Rant Sports Week 6 Official College Basketball Top 25 Rankings

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Top 25 Rankings

rankings
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

So much happened last week in college basketball. As a result, you can expect a new No. 1 team at the top of the rankings in Week 6.

Kansas was a top 10 team last week, but it took a huge hit in the rankings. That tends to happen when a team loses three out of its last four games. It may be time to push the panic button in Lawrence.

The Colorado Buffaloes and the North Carolina Tar Heels are the only newcomers in the rankings this week. The Buffaloes are off to a great start in the 2013-14 college hoops season and are actually one of the teams that handed Kansas a loss. Then there is the Tar Heels. They have made some noise this season by knocking off Michigan State and Louisville. They have also lost to two mid-majors.

There are still plenty of undefeated teams and that will likely hold true for a couple more weeks. Non-conference play is winding down and we will get a much better idea on who will make the tournament once conference play does actually begin. With that in mind, bubble season has not started yet.

Some matchups to watch for this week are Iowa vs. Iowa State (Dec. 13), Arizona vs. Michigan (Dec. 14, Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana Tech (Dec. 14), Kentucky vs. North Carolina (Dec. 14), Tennessee vs. Wichita State (Dec. 14), Illinois vs. Oregon (Dec. 14), New Mexico vs. Kansas (Dec. 14), Notre Dame vs. Indiana (Dec. 14) and Syracuse vs. St. John’s (Dec. 15).

As you can see, there will be a lot of great matchups this week.

Well, get ready for those matchups by seeing the top 25 teams in college basketball for Week 6.

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25. Kansas Jayhawks

kansas
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas took a huge hit in the rankings this week, but it has lost three out of its last four games. Although that may seem really bad, those losses did come against Villanova, Colorado and Florida--all ranked this week.

The Jayhawks take on New Mexico and Georgetown next, so they are going to have to figure out things in a hurry.

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24. New Mexico Lobos

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Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

New Mexico can stay hot by handing Kansas its fourth loss in just five games.

The team currently has three players averaging 18+ points per game, so you can definitely say that the Lobos have some fire power.

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23. San Diego State Aztecs

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Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The rest of San Diego State’s out-of-conference schedule is pretty manageable, but it will have to play Kansas on Jan. 5.

Senior Xavier Thames continues to lead this team--averaging 17.4 points per game.

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22. Gonzaga Bulldogs

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James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The Gonzaga Bulldogs barely escaped the West Virginia Mountaineers in their latest contest. With that victory, the Bulldogs have now won five games in a row.

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21. Colorado Buffaloes

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Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado is the real deal. Kansas may be in a slump, but a win against the Jayhawks is huge for the Buffaloes.

Colorado has not lost since the first game of the season and it should enter Pac-12 play the same way.

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20. Massachusetts Minutemen

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Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Massachusetts continues to win ball games and that is really all that matters. It will be challenged once again when it takes on Florida State and Providence in back-to-back games.

I am sure not a whole lot of people expected it, but the Minutemen could enter Atlantic 10 play as the team to beat.

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19. Iowa Hawkeyes

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Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa is an overtime loss away from being undefeated. The Hawkeyes have been challenged a couple of times this season, but they could have their toughest test yet when they take on the Iowa State Cyclones on Dec. 13.

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18. Iowa State Cyclones

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Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa State almost lost the trap game against Northern Iowa. However, it came out on top in overtime. Iowa State has a couple of quality wins, but a win against Iowa would be huge. Plus, starting the season off by going 8-0 is always a bonus.

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17. North Carolina Tar Heels

north carolina
Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina is a giant killer this year. It has already beaten Michigan State and Louisville. Both were ranked in the top three at the time. Time to see if they can pull off another huge victory, as the Tar Heels will play Kentucky next.

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16. Florida Gators

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Florida needed a victory over a ranked opponent very badly. Both of its point guards were injured going into the game against Kansas, but both still were healthy enough to play.

The Gators are still waiting on Chris Walker, but they cannot worry about that, as they will take on Memphis next.

Florida has only lost two games this season and both came against ranked opponents by a combined score of seven. Just imagine how good this team could be at full strength and when it has more chemistry.

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15. Memphis Tigers

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Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Memphis will have a tuneup game before it plays Florida. The Gators are on the rise, but so are the Tigers. A win could propel Memphis into the top 10, but that is just speculation at this point.

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14. Baylor Bears

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Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Baylor beat Kentucky for the second year in a row. The Wildcats are far from the team that they could be, but a win against the “best recruiting class of all time” is always big.

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13. Villanova Wildcats

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Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

It is just a matter of time before the Villanova Wildcats crack the top 10. Regardless, they will have a showdown against Syracuse at the end of December and then conference play will tip-off for this team.

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12. Oregon Ducks

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Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon dropped 115 points in its last game. The Ducks may have given up 105 as well, but still.

The Ducks are still undefeated, but they will take on Illinois next.

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11. Wichita State Shockers

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Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Wichita State is now 9-0 on the season. That could change after back-to-back games against Tennessee and Alabama.

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10. Kentucky Wildcats

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Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky’s season is starting off similar to last season. The Wildcats have played two ranked opponents thus far and they have lost both games. However, Kentucky has beaten an underrated Providence team and an undefeated Boise State team (at the time).

Kentucky still has to play North Carolina and Louisville, so it could get another quality win or two before SEC play.

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9. Duke Blue Devils

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Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports

Duke has quite the layover. Its last game was on Dec. 3 and it will not play until Dec. 16. Some time off could be good for the Blue Devils. They already have two losses on the season.

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8. Oklahoma State Cowboys

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State rebounded from a loss against Memphis by beating South Carolina by 27 points. Louisiana Tech should provide a challenge on Dec. 14, but the Cowboys will easily be the favorite in that one.

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7. Connecticut Huskies

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David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Connecticut is back in the national spotlight and Shabazz Napier is being considered as one of the best players in college hoops. Not a bad start to the season.

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6. Louisville Cardinals

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Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville has played North Carolina and that is basically it. I am not sure how that will affect the team once conference play begins, but time will tell with that one.

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5. Michigan State Spartans

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Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State may have lost its first game of the season, but it is still easily one of the best teams in college hoops. The Spartans and the rest of the Big Ten will be very exciting to watch once conference play begins, but Michigan State is still probably the favorite.

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4. Wisconsin Badgers

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Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State may be the favorite to win a Big Ten title, but there are two teams in the conference ranked higher than it. Wisconsin is one of them.

Wisconsin is 10-0 and it can definitely make a case as the No. 1 team in the country. The Badgers’ key victories have come against St. John’s, Florida, Saint Louis, Virginia and Marquette.

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3. Syracuse Orange

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Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Syracuse has looked great so far and it could enter ACC play as the team to beat. However, it still has to play St. John’s and Villanova.

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2. Ohio State Buckeyes

ohio state
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

It really is not all that surprising that Ohio State is still undefeated. The Buckeyes’ schedule has not been that tough.

Arizona will be challenged a couple more times in its non-conference schedule, so there is a chance that Ohio State takes over as the No. 1 team.

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1. Arizona Wildcats

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Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona is this week’s No. 1 in college basketball. However, it will take on New Mexico State and Michigan next. Both teams will provide a challenge, but the Wildcats should still come out undefeated.

 

 

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