Let's see what the updated AP poll looks like as we preview the top college basketball games over the next few days. Who has moved up the rankings, and who will have their position tested over the next seven days?
The Kentucky Wildcats remain the number one team in the rankings after earning 63 of 65 first-place votes. Syracuse, sitting at 22-1 SU on the
season, got the other two selections. Rounding out the top five are Ohio State,
Missouri and North Carolina.
What are the most high-profile matchups this week, and where should we look when forming our NCAA Basketball picks? Time to find
out.
Tuesday, January 31
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Number one in the polls, the Kentucky Wildcats play host to
the disappointing Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday. Kentucky is a perfect 14-0
at home this season and has won four straight games in the series over the
Vols.
North Carolina (#5) is also in action on the road versus
Wake Forest, while fellow ACC contenders Virginia (#16) entertains Clemson in a matchup that'll be televised on ESPN2.
Also on Tuesday, #9-ranked Michigan State visits Illinois
and that should be a pretty tough game for Tom Izzo's crew. The Fighting Illini
are no pushovers and have lost just once at home this season. In another Big
Ten matchup, #19 Wisconsin takes on Penn State on the road.
Kansas State, which just fell out of the AP rankings, needs
an unbeaten week to give themselves a chance at getting back in and will play
Iowa State on Tuesday, a team that's become a giant-killer this year. #25
Vanderbilt must take care of business on the road against Arkansas to stay
ranked.
Wednesday, February 1
An interesting couple games will be shown on ESPN2 on
Wednesday, starting off with Georgetown-Connecticut at 7:00 PM EST. The
Huskies, losers of three straight, saw themselves pushed out of the rankings
and the road gets no easier against the Hoyas.
Following that game we'll see Texas A&M-Baylor with the
Bears being the clear favorites in the NCAA basketball odds. After losing two
in a row (versus Kansas and Missouri), Baylor has won two straight.
Kansas, Creighton, UNLV and San Diego State will all be
expected to win their home games on Wednesday. Indiana's visit of Michigan
should be a great watch with the Wolverines in grave danger of losing their #20
ranking should they lose.
It's been quite a while since we've seen Florida State
ranked, but their five-game winning streak has been quite impressive. During
that span the Seminoles have beaten both Duke and North Carolina. They'll play
Boston College on the road this Wednesday.
Thursday, February 2
We have a pretty small slate on Thursday. #7 Duke will have to stay
focused on the road against Virginia Tech, while Florida (vs. South Carolina),
St. Mary's (vs. San Diego) and Murray State (vs. SE Missouri State) all have
relatively easy home games to deal with. The Racers, led by Isaiah Canaan, are
the only unbeaten team left in the nation.
The other game to look out for on Thursday is BYU's home
affair against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are at #24 in the AP right now but it'll
be no easy task against the 18-6 Cougars, who average close to 80 points per
game on the offensive end.