This past week has been a reflection of a year that has shown no clear dominant teams. Previously top ranked teams University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina, and University of Iowa have all lost multiple games in the past week while University of Maryland and University of Virginia lost games against weak opponents. These are the updated power rankings after last week.
No. 1 Villanova University (Pa.) Wildcats 23-3
Villanova has played extremely well as of late, but has only played one ranked team in their last six games. It will be exciting to see how well the Wildcats play in a tough conference against Butler University (Ind.) and No. 1 Xavier University (Oh.) in their next two games.
No. 2 University of Kansas Jayhawks 22-4
After having a rough four game stretch earlier this season, the Jayhawks have rebounded in a major way. This past week has been especially good for Kansas as they beat No. 10 West Virginia University and the No.6 University of Oklahoma Sooners. Kansas looks like a team ready to take March by storm as they continue to crush their opponents.
No. 3 University of Maryland Terrapins 22-4
Despite a tough loss against conference opponent University of Wisconsin, the Terrapins continue to show that they have one of the most talented teams in the country. Although Maryland is plenty talented, they need to start taking better care of the ball as they rank towards the bottom of the nation in turnovers.
No. 4 Xavier University (Oh.) Musketeers 23-3
Xavier was able to put together a fantastic week as they beat conference opponents Butler and No. 23 Providence by a decent margin. Further, junior guard Myles Davis showed why he is one of the best players in the country on Wednesday against Providence when he dominated with Xavier’s first triple double in five years. Look forward to the Musketeers' next game against No.1 Villanova next Thursday as they fight for the top spot in the Big East.
No. 5 University of Virginia Cavaliers 21-5
The Cavs did have a loss this week against an improving Duke (N.C.) team, but they rebounded by crushing North Carolina State by 20 points. Virginia plays No.11 University of Miami (Fla.) and No. 5 University of North Carolina in their next two games in what will be an exciting week.
No. 6 University of Oklahoma Sooners 20-5
The former number one team in the country has struggled as of late, losing three of their last four games. If the Sooners want to take the top spot in a competitive Big 12 conference then they are going to need to get back on track very soon. Senior guard Buddy Hield can’t win every game by himself, and Oklahoma needs someone to step up if they’re going to be serious competitors in March Madness.
No. 7 University of North Carolina Tar Heels 21-5
UNC has had a rough go as of late; they’ve now lost three out of their last five games, after losing against conference rival Duke last night. They will have plenty of chances to turn around their downward slide as they play No.11 Miami and No.7 Virginia within their next three games.
No. 8 Michigan State University Spartans 21-5
Michigan State only played one game this week, but it was a dominating 21 point win over conference opponent University of Indiana. Senior guard Denzel Valentine will look to continue his dominance on the court as he has averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.
No. 9 University of Iowa Hawkeyes 20-6
Iowa has been struggling as of late, as they have dropped two of their last three games. Despite this, the Hawkeyes are confident that they can continue to be a force, as senior forward Jarrod Uthoff and recently emerging junior guard Peter Jok look to continue their dominance.
No. 10 University of Miami Hurricanes 21-4
Miami has had an extremely successful season, especially as of late, with eight wins in their last nine games. However, the Hurricanes are going to be challenged in the final stretch of the season as they play four teams ranked nineteenth or higher. Expect Miami to compete but overall lose at least two of these games.
Just missed the cut: University of West Virginia, Iowa State University, University of Kentucky, University of Arizona.
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