Power Rankings: Where Things Stand After a Week of Carnage
For the fifth straight week, the top four teams in SI's power rankings remain unchanged. Behind them, you have Dayton, which hasn't lost in 2020; and Maryland, which has won nine straight in the Big Ten. Not many other teams from last week's power rankings can join them as having gone undefeated in even the last week. Of that Top 25, 14 teams lost at least one game since last Thursday, creating another shakeup below the top tier. With so many similarly-bunched teams taking Ls, things were bound to get messy:
1. Baylor (24-1, 12-1 Big 12)
The Bears comfortably handled West Virginia at home before managing a tricky trap game at Oklahoma to set up a massive showdown on Saturday at home vs. Kansas. Baylor won in Lawrence (for the first time ever) when these teams met in January, and now the nation's No. 1 gets its toughest test since that game. Something's bound to give for two teams holding double-digit win streaks.
2. Gonzaga (26-1, 12-0 WCC)
The Zags have to avoid looking ahead on Thursday night against a San Francisco team that previously gave them some trouble on the road, but assuming they survive, they'll get their toughest game since non-conference play on Saturday when they travel to Provo to take on BYU. Unlike the blowout in Spokane, this time star Cougars big man Yoeli Childs should be available.
3. Kansas (23-3, 12-1 Big 12)
Here's a scary thought: Iowa State made nine of its first 11 three-point attempts at Allen Fieldhouse on Monday...and still trailed by three after the ninth, eventually losing by 20. Beating this year's Cyclones team is no résumé-booster, but Kansas has to be encouraged by Devon Dotson (29.9% on the year from three) sinking 6 of 8 treys ahead of Saturday's clash with Baylor.
4. San Diego State (26-0, 15-0 MWC)
After winning one of their two remaining road games by 17 over Boise State, just three games stand between the Aztecs and an undefeated regular season. SDSU's entire starting five scored at least 10 points in the win over the Broncos.
5. Dayton (24-2, 13-0 A-10)
The Flyers got tested on the road at VCU, overcoming Obi Toppin's lowest point total (12) since December and 13 turnovers to win by five. They've now held four of their last five opponents below 1.0 points per possession.
6. Maryland (22-4, 11-3 Big Ten)
Anthony Cowan's own personal 11-0 run to will a late comeback win over Michigan State kept the Terps alone atop the Big Ten, and they now have a two-game cushion on Penn State heading into the weekend. A brutal remaining schedule awaits, though.
7. Kentucky (21-5, 11-2 SEC)
The Wildcats are now two full games up on their trio of challengers in the SEC and host one of those teams, Florida, this weekend. Kentucky earned a hard-fought road win over LSU on Tuesday thanks to Immanuel Quickley and some timely threes by Nate Sestina.
8. Florida State (22-4, 12-3 ACC)
The Seminoles' ACC title hopes are very much alive after they beat Syracuse and Pitt while Louisville and Duke each slipped up in the last week, leaving the three teams tied for first. FSU is shooting 39.6% from three in conference play, an underrated factor in another strong season in Tallahassee.
9. Penn State (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten)
The Nittany Lions' eight-game win streak came to an end at the hands of Illinois, but we'll allow them a mulligan after an impressive run in the nation's toughest conference. Part of the problem for the Big Ten this season is that it has too much depth for its own good, with teams beating each other up nightly with little separation outside of Maryland. PSU has been without one of its best players, scoring guard Myreon Jones, for the last four games.
10. Duke (22-4, 12-3)
Wednesday night's 22-point loss at NC State was a true clunker for the Blue Devils, who hadn't lost by that many points since 2013. With the defeat, Duke lost sole possession of first place in the ACC and also hurt its case for a No. 1 seed. With so few opportunities for wins that move the needle in the ACC this year, the Blue Devils can't afford nights like Wednesday.
11. Villanova (20-6, 9-4 Big East)
The Wildcats did some truly terrifying things from the perimeter in the last week, canning 17 of their 36 attempts (47.2%) against Temple and an absurd 18 of 26 (69.2%) in a road blowout of DePaul. Beyond trying to run them off the line, there's not much opponents can do when Villanova shoots that well—at that high of a volume—from three.
12. Creighton (21-6, 10-4 Big East)
The Bluejays are the hottest team in the Big East, and they make a big jump up the rankings after a rout of DePaul and road win over Marquette. After spending much of the season as a darkhorse, Creighton controls its own destiny in the conference race, sitting one game back of Seton Hall with a return visit from the Pirates coming on March 7.
