Credit: Caleb Dudley
NCAA Men's Basketball Top 25: Week of Jan. 27
Published: Monday, January 27, 2025
by CJ Weipz and Sean Casey
Considered: Creighton, New Mexico, VCU, St. Mary’s, Vanderbilt
25. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are winning games and on fire with a 6-2 start. Tech has taken care of business and will look to build on their resume with games against Baylor and Houston on the horizon.
24. Maryland
Kevin Willard has yet another great group in College Park this season. Winning five of their last six, including a 21-point routing of Illinois on the road, the Terps are moving along in the Big 10. Freshman phenom Derik Queen has been the focal point of this Maryland squad that has normally been headlined by great guard play. The Terps hold one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, but still have a lot of work to do to compete with some of the top teams in the nation.
23. Arizona
After a slow start, the Wildcats are finally playing well. Arizona had too much talent to lose games and are now firing on all cylinders. Clae Love is back to playing great ball, and the Wildcats are off to a 7-1 start in Big 12 play after another 2-0 week. A massive game starts their week when they host Iowa State at 10 p.m EST.
22. Louisville
The Cardinals continue to impress by taking care of business against SMU and Virginia earlier this week. With only a few chances to bolster their resume, the Cards are eyeing down a matchup with Wake Forest on Monday night. This team is special, and if Terrence Edwards can get things going from beyond the arc, they could be a sleeper candidate for a deep March Madness run.
21. Wisconsin
While the rest of the Big Ten struggles to stay consistent, the Badgers have done just that. Despite a 1-1 week, the Badgers are off to a 6-3 start in Big Ten play. Next up is a trip to Maryland in what should be a great litness test.
20. Missouri
Winners of five of their last six, the Tigers are carving out a nice little spot for themselves among the SEC elite. Tamar Bates is a big part of the squad’s success, averaging just over 13 points per game, alongside sharpshooter Caleb Grill who leads the nation in 3-point percentage (48.3%). Missouri goes on a tough road trip this week with stops in Knoxville and Starkville, paving the way for some more Quad 1 opportunities.
19. Gonzaga
Similar to Memphis, Gonzaga can do more harm to their resume than to help it. The name of their game will be avoiding upsets, which they have struggled to do, with losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara. Outside of St Mary’s, the Bulldogs should be favored the rest of the way. The plan for Gonzaga is simple: take care of business.
18. Kansas
Another bad loss at home for the Jayhawks puts one of the most talented rosters in the game at the 18th spot. Kansas has yet to truly find any consistency from beyond the arc, with the team shooting just 33.5% from deep as a unity, good for 202nd in the nation. Hunter Dickinson is still as dominant as always, but without major contributions from AJ Storr, and an injury to KJ Adams, this Jayhawks team does not look like the team picked number one in the preseason by the AP.
17. Memphis
Depending on which Memphis team shows up on a given night, this can either be a super dangerous team, or one that's getting upset in the first round of the tournament. The Tigers do boast five Quad 1 victories on their resume, but are always prone to AAC upset, already losing to Temple. Memphis currently sits at 6-1, and needs to avoid conference play upsets to remain in the contender conversation.
16. St. John’s
The Johnnies currently sit in first place in the BIG EAST conference after another quality week. Their lone game was a come-from-behind victory over Xavier at MSG. Kadary Richmond has finally broken out of his shell, notching 19 points and five assists in the outing, and Zuby Ejiofor continues to be a force down low. Pitino has his guys playing smart, strong, and exciting basketball that could be incredibly dangerous come tourney time.
15. Oregon
The Ducks have fallen in these rankings, and honestly could be argued to be ranked even lower. Oregon now sits at only 5-4 in a top-heavy Big Ten. The Ducks are yet to prove themselves against top-tier big teams while simultaneously having some bad losses, most recently this week to Minnesota. The Ducks need to turn it around to have a great seed come March.
14. Illinois
The Fighting Illini got knocked down over the past few games, losing two of their last three games to Michigan State and Maryland, respectively. However, the pure talent and power of Kasparus Jakucionis was on full display in their bounce back victory against a gritty Northwestern squad today. Jakucionis finished with a double-double while Kylan Boswell led the team with 17 points. The Illini still have the talent, they just need to get their rhythm back.
