College Basketball Rankings 2014-15: Bleacher Report's Week 8 Top 25
After all of the hype, Kentucky did exactly what it was supposed to do, taking care of business against Louisville to remain undefeated and to stay unanimously at No. 1 in the latest Bleacher Report college basketball Top 25.
Voting in this poll is conducted by myself, Jason King and C.J. Moore, and we all agreed for the third consecutive week that Kentucky and Duke are the two best teams in the country, in that order.
Though it was a shorter week than usual, there was no shortage of losses to shake things up. Arizona, Louisville, Kansas, Texas, Wichita State and California each took an L in the past six days to marginally fall out of our good graces.
Not only was it a shorter week because there were no games on Wednesday or Friday, but we're also posting our rankings one day earlier than usual because of a special treat we have lined up for you on Monday. After the holiday break, we wanted you to have something about Monday to look forward to, but you'll have to check back in to find out what it is.
For now, enjoy our Top 25 and be sure to tell us how much we're underselling your favorite team.
Teams Dropped from Rankings: VCU (25), California (24), San Diego State (21)
Others Considered: VCU (5 votes), San Diego State (5 votes), SMU, Stanford, Florida, LSU
No. 25-21: Georgetown-Northern Iowa
1 of 13
25. Georgetown 8-3 (Previous Rank: NR; 6 votes)
The Hoyas trailed Indiana by as many as 12 points in the second half before showing some serious grit in coming back to win in overtime. We've been very impressed by Georgetown's freshman class this season, but the upperclassmen led the way on Saturday.
D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera led all scorers with 29 points. Aaron Bowen added an impressive 22 off the bench. This is going to be one heck of a formidable eight-man rotation by March—if it isn't already.
24. West Virginia 11-1 (Previous Rank: NR; 6 votes)
Since the home loss to LSU on December 4, we had been hesitant to permit the Mountaineers back into our Top 25. But after a 14-point neutral-court win over North Carolina State and a 33-point thrashing of Wofford, we couldn't ignore them any longer.
Virginia Commonwealth gets credit for being a turnover-forcing machine, but did you know that West Virginia is actually leading the nation in turnover percentage and steal percentage, according to KenPom.com (subscription required)? The Mountaineers have at least 10 steals in all 12 games they have played.
23. Baylor 10-1 (Previous Rank: 23; 7 votes)
Baylor finally made it into the AP Top 25 only to immediately eke out a home win against the Jaguars of Southern University. We choose to believe that the Bears are better than what they showed on Monday and considerably so.
22. Ohio State 11-2 (Previous Rank: NR; 13 votes)
What to make of the Buckeyes?
At home against teams with no hope of an at-large bid, Ohio State is 11-0 and averaging nearly 90 points per game. Away from home against quality teams, the Buckeyes are 0-2 and have struggled to score early and often. We should find out early in conference play what this team is made of.
21. Northern Iowa 10-1 (Previous Rank: 22; 14 votes)
In games decided in regulation, Northern Iowa is 8-0 and holding opponents to 49.9 points per game. The Panthers will face some big tests early in Missouri Valley Conference play. They open conference play by traveling to 9-2 Evansville and hosting 10-2 Loyola Chicago.
No. 20-16: Colorado State-Notre Dame
2 of 13
20. Colorado State 13-0 (Previous Rank: 18; 14 votes)
Without Gian Clavell and Tiel Daniels, the Rams got all they could handle from New Mexico State on Saturday night, but they were able to eke out a road win in overtime to remain one of the seven undefeated teams in the country.
When healthy, this is a well-rounded team with four players averaging more than 10 points per game. As far as mid-major teams are concerned, Colorado State probably isn't as good as Wichita State was last year, but the Rams appear to be better than the Murray State team that opened the 2011-12 season with 23 straight wins.
19. Wichita State 10-2 (Previous Rank: 13; 23 votes)
The Shockers had been playing with fire in the past few weeks against Detroit, Alabama and Hawaii, and they finally got burned by George Washington on Christmas night. Wichita State had one of the most efficient offenses in the country last season, but it has really struggled to put the ball in the hoop as of late.
18. Maryland 12-1 (Previous Rank: 20; 24 votes)
Welcome back, Dez Wells.
