A wild Wednesday produced some important results and memorable moments - most notably Dillon Brooks' buzzer-beating 3-pointer that lifted Oregon to an 89-87 victory over UCLA. But I didn't penalize the Bruins much. They only fell to third in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) while Oregon jumped to 20th - which caused Saint Mary's, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Miami and USC to drop a spot each, no fault of their own.
Meantime, Villanova's win over DePaul, combined with Creighton's victory over Seton Hall, ensured the Wildcats and Bluejays will both be undefeated when they meet Saturday inside Omaha's CenturyLink Center. It'll be the reigning national champions' toughest test since they played and won at Purdue on Nov. 14.
Villanova remains No. 1 in the Top 25 (and one).
Creighton is No. 12.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Villanova
| The Wildcats have won 19 straight games dating to last season. They've only lost three times in the 2016 calendar year. | -- | 18-16 |
2 |
Baylor
| Five different Baylor players reached double-figures in points in Wednesday's win over Texas Southern. Johnathon Motley finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. | 1 | 24-11 |
3 |
UCLA
| The Bruins suffered their first loss late Wednesday at Oregon via Dillon Brooks' buzzer-beater. But they're still leading the nation in effective field goal percentage. | 1 | 16-17 |
4 |
Kansas
| Josh Jackson scored a game-high 21 points in Thursday's 71-53 win at UNLV. The projected lottery pick has scored at least 17 points in four straight games. | -- | 23-11 |
5 |
Duke
| Grayson Allen has been indefinitely suspended for his latest tripping incident. The junior guard is averaging 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds this season. | -- | 27-9 |
6 |
Kentucky
| The Wildcats missed 17 of 22 3-point attempts in Wednesday's loss at Louisville. They're shooting just 33.2 percent from 3-point range this season. | 1 | 23-10 |
7 |
N. Carolina
| The Tar Heels have won two straight since losing to Kentucky in Las Vegas. Justin Jackson is averaging a team-high 17.5 points. | 1 | 29-8 |
8 |
Gonzaga
| Zach Collins got 21 points off the bench in Wednesday's win over South Dakota. The freshman forward is shooting 73.8 percent from the field this season. | 1 | 27-8 |
9 |
West Virginia
| The Mountaineers turned Northern Kentucky over 25 times in Friday's win over the Horizon League school. West Virginia has won six straight since losing to Temple. | 1 | 9-23 |
10 |
Virginia
| Wednesday's win at Louisville was Virginia's third victory over the Cardinals in 2016. The Cavaliers held Rick Pitino's team to an average of just 48.7 points in those three games. | 1 | 23-11 |
11 |
Louisville
| The Cardinals' six-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday by Virginia. They shot 14.3 percent from 3-point range in the loss. | 5 | 8-24 |
12 |
Creighton
| The Bluejays are shooting 44.6 percent from 3-point range through 13 games. Next up is Saturday's showdown with top-ranked Villanova. | -- | 25-10 |
13 |
Wisconsin
| The Badgers' losses are both to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). They'll take an eight-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Indiana. | -- | 22-14 |
14 |
Purdue
| Caleb Swanigan recorded his 12th double-double in Wednesday's win over Iowa. The sophomore forward is averaging 17.8 points and 12.4 rebounds. | -- | 34-5 |
15 |
Butler
| Andrew Chrabascz got 28 points on 18 shots in Wednesday's win over Vermont. The Bulldogs shot 57.1 percent from the field in the victory. | -- | 18-15 |
16 |
Xavier
| The Musketeers have won four straight since losing at Colorado. Trevon Bluiett is averaging a team-high 19.2 points. | 1 | 16-18 |
17 |
Arizona
| The Wildcats have won five straight since losing to Gonzaga. Freshman Lauri Markkanen is leading Arizona in both points (16.1) and rebounds (7.3). | 1 | 27-9 |
18 |
Florida St.
| FSU has won nine straight since losing to Temple. Five of the Seminoles' next six games are against currently ranked opponents. | 1 | 17-16 |
19 |
Florida
| All three of Florida's losses are to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). They've won two straight since losing at Florida State. | 1 | 24-12 |
20 |
Oregon
| Wednesday's victory over UCLA extended Oregon's winning streak to 10. The Ducks have won 34 straight games at home. | 6 | 24-12 |
21 |
Indiana
| The Hoosiers' resume features wins over Kansas and North Carolina but losses to Fort Wayne and Nebraska. James Blackmon is averaging a team-high 17.9 points. | 5 | 19-14 |
22 |
Saint Mary's
| The Gaels have won four straight games since being upset at home by UT Arlington. Jock Landale scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds in Thursday's 74-47 win over South Carolina State. | 1 | 26-8 |
23 |
Cincinnati
| The Bearcats held Temple to just 26.7 percent shooting in Wednesday's win over the Owls. UC will take a four-game winning streak into Sunday's game with Tulane. | 1 | 22-15 |
24 |
Notre Dame
| The Fighting Irish shot 49.0 percent from the field in Wednesday's win over Saint Peter's. V.J. Beachem finished with a game-high 18 points. | 1 | 13-20 |
25 |
Miami
| The Hurricanes have won six straight since losing to Florida. Ja'Quan Newton is averaging a team-high 15.3 points and 4.2 assists. | 1 | 15-17 |
26 |
USC
| The Trojans' 14-0 start represents their best start since the 1970-71 season. Elijah Stewart is averaging a team-high 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. | 1 | 15-18 |