Week of 12/25/2023
Some major teams suffered some setbacks this week, and with conference play right around the corner, these teams need to start to figure out their identity and take shape.
Starting off this list is Kansas, followed by Purdue, Houston, UConn, and Arizona. Kansas and Purdue are both 11-1, and although Purdue beat the team that beat Kansas, that being Marquette, Kansas is ranked over Purdue because Kansas’ loss came to a better team. Kansas also has wins over Kentucky, Tennessee, and UConn. Although Purdue has a win over Arizona, the Boilermakers play down to competition, and we saw that against Northwestern. Both of these teams have an easy game to end 2023 before conference play starts in 2024. Houston has been dominant this season, but that’s because of their schedule. Their best win is a 70-66 win over Texas A&M, but nearly blew a 21-point lead. After A&M, their best win is against Utah. Houston has a tough conference schedule, drawing both Kansas and Texas twice, and Oklahoma, Baylor, and BYU all on the road. Arizona and UConn are both in the same boat, losing this week. Arizona fell by 1 point in double overtime to FAU. Zona didn’t play bad, but just got out-played. The won the rebound game, with 52 to FAU’s 39. They turned the ball over less than FAU. As for UConn, they lost to Seton Hall. However, they bounced back against Saint John’s, 69-65.
Rounding out the top 10 are UNC, Tennessee, FAU, Kentucky, and Marquette. The top 5 are in their own little bubble, so one of the biggest questions entering this week was: Who will be number 6? In the AP Poll, it’s Tennessee. However, I put UNC at 6 for one main reason, which is their wins. They beat a ranked Arkansas, Tennessee, and most recently Oklahoma. They beat OU by 12, and forced 18 turnovers. As a team, they had 10 steals. They had more steals than they did assists. UNC is now 8-3, with 2 losses coming against quality teams, Kansas and UConn. As for Tennessee, the only reason why they’re behind UNC is the head-to-head matchup, where UNC won. FAU jumped up a lot on this list, as they knocked off Arizona. Johnell Davis had a season-high 35 points, and also had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. As for Kentucky, they beat Louisville this week, and are 9-2. As for Marquette, they got destroyed by Providence, but then beat Georgetown. They have a big matchup against Creighton on December 30. If Marquette wins that game, they’ll be they leading favorite to win the Big East.
Then come Gonzaga, Illinois, Oklahoma, BYU, and Colorado State. In the AP Poll, Gonzaga is ranked behind Illinois and Oklahoma, but I have them ahead because they’ve been so dominant. They lost to both Purdue and UConn, along with an upset from Washington. They should win the WCC this year, as Saint Mary’s is not looking that good. As for Illinois, they’re one of the more slept on teams this year. They beat FAU, a team now ranked ahead of them, and also took down a good Missouri team. After that, however, its not as good. They lost to both Tennessee and Marquette, 2 of the 3 ranked teams that they’ve played this year. They have to play Purdue twice, and go on the road against Wisconsin. They could very well be limping into the Big Ten tournament. Oklahoma’s undefeated season ended on Wednesday with a 12-point loss to North Carolina. They have a tough conference schedule, with Kansas and Texas twice. They also take on Baylor on the road, but Houston at home. As for BYU and Colorado State, they’ve been very similar teams all season. They’re both 11-1 with some close losses.
Duke, Clemson, Baylor, James Madison, and Texas round out the top 20. Duke had a big 78-70 win against Baylor, where all 5 starters played for 32 or more minutes. Jeremy Roach played all 40 minutes, dropping 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. This puts Duke at 8-3, and even with a loss to Georgia Tech, they still have a good shot at winning the ACC. As for Baylor, their loss to Duke marked their second straight loss. They avenged that loss with a win over Mississippi Valley State. They made 19 threes, winning 107-48. However, the two games before this were bad for Baylor, as they also got blown out against Michigan State, 88-64. Sandwiched between Duke and Baylor is Clemson. The Tigers are now 10-1, with their only loss being a 2-point loss to Memphis. James Madison is one of the most underrated teams in college basketball, but I get why they aren’t rising in the rankings. It’s because of their schedule. Other than Michigan State, they’ve had an incredibly weak schedule. The second hardest team that they’ve faced is probably Fresno State, who’s 6-6. Texas had one game, taking down Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They’ve now won 3 straight games, with a win over LSU as well.
The teams that finish the top 25 are Memphis, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Creighton, and Providence. Memphis is 10-2, and have won 5 straight. In this streak, they’ve beaten Texas A&M, Clemson, and Virginia. They took on Vanderbilt Saturday, only winning by 2. They’ve also beat a ranked Arkansas and two solid teams in Michigan and Missouri. However, they only reason this 5-game winning streak started was because of their 3-point loss to Ole Miss. Speaking of the Rebels, they are now 12-0, but other than the win over Memphis, they’ve had a pretty easy schedule. They survived against UCF earlier this season, winning 70-68. That was Ole Miss’ second hardest game, but the hardest will come on January 6 against Tennessee. Then come the trio of Wisconsin, Creighton, and Providence. Wisconsin got destroyed by Providence earlier this season, losing 72-59. Wisconsin has gone 8-1 since, losing to Arizona. The Badgers look like one of the only teams that can upset Purdue in the Big Ten this year, and they’ll get two shots at it. The win over Wisconsin catapulted Providence to a 3-0 start. They’ve since lost a close game against Kansas State, and got destroyed by Oklahoma. However, they upset Marquette back on the 19th. In fact, they destroyed the Golden Eagles, winning 72-57. If the Friars can take this momentum into the rest of Big East play, they can win the conference. They take on Seton Hall on the 3rd, and on the 6th, they face Creighton. Creighton has dropped a lot in my rankings, as they lost to Villanova on the 20th. It was a 2-point loss, and combined with a narrow win over Alabama and another upset loss to UNLV back on the 13th, Creighton hasn’t been looking like the best of teams lately. That hurts, as they take on Marquette on the 30th.