Maryland's top scorer had missed the previous seven games with a fractured right wrist, but he returned on Saturday against Oakland with 10 second-half points off the bench. It was the first time this season that the Terrapins had both Wells and Evan Smotrycz in the same game.
At full strength, this team could be a serious threat to Wisconsin in the Big Ten.
17. Kansas 9-2 (Previous Rank: 9; 27 votes)
Last Saturday, Kansas looked like one of the more dominant teams in the country. The Jayhawks beat Lafayette by 27 and finally got an outstanding game out of Kelly Oubre. Two days later, they were beaten by 25 points by Temple. Good luck making sense out of that game as the season progresses.
16. Notre Dame 12-1 (Previous Rank: 15; 31 votes)
One could make a strong case that Notre Dame has had the best offense through the first six weeks of the season, but it must be noted that the Fighting Irish haven't played a game against a team that received so much as a single vote in the latest AP Top 25. Great start to the season, but the jury is still very much out on this team.
No. 15-11: Oklahoma-Texas
3 of 13
15. Oklahoma 8-3 (Previous Rank: 16; 31 votes)
The Sooners don't have any marquee wins, but it's games like the one they played against Weber State that keep us from giving up hope. Oklahoma scored a D-I record 39 consecutive points in the first half against the Wildcats, leading by a score of 49-4 before all was said and done.
14. St. John's 10-1 (Previous Rank: 19; 32 votes)
Long Beach State has given a lot of very good teams a lot of trouble this season, but St. John's took care of the Beach comfortably this week, holding a good offense to just 49 points in a 66-possession game. It remains a mystery how such a good team from New York City is struggling to get much national attention.
13. North Carolina 9-3 (Previous Rank: 17; 35 votes)
Remember when we almost dropped North Carolina out of our Top 25 after that loss to Iowa? Mr. C.J. Moore singled me out as the only expert in our trio who hadn't yet given up on the Tar Heels, but it's a good thing I didn't because they look very strong right now.
UAB is nothing special this year, but North Carolina destroyed the Blazers on Saturday by 31 points.
12. Washington 11-0 (Previous Rank: 14; 42 votes)
Robert Upshaw is the best shot-blocker in the country. Nigel Williams-Goss is one of the nation's best offensive combo guards, averaging 13.9 points and 7.0 assists per game. Shawn Kemp Jr. and Andrew Andrews aren't too shabby, either.
If you aren't yet on the Huskies bandwagon, there's still time to fix that. They aren't going undefeated, but this is a well-rounded team that could make some serious noise in the NCAA tournament.
11. Texas 10-2 (Previous Rank: 10; 46 votes)
Texas lost a tough one at home against Stanford on Tuesday night, but the Cardinal have been pretty solid outside of that inexplicable loss to DePaul. The Longhorns must still be considered one of the primary teams to beat in the Big 12.
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
10. Utah Utes
4 of 13
Record: 9-2 (47 votes)
Previous rank: 12
Results since last poll: vs. South Dakota State (W 80-66)
Games this week: vs. Carroll, vs. USC, vs. UCLA
Utah has been great and should only get better when Jordan Loveridge returns from minor knee surgery.
Delon Wright has stepped up his game in a big way in the absence of the team's second-leading scorer from last season, and Jakob Poeltl (10.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.5 BPG) has been an outstanding addition in the paint.
This is a very good team that came within a stone's throw of winning a road game against San Diego State and what effectively amounted to a road game against Kansas in Kansas City. Washington has been very impressive in the first few weeks of the season, but Utah remains the biggest challenge to Arizona in this conference.
When fully healthy, that is. The Utes have played well in Loveridge's absence, but they will have an exceptional amount of depth once he's able to get back on the court.
9. Iowa State Cyclones
5 of 13
Record: 9-1 (52 votes)
Previous rank: 11
Results since last poll: None
Games this week: vs. Mississippi Valley State, vs. South Carolina
With losses by both Kansas and Texas this week, Iowa State becomes the highest-ranked team in the Big 12.
Save for a neutral-court loss to a Maryland team who—let's be honest—no one thought was going to be this good, Iowa State has beaten each of its opponents by at least 10 points. Even including that loss, the Cyclones have scored more than 80 points in 80 percent of their games.
