Credit: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics
NCAA Men's Basketball Top 25: Week of Feb. 3
Published: Monday, February 3, 2025
by CJ Weipz and Sean Casey
Considered: Michigan, George Mason, Clemson, Texas
25. Creighton
If you have ever seen Creighton play, you knew this was inevitable. A massive win over Villanova on the road puts the Bluejays just over the hump and into the top 25. Steven Ashworth and Ryan Kalkbrenner are as good of a duo as you will find in the college game today. With notable depth in the scoring column with Jimyah Neal and freshman Jackson McAndrew, Creighton looks like a tough pull in the tourney. While they are still looking for another quality win, Greg McDermott has his boys playing their best basketball heading down the stretch.
24. New Mexico
In a battle for Mountain West supremacy, the Lobos absolutely dominated Utah State on the road. Richard Pitino has had New Mexico playing great ball outside their one conference loss to SJSU. In a possible two-bid Mountain West, the Lobos are now in the driver's seat.
23. St. Mary’s
Randy Bennett has built something special at Saint Mary’s. While this year was looking like a “down year” for the program, the Gaels have rattled off a 20-3 record and a perfect 10-0 WCC record. The Gales are led by Augustus Marciulionis, who's averaging over 13 points and five assists per game. The balance of this St. Mary’s squad is what makes them so dangerous, ranking top 35 in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency. With a quality resume after defeating Gonzaga, St. Mary’s is officially BACK.
22. Maryland
With two ranked wins in their last three games, the Terps have avoided the usual Kevin Willard January struggles. Led by Derrick Queen, Maryland is one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten. Queen has averaged 15 and eight, led by a recent 25-point performance against Illinois. The schedule is manageable for the next two weeks until Michigan State comes to College Park on the 26th.
21. Kansas
Although the metrics LOVE the Jayhawks, seeing two absolute meltdowns in such a short time frame is not giving me hope for the preseason AP number one team. This week, Kansas lost a 20-point lead on the road against Baylor in an 81-70 slugfest. Hunter Dickinson had 20 in the outing, but the supporting cast did not make the trip to Waco. If this continues, Kansas can kiss San Antonio goodbye.
20. Mississippi State
Falling fast in the rankings, the Bulldogs have been victims of brutal schedules. Two more losses piled on this week, though the losses were to two ranked teams. It doesn't get any easier with matchups against Georgia and Flordia this week. Chris Jans needs to have this group winning more to stay in these rankings,
19. Arizona
Sean and I hopped on the Arizona train early, and boy it did not disappoint. After an eventful week, including an upset over AP number three Iowa State and on the road against in-state rival Arizona State, the Wildcats are riding high on a four-game winning streak. Caleb Love is averaging over 24 points per game this week, showing flashes of his UNC days when he led the squad to a national championship. There is a lot of upside within this U of A team, can Tommy Lloyd put it all together?
18. Texas Tech
There may not be a hotter team in the country. Another great week for the Red Raiders saw them knock off Kelvin Sampson’s Houston. Tech is now 8-2 in conference play, better than Iowa State and Kansas, while also beating Arizona and previously mentioned Houston. Another game that sticks out is a one-point loss vs Iowa State. Tech is battle-tested and has proven itself against the country's best. Don't be surprised to see this team creeping up near the top-10 soon.1
17. Illinois
Jeff Goodman put it best when he said this team is an absolute rollercoaster. The highs are undeniable, with wins over a ranked Arkansas squad, Oregon, and Missouri with boatloads of talent up and down the roster, However, losses like Nebraska earlier this week show a rough truth to Brad Underwood’s squad. Defensively they are perfectly sound, but with the third-lowest effective field goal percentage in the Big 10, the shooting needs to find some sort of consistency to keep the bad losses to a minimum.
16. UConn
There may not be a more hot and cold team in the country this year than the Huskies. Still, without star freshman Liam McNeeley, UConn bounced back with wins over DePaul and top-10 Marquette. Solo Ball had a career game going for 25 points in Milwaukee. It hasn't been perfect, but guys have stepped up in the absence of McNeeley. Between Dan Hurley's antics and a top-25 matchup with St John's on Friday, this team is must-watch TV, night in and night out.
15. Memphis
Not much to say about Memphis. There have been some close calls in a weak AAC, but PJ Haggerty has continued to shine throughout it all. The Tigers are a real threat in the tourney, and look to make some noise (finally) under Penny Hardaway.
