NCAA Men's Basketball Top 25: Week of Feb. 10

Published: Monday, February 10, 2025

by CJ Weipz and Sean Casey

Considered: George Mason, Texas, VCU, UC San Diego

 

25. Clemson

Over the past few weeks, there has been a major debate about whether they deserved to be ranked. Those debates can now be put to rest, as the Tigers picked up a signature win over Duke at home. Despite a loss to known giant slayers Georgia Tech, Clemson drops into the the new rankings after a strong start to ACC play. They will look to take advantage of a weaker year for the conference. 

24. UConn

UConn continues to fall in our rankings after a tough loss to St. John's at home. The Huskies looked completely lost on offense in the second half and were forced into 22 turnovers in their own building. Rick Pitino had their number, and no amount of McNeeley magic could save Dan Hurley and company.  

23. Mississippi State

Another 1-1 week, as things have seemed to go for them all of conference play. Mississippi State has now fallen 5-5 conference play, and while they don't have any bad losses, this is a team that needs to string together some wins over good teams to stay legit in a stacked SEC.

22. Michigan

Dusty May has his boys moving heading into the home stretch of Big 10 play. The Wolverines are one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the nation, with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin patrolling the paint and Tre Donaldson ranking top-10 in the conference in assists per game. With Illinois continuing to stutter and Michigan State being the only true competition in the league, Michigan looks to make a run at the Big 10 title come March.  

21. Ole Miss

In a competitive SEC, the Rebels are carving out space for themselves to be in conversation. Ole Miss has won three of their last four including a Dre Davis buzzer beater against LSU. Chirs Beard is a winner, and the Rebels will now look ahead to a Egg Bowl matchup with #23 Mississippi State on Saturday the 15th. 
 
20. New Mexico

The Lobos have won their last three games by an average scoring margin of +22, including a monster 87-65 win over a surging Colorado State team. Donovan Dent is quite literally the most underrated player in the nation, sitting top six in the Mountain West in assists and steals. Additionally, they lead the conference in scoring. The Pit has looked untouchable over the past few years, and with a top-30 defense in the nation per KenPom, this is not a Lobos squad that should be messed with come mid-March. 
 
19. Maryland  

Maryland avoided a bad loss to Rutgers, as freshman stud Derrick Queen continues to impress. But the Terps do drop a spot, as they fell to Ohio State earlier in the week. A tricky game with the Nebraska team on the bubble looms.  
 
18. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders finally have their magical run snapped by yet another surging Big 12 squad in the Arizona Wildcats. Tech is now 7-1 over their last eight games, headlined by an entire starting five of dynamic scorers and solid defense. New Mexico transfer JT Toppin and Chance McMillin are combining for an average of over 30 points per game while Elijah Hawkins is establishing himself as one of the best facilitators in the conference. Grant McCasland is cultivating something special in Lubbock, don't be shocked if the Red Raiders run the table in the Big 12. 
 
17. Marquette

The Golden Eagles continue to slide after losses to two red-hot teams in St Johns and Creighton. Stevie Mitchell continues to be the x-factor, and Kam Jones can't fade away from being the guy to make a play when one is needed. Is Marquette not who we thought, or just the victim of a brutal part of the schedule? Probably a little of both, so 17 feels like a perfect spot to rank them. 
 
16. Creighton

Another excellent week for Greg McDermott and the Bluejays comes to a head with a massive victory over the ranked Marquette Golden Eagles, 77-67. Ryan Kalkbrenner finally broke out of his slump and has made his way to the front of BIG EAST Player of the Year conversations, averaging 23 points and nine boards over his last five games. The defensive pressure is still the predominant feature of this Blue Jays squad, but the offensive firepower will give this team the juice to compete with St. John's for the conference title.  
 
15. Memphis  

Memphis continues to roll on in the AAC, this week facing a Temple team at home who previously had their number. Avoiding upsets will be the name of the game for Penny Hardaways squad. 
 
14. Missouri

Back-to-back losses is not normally the way to move up in the rankings, but this is a hand-up accountability ranking for our previous weeks. However, that does not discount the fact that this is still one of the toughest teams to play in the SEC. Taking both Tennessee and Texas A&M down to the wire with one of the best offenses in the nation puts the Tigers squarely in the 14 spot this week.  

