Cincinnati and UCLA are similar in the sense that both are top-50 KenPom teams with two losses. And each of their losses are to top-40 KenPom teams. And neither has beaten a top-60 KenPom opponent yet.
But that last sentence should change Saturday.
Why?
Because Cincinnati and UCLA are playing each other at Pauley Pavilion, that's why. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. You can watch it on CBS. And whichever team finishes with more points will record its first top-60 KenPom of the season -- assuming UCLA remains in the top 60 even with a possible home loss to the Bearcats. As of Saturday morning, Cincinnati was 13th at KenPom and 26th in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). The Bearcats have an 8-2 record featuring losses to Xavier and Florida. Meantime, UCLA is 46th at KenPom with a 7-2 record featuring losses to Creighton and Michigan. The Bruins' best win to date is last month's 72-70 victory over Wisconsin.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Villanova
| The Wildcats own wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee and Temple. Eight of their 11 wins have come by double-digits. | -- | 18-16 |
2 |
Arizona St.
| The Sun Devils' perfect record features four top-50 KenPom wins. ASU beat Kansas and Xavier both by double-digits. | -- | 14-18 |
3 |
Michigan St.
| The Spartans have won eight straight games since losing to Duke in Chicago. They have victories over North Carolina and Notre Dame. | -- | 20-15 |
4 |
N. Carolina
| The Tar Heels' lone loss is a neutral-court loss to Michigan State. UNC already owns five top-100 KenPom victories. | -- | 29-8 |
5 |
Wichita St.
| The Shockers' lone loss is a single-point loss to Notre Dame. They've beaten Baylor, Marquette and Oklahoma State. | -- | 15-19 |
6 |
Kentucky
| The Wildcats' only loss is a single-digit loss to Kansas. They'll take a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Virginia Tech. | -- | 23-10 |
7 |
Miami
| The Hurricanes have won seven of their eight games by double-digits. Dewan Huell is averaging 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. | -- | 15-17 |
8 |
Texas A&M
| The Aggies' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Arizona. They have four top-55 KenPom victories - among them a 23-point win over West Virginia. | -- | 21-15 |
9 |
West Virginia
| The Mountaineers have won nine straight games since their season-opening loss to Texas A&M. Their best win is a win over Virginia. | -- | 9-23 |
10 |
Virginia
| The Cavaliers' lone loss is a single-digit loss at West Virginia. Virginia has the nation's best defensive-efficiency rating. | -- | 23-11 |
11 |
Duke
| The Blue Devils own three wins over teams also in the Top 25 (and one). Their lone loss is a road loss at Boston College. | -- | 27-9 |
12 |
Florida St.
| The Seminoles' perfect record is highlighted by a double-digit win at Florida. FSU's next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 17-16 |
13 |
TCU
| The Horned Frogs have won 15 straight games dating back to last season. Kenrich Williams is averaging 14.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. | -- | 21-13 |
14 |
Xavier
| The Musketeers have won four straight since losing to Arizona State. Two of those wins were over Baylor and Cincinnati. | -- | 16-18 |
15 |
Gonzaga
| The Zags' two losses are to Villanova and Florida. Gonzaga beat the Washington team that beat Kansas by 27 points. | -- | 27-8 |
16 |
Tennessee
| UT's only loss is a single-digit loss to Villanova. The Vols have beaten Purdue and three other top-100 KenPom teams. | -- | 27-9 |
17 |
Purdue
| The Boilermakers have won six straight since losing to Western Kentucky. Purdue owns wins over Arizona, Louisville and Maryland. | -- | 34-5 |
18 |
Kansas
| The Jayhawks have lost back-to-back games for the first time since December 2013. The first loss was to Washington, the second to Arizona State. | -- | 23-11 |
19 |
Notre Dame
| Notre Dame has gone 2-2 since beating Wichita State in Maui. The losses are to Michigan State and Ball State. | -- | 13-20 |
20 |
Arizona
| The Wildcats have won four straight since losing three straight at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Their last two wins are over Texas A&M and Alabama. | -- | 27-9 |
21 |
Baylor
| The Bears' two losses are to Wichita State and Xavier. Their best win is a neutral-court win over Creighton. | -- | 24-11 |
22 |
Creighton
| The Bluejays' two losses are to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one) -- specifically Gonzaga and Baylor. Creighton owns wins over Northwestern and UCLA. | -- | 25-10 |
23 |
Seton Hall
| The Pirates' lone loss is a single-point loss to Rhode Island. They own wins over Texas Tech and Louisville. | -- | 25-12 |
24 |
Texas Tech
| The Red Raiders' lone loss is a loss to Seton Hall. Texas Tech owns a double-digit win over the Boston College team that beat Duke. | -- | 23-11 |
25 |
Florida
| The Gators snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over Cincinnati. They also own a win over Gonzaga. | -- | 24-12 |
26 |
Cincinnati
| The Bearcats' two losses are to Xavier and Florida. Their best win is a double-digit victory over Mississippi State. | -- | 22-15 |