14. Missouri
After being overlooked in the preseason after a brutal 23-24 season, Denis Gates and the Tigers have bounced back in a major way. They have been a surprising unit in a tough SEC. Additionally, they already have great wins over the Mississippi schools and a blowout of Florida. The opportunities will only continue, as the surging Tigers face Texas A&M at home next
13. Kentucky
Kentucky finds itself in an interesting position nearly every single week at this point. This time, former leader of the Wildcats, John Calipari, walked into Rupp Arena and drained the souls of every Kentucky fan in attendance with Arkansas’s 89-79 victory over Kentucky. Mark Pope needs Kerr Kriisa back in a bad way if the Wildcats are gonna truly find their upside. The offense is most certainly there, but being dead last in defensive efficiency in the SEC per KenPom is not a recipe for success.
12. Texas A&M
In a chaotic SEC, the Aggies took care of business against lowly Oklahoma and South Carolina. Wade Taylor has continued to lead this team as the Aggies are now 6-3 in the toughest conference in America. Up next is a trip to Missouri.
11. Florida
Todd Golden got a taste of his own medicine in Knoxville this week, as his Gators were unable to reach 50 points against Tennessee. The routing of Georgia earlier in the week makes this loss a little more digestible, but the Gators are going to need more production out of Will Richard if they are going to pose a threat come March.
10. St. John’s
One of the country's hottest teams, the Johnnies keep winning. Pitino has the Red Storm off to a 10-1 start. Kadary Richmond has picked up his play after a relatively slow start for his standards. Such performances include a 24-point, eight-rebound, and game-winning performance against Providence. If Richmond continues to perform at this level, the Johnnies are Elite Eight good. Any remaining doubts can be erased, as the Johnnies will see both Marquette and Uconn in a span of four days.
9. Marquette
Does the loss to UConn affect how I view this Golden Eagles squad now? A little. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for Shaka Smart’s group but I can’t help but see the upside in this team. It doesn’t help that they’re playing in one of the most cannibalistic conferences in the nation where anyone (besides Seton Hall) can win on any given night, but a top-20 defense per KenPom and a Player-of-the-Year candidate leading the offense still makes me see what this team truly is: elite.
8. Michigan State
At last Michigan State lost a conference game, this past week to USC. Despite the loss, this only puts the Spartans at three losses and was their first since mid-December. Izzo has done one of the best coaching jobs yet again and the Spartans should be in for a three or four seed. Next is a trip out west to UCLA in a potential trap game.
7. Tennessee
How do you respond to getting blown out by 30 points on the road to a conference opponent? Blow them out by 20 during the return game without your All-American point guard! Rick Barnes and company are shaking off the loss in Gainesville in a massive way, showing that this is a squad that can make ANYONE in the nation play Tennessee’s style of basketball. However, the Vols are not off the hook quite yet. The loss to Kentucky showed a massive hole in their run for a national championship: their perimeter shooting. Going just 11-for-45 from deep against the Wildcats is unacceptable in an SEC with some of the best offensive play in the country. The Vols are gonna have to figure that out in February.
6. Purdue
Another team that benefited from chaos and winning is the Boilermakers. A win over rival Indiana at home and upsets all around have Purdue closing in on the top 10. Braden Smith has led this team with his incredible playmaking and leadership. Smith is currently leading the Big Ten in assists. Purdue and Michigan State continue to look a class above the rest of their conference, as both continue to play great ball.
5. Houston
The loss against Texas Tech on Friday is less about the Cougars’ and more about the Red Raiders. This is still as tough of a team as Kelvin Sampson has ever coached and is still sitting third in KenPom overall, with top-10 rankings in both offense (eighth) and defense (second). J’uwan Roberts and Milos Uzan are the lifeblood of this squad and have the talent to lead Houston to another Big 12 title over the next few weeks.
4. Iowa State
Iowa State lost, so surely they dropped lower? Not in this ranking. The Cyclones still have a strong body of work despite losing to Kansas State. They also benefit from a lot of movement around them in the top 10. Another test is right around the corner, as they travel to Kansas where they previously dominated in the meeting.
3. Alabama
For a team that had a lot of questions heading into the back half of conference play, Alabama answered almost all of them this week. Their depth was key against Mississippi State, when USF transfer, Chris Youngblood, went off for 23 points and seven 3-pointers. The Crimson Tide then routed Georgia by 21 to end the week, a great momentum booster heading into an absolute BUZZSAW of a schedule for the rest of February.
2. Duke
Beating your rival, even in your rival's down year, is always a big deal. That's exactly what the Blue Devils did to rival UNC over the weekend. In a 17-point win, it was the Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel show, as the two star freshman combined for 43 points; both freshmen have lived up to the hype thus far. Duke should be in line for the top seed as they face an easier schedule, then Auburn.
1. Auburn
The Tigers remain at the top after a strong showing with the return of Jhonni Broome. Chad Baker-Mazara has become arguably the best second-option in the nation after a 20-point, two-rebound outing against the ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs. The historic season for Bruce Pearl and company continues deep into SEC play.
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.Posted in: sports,