13. Louisville (22-5, 13-3 ACC)
Things looked like they were close to spiraling for the Cardinals after a rough road loss to Clemson over the weekend (which followed a loss to Georgia Tech), especially considering it was the second straight subpar performance by Jordan Nwora. Louisville responded well in a domination of Syracuse on Wednesday, with five players—including Nwora—reaching double figures against the Orange zone.
14. Seton Hall (19-7, 11-3 Big East)
The Pirates couldn't fully recover from an embarrassing start against Providence over the weekend, tightening their lead in the Big East race as they also battle with conference foes Villanova and Creighton for seeding. They rebounded by edging Butler on Sandro Mamukelashvili's buzzer beater off a nifty inbounds play as time expired.
15. Oregon (20-6, 9-4 Pac-12)
Two big games by Will Richardson helped the Ducks go 2-0 in the last week, including a key win over Colorado to draw the two into a tie atop the Pac-12 (the Arizona schools are just a half-game behind). Oregon now travels to play Arizona and ASU on the road in a critical two-game stretch.
16. Colorado (20-6, 9-4 Pac-12)
Eighteen turnovers cost the Buffaloes in their loss to Oregon, as a problem that had improved of late reared its ugly head. Colorado is now done with games against its three closest Pac-12 competitors, but must take care of business down the stretch as it vies for the league title.
17. West Virginia (19-7, 7-6 Big 12)
The Mountaineers got their offense going again in snapping a three-game skid, but it took a ridiculously balanced scoring effort (eight players had between five and 11 points) to do so. West Virginia needs to close the final stretch strong to avoid slipping out of the Top 16 for NCAA seeding.
18. Auburn (22-4)
Last week we called the Tigers the cat with nine lives, but this time they got caught—twice. Granted, they were without standout freshman Isaac Okoro, but losing to a pair of weak SEC teams in Missouri and Georgia, even on the road, is going to see anyone tumble.
19. Michigan (17-9, 8-7)
Don't look now, but the Wolverines are back on the upswing after a meteoric rise back in November eventually crashed in a brutal January. But that downswing largely coincided with the loss of junior Isaiah Livers, whose sharpshooting and scoring is a major key to Michigan's offense. Since returning, Livers has had some setbacks—including missing Wednesday's game vs. Rutgers, when the Wolverines became the first team to win at the RAC all season.
20. Iowa (18-8, 9-6 Big Ten)
The Hawkeyes haven't won two straight since late January and continued that trend in the last week by losing at Indiana before winning at Minnesota. Luka Garza continued his torrid offensive season, putting up 38 points on the Hoosiers and 24 against the Golden Gophers.
21. Arizona (18-7, 8-4 Pac-12)
The Wildcats' road woes feel like a thing in the past now that they've won four straight away from Tuscon, including an important win at Stanford over the weekend. Saturday's ranked home clash with Oregon will be pivotal to the Pac-12 conference race, but both have to avoid looking ahead in their Thursday night games.
22. Illinois (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten)
The Fighting Illini's season looked like it was on the brink when star point guard Ayo Dosunmu went down with an awkward leg injury against Michigan State, and they lost a fourth straight game without him against Rutgers on Saturday. But Dosunmu returned to slay Penn State's eight-game winning streak, a pivotal win that sets up Illinois nicely ahead of a manageable final stretch of the regular season.
23. Butler (19-8, 7-7 Big East)
Since a 15-1 start to the season the Bulldogs are just 4-7 since, including taking a home loss to Georgetown before a narrow defeat to Seton Hall in the last week. The defensive improvements that fueled the first half of the season have vanished, with 10 of Butler's last 11 opponents all scoring more than 1.0 PPP (something just one of its first 15 opponents did).
24. BYU (21-7, 10-3 WCC)
The Cougars have been quietly good for a while now, and have been sitting in the KenPom Top 20 for the last month. A scare on the road at San Diego State last weekend will be forgotten if BYU can do something on Saturday that no one but Michigan has done this season, and that's beat Gonzaga. With Yoeli Childs available for this one, expect it to be closer than the schools' meeting in Spokane.
25. Ohio State (17-8, 7-7 Big Ten)
Like Michigan, the Buckeyes seem to have put their January doldrums to rest, winning five of their last six to climb back into the AP poll. And they've done it without freshman point guard DJ Carton, who remains off the court while he focuses on his mental health. This remains the best-shooting team in the Big Ten from the outside.
Dropped Out: Michigan State, Houston, Texas Tech, Marquette
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