oklahoma team coming off a big win, and then they will travel to Kentucky to take on Coach Cal’s floundering Wildcats squad.
THIS WEEK: 1/26 vs #20 Oklahoma, 1/30 at Kentucky
5. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (13-1) | LW: 7
Michigan bounced back from their Minnesota loss. Big time. On Tuesday they blew Maryland out by 24 points. They followed that up on Friday night when they traveled to Purdue. The Boilermakers are typically a pesky Big Ten team on an annual basis, and this year is no exception as they have 3 wins over ranked Big Ten opponents. That did not faze the Wolverines though, Michigan dominated Purdue, winning the game 70-53, handing the Boilermakers their first home loss of the season.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 at Penn State, 1/30 vs Indiana
6. HOUSTON COUGARS (13-1) | LW: 8
The Cougars seem to be on a roll, albeit their conference schedule isn’t something to behold in terms of strength. However, the Cougars have won their last 4 games by double-digits, which is an accomplishment in any conference. They added two games to that streak last week when they defeated Tulsa by 27 and Temple by 17.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 at Tulane, 1/31 vs SMU
7. VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (10-2) | LW: 10
After their game against NC State was postponed, the Cavaliers managed to eek out a victory over Georgia Tech. A Kihei Clark jumper gave the Cavs a 2-point lead with just over a minute remaining. Virginia then won the game in true Cavaliers fashion – by not allowing another basket.
THIS WEEK: 1/25 vs Syracuse, 1/30 at #19 Virginia Tech
8. IOWA HAWKEYES (12-3) | LW: 4
The Hawkeyes were stunned this past week when they dropped a home game to an unranked Indiana team. Iowa held the lead with 8 minutes remaining, but they would go cold, scoring only 1 point over the next 6 minutes. This allowed Indiana to pull away and secure an 81-69 upset win over their conference foe.
THIS WEEK: 1/24 vs Nebraska, 1/29 at #16 Illinois
9. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (11-4) | LW: 13
The Red Raiders were off this week due to COVID-19. They will look to get back on the court in Morgantown for a showdown with #10 West Virginia.
THIS WEEK: 1/25 at #10 West Virginia, 1/30 at LSU
10. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (10-4) | LW: 16
I am sure that West Virginia is happy that they were able to get back on the court Saturday. Their 69-47 victory over Kansas State gave West Virginia a chance to get back into rhythm before hosting #9 Texas Tech. The Mountaineers should benefit from getting back into action, while Texas Tech has been off the court since their loss to Baylor.
THIS WEEK: 1/25 vs #9 Texas Tech, 1/30 vs #22 Florida
11. MISSOURI TIGERS (10-2) | LW: 20
Missouri was able to exact their revenge over the Volunteers on Saturday by defeating them by a score of 73-64. This came days after an 11-point victory over South Carolina. They are still 2 games back, but these wins keep them close to Alabama at the top of the SEC standings.
THIS WEEK: 1/26 at Auburn, 1/30 vs TCU
12. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (10-3) | LW: 5
It was a rough week for Tennessee. Prior to dropping a game to Missouri, the Vols traveled to The Swamp… and proceeded to get swamped. Nothing went right for Tennessee in Gainesville. The Gators held them to 29% shooting, 17% from three, and the Vols even struggled at the foul line, going only 12 of 25. They will have the chance to bounce back this week when they take on Kansas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
THIS WEEK: 1/26 vs Mississippi State, 1/30 vs #14 Kansas
13. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (12-4) | LW: 14
Just when it looked like Ohio State was beginning to gain traction, they dropped a game to unranked Purdue. They rebounded nicely, however, taking down #12 Wisconsin in Madison by 12. This team clearly has talent and the ability to win big games. If they can get hot when March and April roll around, watch out.
THIS WEEK: 1/31 vs Michigan State
14. KANSAS JAYHAWKS (10-5) | LW: 9
Something rare happened when Kansas lost to Oklahoma on Saturday. That was their 3rd straight conference loss. You have to go back to the 2012-2013 season to see the last time that happened. While this team may not be as formidable as past teams, they are still a team to be wary of when March Madness begins.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 vs TCU, 1/30 at #12 Tennessee
15. WISCONSIN BADGERS (12-4) | LW: 12
The Badgers suffered another home loss on Saturday. They fell to the #14 Buckeyes at the Kohl Center by a score of 74-62. A few regular season losses are nothing for Badgers fans to fret about. They have the most experienced team in the country by far. This is an invaluable intangible asset to have in tournament play.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 at Maryland, 1/30 at Penn State
16. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (10-5) | LW: 18
The Illini’s victory over Penn State didn’t exactly launch themselves back into the ranks of the Big Ten’s elite. They could manage to do that this week, however, as they take on Player of the Year front-runner Luka Garza and his #8 Iowa Hawkeyes. There were high expectations surrounding this Illinois squad in the preseason, and they haven’t exactly lived up to them. A win over Iowa could get them back into the national spotlight, and back into the conversations of who the Big Ten’s top contenders are.