13. Arizona

This will be a top-10 basketball team soon. Tommy Lloyd got the Wildcats back from the lead and picked another ranked win over Texas Tech. This team has been red hot since conference play started, and Caleb Love's play is much improved. This team had too much talent to be bad, they're now showing their capabilities. 
 
12. Kentucky

As the season drags on, the Mark Pope system continues to rear its ugly head. High powered offense, followed by nothing on the defensive end, is a scary combination for a team that's about to end the season playing three AP top-15 teams. That being said, this team has so much talent that it almost doesn't matter. Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, and Kobe Brea are all masters on the offensive end and Lamont Butler is one of the more underrated defensive players in the SEC. Only time will tell if this is sustainable, but one thing is certain; there will be a lot of points.  
 
11. Iowa State

Iowa State continues to drop games and simultaneously fall in these rankings. They need to string together some wins to stay up there with Houston and Ariona. The Cyclones are in for a great right-week, playing UCF and Cincinnati.  
 
10. Texas A&M

Wade Taylor IV must have been spending some time in New Orleans before taking on the Missouri Tigers because that game-winning shot had to have some voodoo magic instilled in it. All jokes aside, the Aggies are starting to come into their own in conference play. Pharrel Pane dropped 20 against the Tigers and has found some more consistency in his scoring over the past couple of games. The Aggies are going to need it all heading into the early days of March.  
 
9. Michigan State  

350 Big Ten wins now for Tom Izzo, a mark he reached after beating Oregon on Saturday. However, MSU falls here due to a loss on the road to an improved UCLA squad. The Spartans are yet again the class of the Big Ten, alongside Purdue. Their matchup on February 18th is one everyone has circled.  
 
8. Purdue  

Matt Painter and company have done a solid job staying afloat in the Big 10. In a conference full of inconsistency and question marks, Purdue has answered with one of the most efficient offensive attacks in the nation. Braden Smith is on a first-class flight to an All-American selection, Trey Kaufmen-Renn is emerging into the national spotlight, and Fletcher Loyer continues to be one of the most efficient shooters across the land. The Boilermakers are built to get back to the Final Four.  
 
7. St. John's

I wrote last week that this past week was a legitness test for the Johnnies; St Johns passed that test with flying colors, knocking off the upper part of the BIG EAST in four days. Kadary Richmond picked it up of late and RJ Luis has played at an all-conference level. Like him or not, year two Rick Pitino is here, and Red Storm are elite eight good. This is the team to beat in the BIG EAST right now.  
 
6. Tennessee

The offensive questions were all but quelled after the Florida matchup but after another 80+ point game from the Volunteers against Missouri squashed any issues with this team's ability to score. Couple that with the top ranked defense according to KenPom and the Vols are starting to put together something special. It showed why they were widely regarded as the best team in the nation for so long.  
 
5. Houston  

Year in and year out, this team finds their way into the top five. After the Texas Tech loss, Houston took care of business against the weaker part of the Big 12. Up next is a tricky test at home against Baylor.  
 
4. Florida

They beat Auburn in the Jungle. Next.  

3. Duke  

Another slip for Cooper Flagg, another slip in the rankings, albeit only one spot. Duke dropped their first conference game over the weekend at Clemson. Duke had their chances to win but failed to execute late, and Flagg slipped on the final possession yet again. The good news? The Blue Devils still are in a great stop and Flagg remains one of the best players in the country. Another ranked loss doesn't change that. This team is rolling.  

2. Alabama

The Crimson Tide finally jumped into the second spot on our list after being on the outside forever. On top of the usual suspects, Nate Oats is starting to get production from his bench as well. Mouhamed Dioubate had 14 and Aden Holloway added eight in the effort at Arkansas. Alabama may have the most talented roster in all of college basketball and it has been on full display over the past couple of weeks. The buzzsaw continues to run as Alabama faces their biggest challenge this week: Auburn on Saturday.  

1. Auburn

You know your legit when you can afford to drop one. Despite the loss, the Tigers still boast the best resume by far and still can be considered top dawgs. The Duke loss makes this an easy team to keep number one. Alabama may have some people's eyes on being number one, but the good news is we won't have to wait long to find out. Iron Bowl. Basketball. This Saturday.  

CJ Weipz is an Assistant Sports Director and can be reached at christopher.weipz@student.shu.edu. 

Sean Casey can be reached at sean.casey@student.shu.edu. 

 

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