College Basketball Rankings 2014-15: Bleacher Report's Week 6 Top 25

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Kentucky and Duke remain the unanimous No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country in the latest B/R college basketball top 25.

Voting in this poll is conducted by myself, Jason King and C.J. Moore, and the past seven days didn't do much to change our minds about the national landscape.

Only four Top 25 teams lost a game this week, and two of those were road games against teams higher in the rankings.

As such, every single team in our top 17 is ranked in the exact same spot as it was a week ago. There was a bit of movement in the bottom eight, but Butler was the only team to drop out of our top 25 with Michigan State serving as the only new arrival.

Teams Dropped from Rankings: Butler (24)

Others Considered: Arkansas, Baylor, California, Eastern Washington, Florida, Georgetown, Harvard, Seton Hall, TCU, West Virginia

No. 25-21: North Carolina-St. John's

Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

25. North Carolina 6-3 (Previous Rank: 23. 4 votes.)

The Tar Heels hang on for dear life after a pretty respectable showing against Kentucky.

Well, it was respectable on offense, at least. The Tar Heels had no answer for the Wildcats on defense. They have a big game coming up on Saturday against Ohio State. Lose that one, and perhaps we'll finally give up on the Heels.

24. Maryland 10-1 (Previous Rank: 25. 7 votes.)

Maryland struggled this week against NC Central and USC Upstate, but the Terrapins are far from whole. Evan Smotrycz returned on Saturday to score 10 points in just 18 minutes, and Dez Wells should be back from his fractured wrist within the next two weeks.

On the plus side, the injuries have forced new additions like Melo Trimble, Dion Wiley, Jared Nickens and Richaud Pack to prove their worth in a baptism by fire. Once everyone is healthy, Maryland could have an eight-man rotation that becomes the second-best team in the Big Ten.

23. Michigan State 7-3 (Previous Rank: NR. 8 votes.)

With all due respect to the Spartans, it's a testament to the difficulty with trying to find 25 quality teams right now that we've got a three-loss squad with no quality wins at No. 23.

Having said that, it's looking like Michigan State will be pretty good when it gets Marvin Clark involved. The freshman forward with three-point range has scored at least eight points in six games—all of them double-digit wins for the Spartans. He has a total of seven points in the other four games combined—three losses and a near loss to Navy.

22. Northern Iowa 9-1 (Previous Rank: 20. 8 votes.)

The Panthers slipped a little bit after seeing their quest for a perfect season disappear this weekend, but losing in double overtime at VCU is minimal cause for concern. The Rams have struggled as of late, but that's still a very good team that Northern Iowa had multiple chances to beat.

The Panthers have another big test coming up on Saturday against in-state rival Iowa. One last chance for a truly quality win before Missouri Valley play starts.

21. St. John's 8-1 (Previous Rank: 21. 19 votes.)

A gap of 11 votes between two spots with only three voters is quite substantial. We pretty much agreed on the top 21 and proceeded to throw darts for the last four spots.

As far as the Red Storm go, we haven't completely bought in, but it's hard not to notice a 12-point win at Syracuse and a singular loss by a single-digit margin to a Gonzaga team that we view as the fifth-best in the nation.

No. 20-16: Miami-Washington

USA TODAY Sports

20. Miami 9-1 (Previous Rank: 18. 20 votes.)

The Canes only played one game this week and thrashed Savannah State by a score of 70-39.

Rebounding has been a struggle for this team, but they're about a month away from getting some help in the form of JUCO transfer Ivan Cruz Uceda. Anything's better than Joe Thomas averaging 16.0 minutes, 1.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

19. Colorado State 10-0 (Previous Rank: 22. 20 votes.)

One of nine remaining unbeatens, the Rams went through quite a test this week at Colorado in order to retain that status. From a team that hasn't exactly established defense as its calling card, it was pretty ridiculous to see Colorado State limit Josh Scott to just two points.

