After countless upsets and unlikely comebacks, Week 16 ended as possibly the most chaotic college basketball week of the year. Eight of the top 11 teams in the nation fell, some to one another. After incredible strides, both No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 8 Ohio State dropped a pair of games. As each team continues to fight for a ranked spot, the road to March Madness becomes more unpredictable by the day.
After making its debut as the top team in the nation a week ago, Virginia kept its spot at No. 1 for the second week. In their lone game, the Cavaliers took care of business at Miami, 59-50. With another dominant performance led by its nation-leading defense, Virginia continues to prove why it deserves the top spot. Matchups against Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh will test the Cavaliers’ ACC resilience this week.
Right behind Virginia for the second straight week are the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans. Increasing their win streak to 10, the Spartans won a pair of road matchups at Minnesota and Northwestern. After dominating the Golden Gophers, Michigan State rallied from a 27-point deficit in a 65-60 win in Evanston, Indiana. For the Spartans, a pair of Big Ten matchups lies waiting on their regular-season schedule. The Spartans will host Illinois before travelling to Madison to face Wisconsin in their regular-season finale.
Despite losing a road trip to Providence, Villanova stays at No. 3 this week. After losing two of three games against St. John’s and the Friars, the Wildcats faced Xavier in a matchup that likely decided the fate of the Big East title. After playing close into the second half, Villanova rode a 25-point performance from Miles Bridges and a 21-point performance by Donte DiVincenzo to a convincing 95-79 win. Ahead for the Wildcats are matchups at home against DePaul and on the road against Creighton. Ultimately, Villanova controls its own destiny in a path to the Big East title and a potential No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Surprising some after a loss to the Wildcats, Xavier remains at No. 4 this week. For the Musketeers, the regular-season conference title is now out of the question, but a high seed in the tournament is still a real possibility. Next on the schedule is a trip to Georgetown on Wednesday.
Returning to the top five this week is Duke, who advanced seven spots after a pair of huge conference wins. After dominating Virginia Tech at home, the Blue Devils traveled to No. 11 Clemson and returned home with a season-defining upset. This week, the Blue Devils host a pair of power programs in Louisville and Syracuse.
This week’s AP rankings actually features two teams tied at sixth: Gonzaga and Texas Tech. Gonzaga moves up three spots after dominating conference wins, while the Bulldogs, yet again, find themselves in control of their West Coast Conference future. With a pair of matchups at San Diego and at BYU left on the schedule, Texas Tech is sitting pretty.
Back into the top 10 are the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks, who bounced back after a tough week with wins at Iowa State and No. 21 West Virginia. Blocking the Jayhawks’ path to their 14th straight regular-season conference title is a pair of matchups against Oklahoma and No. 6 Texas Tech.
