College basketball rankings: Stakes high for Kentucky as it desperately needs a victory vs. Gonzaga
The Wildcats face the Zags coming off a loss vs. North Carolina
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
No games played Thursday had any impact on the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. So there are no changes in Friday morning's Top 25 And 1, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 16th consecutive day. But there is one neutral-court game scheduled for Friday night that could shake things up -- specifically the non-league showdown between Gonzaga and Kentucky that'll be played inside Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
Gonzaga is No. 9 in the Top 25 And 1. Kentucky is No. 24.
Tip is scheduled for 7 ET.
Gonzaga is listed as a 4.5-point favorite despite the fact that the last time any of us saw the Zags, Michigan was beating them 101-61 in the championship game of the Players Era Festival. No idea if it's unprecedented, but this has to be one of the few times in college basketball history that a team is favored over a ranked opponent immediately following a 40-point loss.
And yet it's probably a bigger game for UK.
The Wildcats are believed to be college basketball's most-expensive team ever, with a roster estimated to have cost around $22 million. So far, Kentucky has gotten a poor return on its investment. Two of the Wildcats' high-priced players, Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaiantance, remain sidelined, reportedly because of injuries. And the other high-priced dudes who are playing mostly aren't playing well, evidence being a 5-3 record featuring zero wins over teams in the top 200 at BartTorvik.com -- and losses to Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina.
Is it time to panic in Lexington?
No, I don't think so. But this super-expensive team that was picked to win the SEC in the preseason is now projected to finish tied for fourth in the conference, according to KenPom.com. That's obviously not good. So it'll be interesting to see if the Wildcats can turn things around by upsetting Gonzaga 213 miles away from Rupp Arena.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Motiejus Krivas finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 98-61 win over Norfolk State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 7-0 |
| 2 |  | Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 81-65 win at Rutgers. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Iowa State. | -- | 8-0 |
| 3 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 101-61 win over Gonzaga. The Wolverines' next game is Saturday against Rutgers. | -- | 7-0 |
| 4 |  | Braylon Mullins finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 61-56 win at Kansas. The Huskies' next game is Friday against East Texas A&M. | -- | 7-1 |
| 5 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 22 points and five assists in Wednesday's 91-60 win over Cal Baptist. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Clemson. | -- | 7-1 |
| 6 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 67-66 win over Florida. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 9-0 |
| 7 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 24 points and 10 assists in Wednesday's 132-68 win over Alcorn State. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Purdue. | -- | 8-0 |
| 8 |  | Coen Carr finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 71-52 win over Iowa. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Duke. | -- | 8-0 |
| 9 |  | Graham Ike missed all nine of the shots he attempted in Wednesday's 101-61 loss to Michigan. The Zags' next game is Friday against Kentucky. | -- | 7-1 |
| 10 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. finished with 29 points and three assists in Wednesday's 90-84 win over Clemson. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday against UTSA. | -- | 6-2 |
| 11 |  | Henri Veesar finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 67-64 win at Kentucky. The Tar Heels' next game is Sunday against Georgetown. | -- | 7-1 |
| 12 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 21 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 89-80 win over Louisville. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Fresno State. | -- | 6-2 |
| 13 |  | Ryan Conwell missed 12 of the 16 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 89-80 loss at Arkansas. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 7-1 |
| 14 |  | Melvin Council Jr. missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 61-56 loss to UConn. The Jayhawks' next game is Sunday against Missouri. | -- | 6-3 |
| 15 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 66-56 win over Notre Dame. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Florida State. | -- | 7-1 |
| 16 |  | Andrej Stojakovic missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Friday's 74-61 loss to UConn. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 6-2 |
| 17 |  | JT Toppin finished with 27 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 76-72 win over Wyoming. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against LSU. | -- | 6-2 |
| 18 |  | Nate Ament missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 62-60 loss at Syracuse. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 7-2 |
| 19 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 72-63 win over South Carolina State. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against Creighton. | -- | 8-0 |
| 20 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 83-73 win over NC State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | -- | 7-2 |
| 21 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 26 points and six assists in Wednesday's 88-69 win over SMU. The Commodores' next game is Dec. 13 against Central Arkansas. | -- | 9-0 |
| 22 |  | Oziyah Sellers missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Wednesday's 85-74 loss to Auburn. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 4-3 |
| 23 |  | Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 25 points and three assists in Tuesday's 82-77 win at Oregon. The Trojans' next game is Saturday against Washington. | -- | 8-0 |
| 24 |  | Denzel Aberdeen missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 67-64 loss to North Carolina. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Gonzaga. | -- | 5-3 |
| 25 |  | Isaia Howard missed five of the six shots he attempted in Tuesday's 71-52 loss at Michigan State. The Hawkeyes' next game is Saturday against Maryland. | -- | 7-1 |
| 26 |  | Tounde Yessoufou finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 110-88 win over Sacramento State. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Memphis. | -- | 6-1 |