18. Notre Dame 10-1 (Previous Rank: 19. 22 votes.)

As Jerian Grant starts getting more attention for National Player of the Year, it'll be hard not to compare 2014-15 Notre Dame to 2013-14 Creighton. This team has the offensive firepower to hang with anyone. Defense might be a problem, though.

17. San Diego State 7-2 (Previous Rank: 17. 26 votes.)

On the one hand, it was promising to see the Aztecs discover the offense to bounce back from a late eight-point deficit against Long Beach State. On the other, how did they get in that situation at home in the first place?

When they play Cincinnati on Wednesday, first to 40 probably wins. You've been warned.

16. Washington 8-0 (Previous Rank: 16. 30 votes.)

Quite the scare for Washington on Sunday night, as the Huskies trailed for the majority of the home game against a very gamy Eastern Washington squad. In the end, Robert Upshaw's 21 points, nine rebounds and six blocks were just too much, propelling Washington to a third consecutive Sunday night victory that only hopeless college basketball addicts were watching.

No. 15-11: Ohio State-Iowa State

USA TODAY Sports

15. Ohio State 8-1 (Previous Rank: 15. 31 votes.)

We obviously have some degree of faith in the Buckeyes, but they have an incredibly hollow one-loss record. Outside of that lone loss to Louisville, Ohio State has not played a top-100 team (as graded by KenPom.com, subscription required) or played a game away from home. Saturday's neutral-court battle with North Carolina looms large.

14. Oklahoma 6-2 (Previous Rank: 14. 37 votes.)

TaShawn Thomas had 25 points and three blocks in a 19-point win at Tulsa on Saturday. If he's finally ready to consistently post the kind of numbers he had last year with Houston (15.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.7 BPG), look out.

13. Utah 7-2 (Previous Rank: 13. 39 votes.)

The Utes won a road game against BYU (incredibly holding the Cougars to 61 points on their own court) before nearly pulling off an incredible come-from-behind win over Kansas. Utah was down by 21 early in the second half before going on a 34-11 run to gain the lead.

All this without one of its most important players, Jordan Loveridge, who will be out for another couple weeks after recent knee surgery. Once he's healthy, this team is going to do some major damage.

12. Wichita State 7-1 (Previous Rank: 12. 40 votes.)

Wichita State won consecutive games this week by a score of 77-68 but disturbingly allowed both Seton Hall and Detroit back into the game after taking dominant leads in the first half. This is the complete opposite of last year's trend, as the 2013-14 Shockers made a habit of trailing at the half before coming to life after intermission.

11. Iowa State 9-1 (Previous Rank: 11. 45 votes.)

It's hard to argue that there was a better win over an unranked team this week than Iowa State's road win over loathed in-state rival Iowa. Despite playing at a faster pace than most, Iowa entered the game having not yet allowed an opponent to score more than 71 points in a game. The Cyclones promptly put up 90 against the Hawkeyes—without Bryce Dejean-Jones, nonetheless.

Iowa State's 72-63 loss to Maryland looks more and more like an anomaly every day.

10. Texas Longhorns

Chris Covatta/Getty Images

Record: 8-1 (51 votes)

Previous rank: 10

Results since last poll: vs. Texas State (W 59-27)

Games this week: vs. Lipscomb, vs. Long Beach State

In their only game of the week, the Longhorns committed 19 turnovers yet still won by 32 points.

That should tell you about all you need to know about Texas these days.

Kentucky is the only opponent to score more than 57 points against the Longhorns this season, and even the best team in the country could only muster 63 against them. Since losing starting point guard Isaiah Taylor, though, Texas is committing considerably more turnovers than it is forcing.

If you're looking for fast-paced, high-scoring games, you're looking in the wrong place. Once the Longhorns get Taylor back, however, there's going to be one heck of a four-team race for supremacy in the Big 12.

9. Kansas Jayhawks

Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

Record: 8-1 (51 votes)

Previous rank: 9

Results since last poll: at Georgetown (W 75-70), vs. Utah (W 63-60)

Games this week: vs. Lafayette

It's not easy to erase the memory of a 32-point loss in one of the most nationally anticipated games of the season to date, but four consecutive wins against Michigan State, Florida, Georgetown and Utah is a gigantic step in the right direction.