Scoring on Iowa State's defense is only marginally more difficult than forcing air through a screen door, but keeping up with this fast-paced offense is a challenge all by itself.
The Cyclones will suffer the occasional, inexplicable loss when the shots aren't falling, but this is a team that can beat anyone in the country—especially if Jameel McKay, who is now eligible to play, is as good as advertised.
8. Louisville Cardinals
6 of 13
Record: 11-1 (53 votes)
Previous rank: 7
Results since last poll: vs. Cal-State Northridge (W 80-55), vs. Kentucky (L 50-58)
Games this week: vs. Long Beach State, @ Wake Forest
Losing to the best team in the country is hardly a crime. Louisville drops just one spot after failing to put an end to Kentucky's bid for a perfect season.
Prior to the game, there was a lot of commotion about Louisville's poor three-point shooting—the Cardinals are hitting less than 30 percent of their long-range shots on the season. However, that hasn't been a strength of this team in some time. Two years ago, they shot just 33.3 percent en route to a national championship.
The bigger concern is an overreliance on backcourt players in close games.
Against Kentucky on Saturday, Terry Rozier and Chris Jones combined to attempt 33 shots, while Montrezl Harrell took just nine. A few weeks ago against Ohio State, that ratio was 26-8.
Harrell might be the most dominant big man in the country, but the guards seem to forget about that when the going gets tough.
That's something to keep an eye on in games against Duke and North Carolina within the next three weeks, but at least it isn't as bad as last season. In their nonconference losses to North Carolina and Kentucky in 2013-14, Jones and Russ Smith combined for 75 field-goal attempts, while Harrell received just seven.
7. Villanova Wildcats
7 of 13
Record: 12-0 (58 votes)
Previous rank: 8
Results since last poll: vs. NJIT (W 92-67)
Games this week: vs. Butler, @ Seton Hall
Villanova got a bit of a scare earlier in the season from Michigan, but at least the Wildcats were able to do to NJIT what the Wolverines could not. Villanova played just one game this past week and put a beating on the Highlanders with six players—including freshman Phil Booth—scoring at least 11 points in the rout.
A scary thought for the rest of the Big East is that JayVaughn Pinkston is just starting to heat up for the Wildcats.
Pinkston has had a few highlight-reel blocks already this season, but he wasn't scoring anywhere near as much as we expected when he was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team. Through nine contests, he was averaging just 8.8 points per game and had scored in double figures just three times.
That's old news, though, as he has at least 12 points in three straight games, including the 25-point, 10-rebound performance in the come-from-behind win against Syracuse.
6. Arizona Wildcats
8 of 13
Record: 12-1 (60 votes)
Previous rank: 3
Results since last poll: @ UNLV (L 67-71)
Games this week: vs. Arizona State
Did UNLV expose some serious concerns for Arizona, or was it just a game where everything went wrong for the Wildcats?
There were some bad fouls called against Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, as one of Arizona's best defenders logged just 18 minutes before fouling out. Kaleb Tarczewski played much of the game in foul trouble as well—thanks in large part to a questionable flagrant-1 early in the second half.
With those two men playing cautiously, Arizona was unable to dominate the defensive glass or slow down UNLV's Rashad Vaughn and Christian Wood as they drove to the rim over and over again.
Brandon Ashley didn't have the excuse of foul trouble, but he played perhaps his most ineffective game on defense in an Arizona uniform.
Even with those difficulties, the Wildcats could still be undefeated if Stanley Johnson hadn't missed an uncontested layup and committed a brutal turnover in the final moments.
Arizona fell from the ranks of the undefeated and fell three spots in our rankings, but we're far from concerned about this team going forward.
5. Gonzaga Bulldogs
9 of 13
Record: 12-1 (64 votes)
Previous rank: 5
Results since last poll: @ BYU (W 87-80)
Games this week: @ San Diego, @ Portland
Kentucky wasn't the only team on Saturday dealing with its final serious test of the regular season.
It isn't even 2015 yet, but Gonzaga has already won the most difficult game it should face in West Coast Conference play.
