Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

College Basketball Talk’s Top 25: What to do with Kentucky and Louisville this week?

Damion Lee, Ryan Majerle

Damion Lee, Ryan Majerle

AP

Given the lack of games over this weekend -- you know, it was Christmas and all -- there really wasn’t all that much movement in the top 25 this week. So I won’t be boring you with loads of words about why we decided to leave Michigan State at No. 1 after they won a game without Denzel Valentine against a team that had a kid go for 37 points and nine assists.

There are a couple of points that I wanted to touch on, however:


  • I only moved Kentucky up one spot after their win over Louisville because I think that that game said more about the Cardinals than it did the Wildcats. It was great to see Tyler Ulis play so well and guys like Dominique Hawkins and Alex Poythress step up, but the Cardinals abused them on the glass as Skal Labissiere continued to struggle.
  • Louisville had a shot to win on the road against a team ranked higher than them. Would your opinion of them really change all that much if Damion Lee had hit that buzzer-bear? That’s why I didn’t drop them at all.
  • The same goes for Cincinnati, who is still at No. 21 after losing to Iowa State at home. The Bearcats have three losses this season: one on the road against Xavier and two at home, one of which was a buzzer-beater for Butler and the other of which was three missed game-winners by Cincy. All three losses are to top 15 teams. They’re good, if not a bit unlucky.
  • I didn’t bounce GW out of the top 25 because, frankly, I think they’re better than the likes of UConn, Gonzaga and Utah.

Anyway, on to the NBCSports.com Top 25.

1. Michigan State (13-0, LW: No. 1)
2. Maryland (11-1, LW: No. 2)
3. Kansas (10-1, LW: No. 3)
4. Oklahoma (11-0, LW: No. 4)
5. North Carolina (10-2, LW: No. 5)
6. Xavier (12-0, LW: No. 6)
7. Virginia (10-1, LW: No. 7)
8. Miami (10-1, LW: No. 8)
9. Butler (10-1, LW: No. 9)
10. Purdue (12-1, LW: No. 10)
11. Arizona (12-1, LW: No. 11)
12. Providence (12-1, LW: No. 12)
13. SMU (11-0, LW: No. 13)
14. Kentucky (10-2, LW: No. 15)
15. Iowa State (10-1, LW: No. 16)
16. Villanova (9-2, LW: No. 14)
17. Duke (9-1, LW: No. 17)
18. Texas A&M (9-2, LW: No. 18)
19. West Virginia (10-1, LW: No. 19)
20. Louisville (11-2, LW: No. 20)
21. Cincinnati (10-3, LW: No. 21)
22. South Carolina (11-0, LW: No. 23)
23. Baylor (9-2, LW: No. 24)
24. UCLA (9-4, LW: No. 25)
25. George Washington (10-2, LW: No. 22)