1. Zags (17-0) (Kenpom 1, Net 2, RPI 4)
Gonzaga improved to 17-0 this week, picking up wins against San Diego and Pepperdine. They take on Loyola Marymount at home before traveling to Santa Clara next Monday. Zags should pick up another 2 wins.
2. Baylor (16-0) (Kenpom 2, Net 1, RPI 5)
Baylor nearly doubled up K-State on Wednesday for a final of 107-59. They also picked up another solid win against a Sharife Cooper led Auburn team. Baylor faces a tough road challenge in Texas on Tuesday and gets TCU at home Later in the week. Baylor has games remaining against Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, West Virginia (2), and Kansas.
3. Michigan (13-1) (Kenpom 3, Net 3, RPI 2)
Michigan is still on their COVID pause and did not play any games this past week. They’ve done enough to retain their top 5 spot thus far.
4. Houston (15-1) (Kenpom 4, Net 4, RPI 1)
Houston has now won 8 straight games and is 3-0 in quad 1 games as well as 4-1 in quad 2 games. Houston is now 19th in KenPom adjO and 1st in adjD. Even despite losing AAC Preseason Player of the Year in Caleb Mills, Houston has a great chance at securing a 1 seed.
5. Texas (11-3) (Kenpom 11, Net 14, RPI 8)
Texas dropped one spot this week, however that is more about what Houston did than what Texas didn’t do. Texas was without head coach Shaka Smart, starters Jericho Sims and Courtney Ramey, as well as Brock Cunningham in their 83-69 home loss to #2 Baylor.
6. Villanova (11-1) (Kenpom 6, Net 7, RPI 12)
Villanova’s road matchup against UConn was postponed on Thursday, meaning their lone game of the week came against Seton Hall for their second matchup in 11 days. Villanova is now 3-0 since returning from their COVID pause and have the chance to pick up solid wins against St. Johns and Xavier this week.
7. Ohio State (14-4) (Kenpom 10, Net 13, RPI 11)
Ohio State has now won 6 of their last 7 games, picking up wins against Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois and Rutgers. OSU has five quad 1 wins on the season and is rated 5th in adjO. They’ll face Iowa and Maryland this week.
8. Illinois (11-5) (Kenpom 7, Net 5, RPI 33)
Illinois has had a hard time staying consistent this season, evident by their 5-4 record in quad 1 games. The Fighting Illini will looks to improve on their current two-game win streak against Indiana and then at Wisconsin.
9. Alabama (14-4) (Kenpom 8, Net 11, RPI 6)
Alabama’s 10 game winning streak finally came to and end this weekend in its SEC/Big 12 Challenge vs Oklahoma. I wouldn’t worry much about this Alabama team as their offense is one of the most explosive in the country. They’re 5-1 in quad 1 games and look to be running away with the SEC regular season title. They’ll look to get back on track in the SEC vs LSU and Missouri this week.
10. Oklahoma (11-5) (Kenpom 20, Net 16, RPI 15)
Oklahoma and Bama squared off this weekend, two of the hottest teams in country, and Oklahoma was able to edge out Bama despite missing two starters. Oklahoma’s win streak came to and end Monday in Lubbock against Texas Tech. OU’s only losses come in the first quadrant, where they are 4-5, while boasting a 7-0 record in quad 2-4 games.
11. Texas Tech (13-5) (Kenpom 13, Net 14, RPI 72)
Texas Tech was able to hold off a surging Oklahoma team Monday night, picking up a much needed win and extending their streak to 2 games. Like Oklahoma, Texas Tech’s only losses are in the first quadrant, 4-4, and are 9-0 in the remaining quadrants. A key point to Monday’s victory was Texas Tech’s ability to get the win despite their leading scorer (Mac McClung 16.8 ppg) shooting 0-7 from FG.
12. Virginia (11-3) (Kenpom 9 , Net 8, RPI 24)
Virginia was leading by 8 points going into the second half vs. Virginia Tech Saturday, before being outscored 44-22 in the second half. Virginia has just one quad 1 win thus far, but is 5-1 in their quad 2 opportunities. They will take on N.C. State and Louisville this week.