It was a see-saw battle, too. Gonzaga led by 16 midway through the first half only to go into the intermission tied at 43 apiece. BYU opened up a six-point lead early in the second half before the Bulldogs went on a Kevin Pangos-fueled run to take over the lead for good.
The moral of the story—which we've known all season—is that Gonzaga's defense is pretty hit or miss, but its offense is nothing short of insatiable and unstoppable.
And this team isn't even at full strength yet. The Bulldogs will be getting Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan eligible on January 8. The addition of another very capable scorer and ball-handler could well be the difference between another early tournament exit and the first Final Four appearance in school history.
4. Virginia Cavaliers
10 of 13
Record: 11-0 (65 votes)
Previous rank: 6
Results since last poll: None
Games this week: vs. Davidson, @ Miami (FL)
Virginia is currently seated on the "Yeah, but" throne that Wichita State occupied all of last season. Start arguing for the Cavaliers as one of the best teams in the nation and you'll inevitably get one of these responses:
—Yeah, but Justin Anderson can't possibly shoot 60.0 percent from three-point range all season.
—Yeah, but Virginia played Maryland without most of its key players and played VCU while the Rams were mired in a slump.
—Yeah, but London Perrantes is one of the least impactful point guards in the country, and that will kill them in close games.
—Yeah, but Mike Tobey isn't durable enough to survive ACC play.
Yeah, but Virginia is undefeated and absolutely embarrassed Harvard last weekend. And with Louisville falling to Kentucky, the Wahoos almost have to be considered (at least) the second-best team in the ACC. They move up to No. 4 this week in advance of a couple of tough games against Davidson and Miami.
3. Wisconsin Badgers
11 of 13
Record: 11-1 (68 votes)
Previous rank: 4
Results since last poll: @ California (W 68-56)
Games this week: vs. Buffalo, vs. Penn State, @ Northwestern
With Arizona falling to UNLV and Wisconsin picking up a very nice road win over California, the Badgers jump back up to No. 3 in our rankings this week.
Nigel Hayes—as he has been all season—was incredible against the Golden Bears, tallying 17 points and 13 rebounds. He led the team in both categories and paced the starting frontcourt (Hayes, Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky) to a combined 45 points and 27 rebounds.
Dekker now has at least 14 points and five rebounds in three consecutive games. He finally seems to be at or close to 100 percent for the first time in a while. Remember, while dealing with an injured ankle, he had just five points and was a non-factor in the loss to Duke.
If those two teams meet again, Dekker is at full strength and Hayes can stay out of foul trouble, things might be pretty different in Round 2.
2. Duke Blue Devils
12 of 13
Record: 10-0 (72 votes)
Previous rank: 2
Results since last poll: None
Games this week: vs. Toledo, vs. Wofford, vs. Boston College
The last time we saw the Blue Devils before their second extended break of December, they were struggling with a Connecticut team in desperation mode.
Clearly, we weren't too concerned by that outcome, as Duke remains our unanimous No. 2 team behind Kentucky.
The offense was a bit lackluster over the past two games, but Duke remains the most efficient offense in the country by a considerable margin, according to KenPom.com (subscription required).
Talk of Duke having the best chance of beating Kentucky still seems a bit far-fetched, but if Justise Winslow can get back to playing like he did in the first two weeks of the season, we could be headed for one heck of a fun game in the national championship.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
13 of 13
Record: 13-0 (75 votes)
Previous rank: 1
Results since last poll: @ Louisville (W 58-50)
Games this week: None
The streak finally ended this week.
That's right, Kentucky won a game by less than 10 points.
Outside of Tyler Ulis (14 points, two assists, no turnovers), the offense struggled against one of the most aggressive defenses in the country. No matter, though, because 58 points was more than enough for the best defense in the nation to take the reins.
Montrezl Harrell never even remotely dealt with foul trouble in the game, but he was held to just nine points on nine field-goal attempts by Kentucky's mountainous frontcourt.
The Wildcats now have wins against Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Texas and UCLA, switching the narrative from "This team could go undefeated" to "Who can possibly stop Kentucky from running the table?"
They'll get the next nine days off before resuming their quest for perfection against the SEC, but we don't expect Kentucky to drop from this top spot at any point in the remaining few months.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