Given that one ugly loss and the plethora of other great teams around the nation, it would be tough to justify putting Kansas in the top eight. But it would be borderline insane to say the Jayhawks don't belong in the top 10.

Here's the scary part: They still haven't put together a complete game yet this season. If you could take the version of Kansas that was up 39-21 at the half against Utah and combine it with the version of Kansas that outscored Florida 47-26 in the second half, you'd have a team that can win a rematch with Kentucky.

This is an extremely young team still finding its legs. Neither Cliff Alexander nor Kelly Oubre has even remotely tapped into his full potential yet, and we're still waiting on Wayne Selden Jr. to become a consistent offensive weapon.

We pity the opposing team that happens to be on the court if and when that all comes together.

8. Virginia Cavaliers

USA TODAY Sports

Record: 9-0 (53 votes)

Previous rank: 8

Results since last poll: None

Games this week: vs. Cleveland State, vs. Harvard

The Cavaliers passed some serious tests two weeks ago on the road against Maryland and VCU before (presumably) passing some big tests this week in the form of final exams.

That's a long-winded way of saying we haven't seen Virginia play in a little while, as the Wahoos were idle this week.

Lack of games doesn't change the fact that this is one of the best defenses in the nation.

The big question, though, is what happens when Justin Anderson comes back to earth? Virginia's offensive efficiency may take a pretty serious hit once he's no longer shooting 58.8 percent from three-point range.

If the Cavaliers want to avoid being upset by Harvard on Sunday, they better hope Anderson still has some magic up his sleeve. If you love watching two great, defensive, slow-paced teams go head-to-head, it might not get much better than that game.

7. Villanova Wildcats

Associated Press

Record: 10-0 (58 votes)

Previous rank: 7

Results since last poll: vs. Illinois (W 73-59), vs. Temple (W 85-62)

Games this week: vs. Syracuse

Villanova won't blow you away with individual efforts. The Wildcats have yet to have a single player score more than 20 points in a game this season.

Rather, the Wildcats are a heavyweight fighter that just wears you down with a barrage of quality body blows.

They're a lot like Arizona in a number of ways, but most notably among them is that their sixth man might be their best player. Josh Hart has yet to start a game this season but has scored in double figures in five consecutive games, including Sunday's 20-point effort against Temple.

Villanova might get even better once JayVaughn Pinkston starts fulfilling the "Potential Big East Player of the Year" expectations we had for him over the summer. At any rate, no one was expecting him to be averaging just 9.1 PPG through 10 games.

6. Louisville Cardinals

USA TODAY Sports

Record: 9-0 (59 votes)

Previous rank: 6

Results since last poll: vs. Indiana (W 94-74), vs. UNC-Wilmington (W 68-57)

Games this week: at Western Kentucky

After a 19-point, 17-rebound effort in a win over UNC-Wilmington that was way more of a challenge than it should have been, Montrezl Harrell has now recorded five consecutive double-doubles.

His big game, though, came against Indiana. Harrell was 10-of-13 from the field with seven slam dunks, each one seemingly more emphatic than the last.

Harrell scored 21 points in the game but was only the third-highest scorer for the Cardinals, as Chris Jones had 24 and Terry Rozier had 26. On a neutral court against a good-not-great Indiana team, Louisville won by 20 points without getting a single point out of one of its starters, Chinanu Onuaku.

It was the type of game that let the world know the Cardinals might be the ones to end Kentucky's perfect season on December 27.

5. Gonzaga Bulldogs

USA TODAY Sports

Record: 9-1 (62 votes)

Previous rank: 5

Results since last poll: vs. Washington State (W 81-66), at UCLA (W 87-74)

Games this week: vs. Texas Southern, vs. Cal Poly (neutral court)

Against teams not named Arizona, Gonzaga is averaging 87.1 points per game this season.

It might be time to start mentioning Mark Few in the same breath as Iowa State's transfer-market genius Fred Hoiberg, because Gonzaga's primary additions (Kyle Wiltjer and Byron Wesley) each scored at least 20 points in each of the last two games.