13. Texas A&M
A set of close games were in store for the Aggies this week, after a close win at Ole Miss and a narrow road loss in Austin to Texas. The Aggies are super experienced but have struggled with Wade Taylor missing some time. The schedule gets a little easier with Oklahoma and South Carolina next up.
12. Mississippi State
The Bulldogs dropped their third game in conference play this week to the Tennessee Volunteers, but bounced back against a sneaky good South Carolina squad. They come in at 21st in the NET ratings and 23rd in KenPom, but have shown a lot of positive upside with some really quality wins. Chris Jans and company will have their work cut out for them in the upcoming games, facing Alabama and Missouri on their own home turf.
11. Kentucky
The Wildcats endured a rougher week and fell two spots from last week's rankings. Losses to Vanderbilt and Alabama aren't bad losses by any means, but Kentucky will still have to learn to navigate a brutal SEC schedule, as they now sit 3-3 in conference play. Next up is a trip to Knoxville to play Tennessee on Tuesday.
10. Tennessee
The Vols went 1-1 last week, but with their loss coming against the undisputed best team in the nation by two points, Tennessee still has a ton of upside heading into the back half of conference play. Zakai Zeigler continues to be one of the best facilitators in the sport, while Igor Millicic remains a steady force down low. Rick Barnes and company host three straight ranked opponents, including two top-10 squads in Florida and Kentucky.
9. Purdue
Another Big Ten standout led by an elite coach, the Boilermakers went 1-1 this week but benefited from teams around them losing. However, most teams around them don't have a blowout win over Michigan. Braden Smith has been one of the country's best playmakers and leads the Big Ten in assists. Purdue is benefiting from a hard non-conference schedule and are now playing great basketball. All eyes will be on the February 18th matchup against Michigan State.
8. Marquette
Marquette continues to impress this year, taking down a red-hot Villanova squad by double-digits at home. 13th in defensive efficiency per KenPom, the Golden Eagles are on pace to be the top seed in the BIG EAST tourney. The only issue with this Marquette team is their inability to play above their competition. Against teams like DePaul and Georgetown, they were unable to get large and convincing leads. If they can figure that out, the Golden Eagles are destined for a deep March Madness run.
7. Michigan State
Tom Izzo has his team playing great ball when it matters once again. This is a well-balanced Spartan team that should be one of the favorites in the Big Ten come their conference tournament. 8-0 in conference play and only two losses overall, the Spartans are among the country’s best bets for being an Elite Eight/Final Four contenders
6. Houston
After a cinematic win over Kansas in Phog Allen, Houston is starting to bolster their resumé after a tough stretch during non-conference. The third-ranked team in KenPom is headlined by LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp playing their best basketball of the season. They have a hefty test this week with a trip to West Virginia and a bout with Texas Tech.
5. Florida
Florida remains one of the country's biggest surprises and are coming off a dismantling of rival Georgia Bulldogs; the Gators host one of the country's best offenses. Since the New Year, the Gators have gone over 70 points every single time. Saturday's game at Tennessee is must-watch TV at noon.
4. Iowa State
After a tough loss in Morgantown, Iowa State got back to business this week. The Cyclones went 2-0, including a 108-point outing at home and a road win against Arizona State. T.J. Otzelberger is an emerging candidate for Big 12 Coach of the Year and leads his squad to yet another top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament.
3. Alabama
The Tide keeps rolling, as a 2-0 week saw Alabama beat LSU and Vanderbilt. Alabama has taken care of business but faces one of the toughest gauntlets in the history of the sport. Aden Holloways has been a revelation, dropping 22 points against Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide will face eight more ranked teams before the SEC tournament.
2. Duke
The Blue Devils had a little scare on the road against Wake Forest this week, but were able to pull out a hard-fought 63-56 victory. Cooper Flagg continues to show why he’s the projected number one overall draft pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Lockdown defense coupled with explosive firepower on offense gives Duke the first spot on KenPom and the second spot on our list.
1. Auburn
Johni Broome didn't skip a beat in his return to the lineup against Tennessee. The National Player of the Year favorite logged 16 points and 13 rebounds. Auburn continues to find ways to win games. The Tigers are now an incredible 11-1 in Quad 1 games, easily the best in the country. Upcoming February matchups against Florida and Alabama loom large.
CJ Weipz is an Assistant Sports Director at WSOU and can be reached at christopher.weipz@student.shu.edu. Sean Casey can be reached at sean.casey@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,