THIS WEEK: 1/29 vs #8 Iowa
17. CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (11-4) | LW: 11
It has been tough going for the Jays lately. After a bad loss to Butler, they suffered an equally bad home loss to Providence. After trailing by 13 in the 2nd half, the Jays comeback effort got them within 2 with under a minute to play. They would fall short, however, as the Friars would hit a clutch 3 and convert their free throws in the waning seconds. Creighton bounced back with a victory over an AP-ranked Connecticut team, but the losses to Butler & Providence call to question the legitimacy of this Bluejays team.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 at Seton Hall, 1/30 at DePaul
18. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (13-3) | LW: N/R
Is Alabama for real? It would certainly appear so. The Tide are currently riding a 9-game win streak that includes a road victory over a top-10 Tennessee team. They made a statement this week when they rocked LSU 105-75, posting a whopping 60 points in the 1st half. We will see if the Tide can keep rolling when they travel to Norman to take on #20 Oklahoma in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
THIS WEEK: 1/26 vs Kentucky, 1/30 at #20 Oklahoma
19. VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES (11-3) | LW: 15
The Hokies suffered an 18-point loss at Syracuse after their game against Boston College was cancelled. While a loss to Syracuse wasn’t that surprising (the Orange were a 1.5-point favorite), it is the margin of defeat that stings. The Hokies couldn’t get hot shooting, while the Orange shot over 50%. This is not a good sign as the Hokies host #7 Virginia and their smothering defense this week.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 at Notre Dame, 1/30 vs #7 Virginia
20. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (9-4) | LW: N/R
A win over #9 Kansas was enough to vault them into my top-20. This week we will find out how deserving they are of the spot, as they travel to Austin to face #4 Texas and then host #18 Alabama in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
THIS WEEK: 1/26 at #4 Texas, 1/30 vs #18 Alabama
21. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (9-2) | LW: N/R
The ‘Noles appear to finally have things on track after dropping games to Clemson and UCF in December. Leonard Hamilton’s squad is on a 4-game win streak, including impressive victories this week over Louisville and #23 Clemson. Florida State defeated Louisville on the road, earning a 13-point win over the Cardinals. They then avenged their loss to Clemson, handing them a 19-point defeat.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 vs Miami, 1/30 at Georgia Tech
22. FLORIDA GATORS (8-4) | LW: N/R
The Gators may have lost Keyontae Johnson for the year, but they aren’t letting that ruin their season. They posted a huge 75-49 win over #5 Tennessee, and they followed that up by posting 92 points on Georgia in an 8-point road win. They will have another top-10 test this week in the Big 12/SEC Challenge when they travel to Morgantown to face #10 West Virginia.
THIS WEEK: 1/27 vs Vanderbilt, 1/30 at #10 West Virginia
23. UCLA BRUINS (12-3) | LW: 17
The Bruins 7-game win streak came to a heartbreaking end last week when they fell to Stanford at the buzzer. Bruins G Tyger Campbell was able to convert an and-1 with 5 seconds left to give UCLA a 1-point lead. Stanford’s Oscar da Silva was able to convert a lay-up at the buzzer to hand UCLA their 3rd loss of the year, and their first in conference play. They will look to begin a new win streak this week when they host both Oregon & Oregon State.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 vs Oregon, 1/30 vs Oregon State
24. USC TROJANS (12-3) | LW: N/R
Much like UCLA, the Trojans are flying under the radar with a 12-3 record. The Trojans have looked impressive throughout the year and were able to rebound this week with an 8-point win at California. Also, like UCLA, the Trojans will host both Oregon teams this week.
THIS WEEK: 1/28 vs Oregon State, 1/30 vs Oregon
25. MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (11-5) | LW: 19
After finishing what was most likely the toughest 9-game stretch I have ever seen, the Gophers did not begin the easier portion of their schedule the way they would have liked to. Minnesota dropped a home game to Maryland, falling to the Terrapins 63-49. This could be a let down from their win over Michigan, or a product of them being idle for a week. Either way, they will be tested again this week when they travel to Purdue.
