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College Basketball Talk’s Top 25: Top 10 remains same, but three teams lose pieces

North Carolina v Kentucky

Willie Cauley-Stein (Getty Images)

Getty Images

North Carolina v Kentucky

Willie Cauley-Stein (Getty Images)

Getty Images

1. Kentucky (11-0, LW: No. 1): The Wildcats won two games this week, beating Columbia, 56-46, and North Carolina, 84-70. Who would have believed me if I said that a team with the potential to go undefeated would struggle more with an Ivy League program than with a blue blood? One important note: Kentucky lost Alex Poythress for the season to a torn ACL. Keep an eye on how that

2. Duke (8-0, LW: No. 2): Duke didn’t play last week. But they did lose Semi Ojeleye, the last guy on their bench and the only scholarship player that wasn’t a McDonald’s all-american, to transfer.

3. Arizona (10-0, LW: No. 3): The Wildcats certainly made a statement in their 80-53 win over Michigan on Saturday. Whether that statement had more to do with Arizona or Michigan is debatable.

4. Wisconsin (10-1, LW: No. 4): The Badgers won two games by an average of 41 points this week, and now won’t take the court against until a Dec. 22nd trip to Cal. This is when Sam Dekker gets that ankle healthy, which might make this the most important stretch of the season for the Badgers.

5. Gonzaga (9-1, LW: No. 5): After losing at Arizona in overtime, the Zags bounced back with impressive wins over Washington State and at UCLA. Kyle Wiltjer was particularly impressive.

6. Texas (8-1, LW: No. 6): We’re still in a holding pattern with the Longhorns as we wait for them to get Isaiah Taylor back from a broken wrist. Texas held Texas State to a whopping 27 points this week, but only managed to score 49.

7. Virginia (9-0, LW: No. 7): The ‘Hoos were off last week as they took finals. They get two tough mid-major home games next week, with Cleveland State and Harvard paying a visit.

8. Louisville (9-0, LW: No. 8): The Cards landed an impressive win over Indiana at the Jimmy V Classic last week, notable because it saw two key role players -- Chris Jones and Wayne Blackshear -- put together impressive performances. They are the difference-makers for Rick Pitino.

9. Villanova (11-0, LW: No. 9): I still don’t think we know just how good this Villanova team is. They’re four best wins -- VCU, Michigan, Temple and Illinois -- don’t look all that impressive right now. That said, this is a tough, veteran group that certainly passes the eye test.

10. Kansas (8-1, LW: No. 10): There are a couple of things to think about here. For starters, how many teams have a better set of four wins than the Jayhawks? They’ve beaten Utah, Michigan State, Florida and won at Georgetown, and they’re not even close to being a finished product. But they also lost Devonte’ Graham, the only point guard on the roster not named Frank Mason, to an injury that will cost him at least a month.

11. Wichita State (7-1, LW: No. 11) 12. Iowa State (8-1, LW: No. 12) 13. Oklahoma (6-2, LW: No. 13) 14. Ohio State (8-1, LW: No. 14) 15. Utah (7-2, LW: No. 20) 16. Notre Dame (10-1, LW: No. 16) 17. Washington (8-0, LW: No. 17) 18. Georgetown (6-3, LW: No. 15) 19. Maryland (10-1, LW: No. 19) 20. Miami (9-1, LW: No. 22) 21. Colorado State (10-0, LW: No. 23) 22. Butler (8-2, LW: No. 21) 23. North Carolina (6-3, LW: No. 18) 24. St. John’s (8-1, LW: No. 24) 25. Michigan State (6-3, LW: No. 25)

Dropped Out: None

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