Moreover, the Bulldogs will shortly be adding Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan to what is already one of the most efficient seven-man rotations in the country.

As our C.J. Moore opined on Twitter on Saturday night, Gonzaga has to be considered the team least likely to lose a game in the next three months. We'll see how other top-10 teams fare from here on out, but it might be hard to deny a 33-1 Gonzaga team its second No. 1 seed in three years.

4. Wisconsin Badgers

USA TODAY Sports

Record: 10-1 (66 votes)

Previous rank: 4

Results since last poll: at Milwaukee (W 93-54), vs. Nicholls State (W 86-43)

Games this week: None

Wisconsin didn't respond very well to the loss to Duke two weeks ago, following it up with a 49-point showing against Marquette. The Badgers won the game, but it was all sorts of ugly.

This week, though, they merely went out and won their two games by an average margin of 41 points.

Following a Frank Kaminsky steal and breakaway dunk, they held a 37-6 lead over Nicholls State just 14 minutes into Saturday afternoon's game.

If you were worried about Wisconsin's offense after the game against Marquette, feel free to stop fretting.

The Badgers get this week off before a very intriguing road game against California next Monday.

3. Arizona Wildcats

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Record: 10-0 (68 votes)

Previous rank: 3

Results since last poll: vs. Utah Valley (W 87-56), vs. Michigan (W 80-53)

Games this week: vs. Oakland, at UTEP

Saturday's game between Arizona and Michigan was exactly what should happen when a very good team plays a home game against a very average team struggling to find its way.

And yet, it was pretty doggone impressive.

Typically regarded as a great defensive team that gets by on offense, this was the third time in the past four games that Arizona has scored at least 80 points in a dominant win. Not coincidentally, it was also the third time in the past four games that Gabe York scored in double figures.

Similar to the effect that Trevor Cooney had on Syracuse last season, Arizona goes from difficult to beat to nearly impossible to beat when York is hitting shots. He had 15 against Michigan and was one of five Wildcats to score in double figures.

2. Duke Blue Devils

Lance King/Getty Images

Record: 8-0 (72 votes)

Previous rank: 2

Results since last poll: None

Games this week: vs. Elon, vs. Connecticut (neutral court)

Duke joins Virginia on the list of top-10 teams that dedicated the past week to studying for and taking fall semester finals.

The Blue Devils didn't lose any ground in our power rankings, but it will be interesting to see what sort of effect the time off has on their position in the AP poll. While they were taking exams, Arizona, Louisville and Wisconsin were busy taking teams behind the woodshed.

Another thing to keep an eye on will be Duke's game against Connecticut on Thursday.

The Huskies may be the reigning national champions, but it might be tempting to just view them as the final unranked hurdle before another 10-plus-day hiatus from regular-season games. Meanwhile, that game could mean everything for a Connecticut team desperately trying to beat a quality opponent.

1. Kentucky Wildcats

USA TODAY Sports

Record: 11-0 (75 votes)

Previous rank: 1

Results since last poll: vs. Columbia (W 56-46), vs. North Carolina (W 84-70)

Games this week: vs. UCLA (neutral court)

For about two seconds, there was cause for concern about Kentucky when it was announced on Thursday night that Alex Poythress will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

What does this mean for the platoons? Who plays more minutes? And—the most underrated question—can the Wildcats maintain their poise without one of their longest-tenured players?

Well, those fears were put to rest pretty quickly as Kentucky put together arguably its most efficient offensive game of the season against North Carolina on Saturday.

By shooting better than 36 percent from three-point range for just the second time this season, North Carolina managed to become the first team to score better than 0.90 points per possession against the Wildcats. We'll have to keep an eye on what kind of long-term effect no Poythress has on Kentucky's defense.

However, it's hard to throw stones at a 14-point win over a very good team. The Wildcats are our unanimous No. 1 team once again and figure to remain there at least until (if?) an opponent actually challenges them for more than 30 minutes.

Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.