College basketball rankings: Butler's wild win over Xavier further tightens competitive Big East race
Five Big East teams are ranked in the latest Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings

Friday isn't the best day for college basketball, at least not at this point in any season. Regardless, Butler and Xavier delivered a wild 40 minutes Friday night inside Hinkle Fieldhouse, where Thad Matta's Bulldogs won 69-67 thanks to A) Xavier's Jack Nunge calling a timeout the Musketeers didn't have with 23.4 seconds remaining and B) a goaltending call on Eric Hunter's dunk attempt with 2.5 seconds left that provided Butler with the game-winning points.
It was a wild finish that tightened the Big East race.
Marquette (11-3), Xavier (11-3), Providence (10-3) and Creighton (10-3) are now tied for first in the loss column of the Big East standings with three weeks left in the regular season. For what it's worth, KenPom.com is projecting Shaka Smart's Golden Eagles to ultimately win the league outright with a 16-4 conference record -- one game better than how Xavier and Creighton are projected to finish.
The 2-point loss at Butler placed a second defeat to a sub-100 NET team on Xavier's résumé and dropped the Musketeers to No. 15 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Xavier is one of five Big East teams in the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 14 Marquette, No. 17 Providence, No. 22 UConn and No. 25 Creighton. UConn and Creighton will play each other Saturday at the CHI Health Center Omaha, where the Bluejays are listed as 4.5-point favorites and thus expected to extend their winning streak to eight games while snapping UConn's at three.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braden Smith finished with 24 points and five assists in Thursday's 87-73 win over Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Northwestern. | -- | 10-1 | |
| 2 | Brandon Miller finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 97-69 win over Florida. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 7-3 | |
| 3 | Marcus Sasser finished with 25 points and two assists in Wednesday's 80-42 win over Tulsa. The Cougars' next game is Thursday at SMU. | -- | 10-1 | |
| 4 | Gradey Dick finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 88-80 win over Texas. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | -- | 8-3 | |
| 5 | Starters not named Marcus Carr were limited to just 30 points in Monday's 88-80 loss at Kansas. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. | -- | 7-4 | |
| 6 | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 85-62 win at Cal. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Stanford. | -- | 9-0 | |
| 7 | Amari Bailey finished with 24 points and two rebounds in Thursday's 62-47 win at Oregon State. The Bruins' next game is Saturday at Oregon. | -- | 7-3 | |
| 8 | Markquis Nowell finished with 18 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 82-61 win over TCU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | -- | 7-4 | |
| 9 | Keyonte George finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 82-72 win over Oklahoma. The Bears' next game is Saturday at TCU. Keyonte George finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 82-72 win over Oklahoma. The Bears' next game is Saturday at TCU. | -- | 7-2 | |
| 10 | Jayden Gardner finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 63-50 win over NC State. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Duke. | 1 | 9-1 | |
| 11 | Gabe Kalscheur was 1 of 6 from the field in Wednesday's 76-71 loss at West Virginia. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | 1 | 11-0 | |
| 12 | Drew Timme finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 99-81 win over San Francisco. The Zags' next game is Saturday against BYU. | 1 | 10-1 | |
| 13 | Josiah-Jordan James was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 66-65 loss at Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Missouri. | 1 | 7-3 | |
| 14 | Kam Jones was limited to just five points in Tuesday's 87-72 loss at UConn. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. | 1 | 5-6 | |
| 15 | Souley Boum missed 10 of the 14 shots he attempted in Friday's 69-67 loss at Butler. The Musketeers' next game is Wednesday at Marquette. | 5 | 8-3 | |
| 16 | Aidan Mahaney finished with five turnovers and four assists in Thursday's 78-74 overtime loss at Loyola Marymount. The Gaels' next game is Saturday at Portland. | -- | 9-2 | |
| 17 | Bryce Hopkins finished with 17 points and four assists in Wednesday's 74-62 win over Georgetown. The Friars' next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 7-5 | |
| 18 | Matt Bradley finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 63-61 win at Utah State. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday against UNLV. | -- | 5-3 | |
| 19 | Vladislav Goldin finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 90-81 win over Rice. The Owls' next game is Saturday against Louisiana Tech. | -- | 8-3 | |
| 20 | Norchad Omier finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 81-59 win over Duke. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against Louisville. | -- | 9-2 | |
| 21 | Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds in Tuesday's 66-60 win over Rutgers. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday at Michigan. | -- | 8-3 | |
| 22 | Jordan Hawkins finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-72 win over Marquette. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 10-1 | |
| 23 | TCU missed 14 of the 17 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 82-61 loss at Kansas State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 6-3 | |
| 24 | Jarkel Joiner finished 2 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 63-50 loss at Virginia. The Wolfpack's next game is Saturday at Boston College. | -- | 7-4 | |
| 25 | Baylor Scheierman finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 75-62 win at Seton Hall. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against UConn. | -- | 5-5 | |
| 26 | Caleb McConnell finished 1 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 66-60 loss at Indiana. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Saturday at Illinois. | -- | 5-6 |
















