Virginia is No. 1 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). And, yes, I'm well aware the Cavaliers lost 61-60 in overtime Saturday at home to Virginia Tech. But I still believe Tony Bennett's team has the nation's best body of work. So Virginia deserves to be the nation's top-ranked team.
Any debate for the top spot, in my opinion, comes down to Virginia and Villanova, and Virginia has nine top-50 KenPom wins compared to Villanova's eight. Both have four wins over teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). But Virginia's losses (68-61 at West Virginia; 61-60 at home to Virginia Tech) are better than Villanova's losses (101-93 at Butler; 79-75 at home to St. John's). And Virginia has four top-50 road wins compared to Villanova's one.
So the edge, I think, goes to Virginia.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Sunday's updated Top 25 (and one)
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Cavaliers' resume features nine top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Duke, North Carolina, Clemson and Rhode Island. They own a two-game lead in the ACC standings. | -- | 25-8 | |
2 | The Wildcats' resume features eight top-50 KenPom wins - among them victories over Xavier, Gonzaga, Tennessee and Butler. Villanova is tied in the loss column with Xavier atop the Big East standings. | -- | 17-17 | |
3 | The Spartans' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-30 losses. They'll take an eight-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Minnesota. | 1 | 21-13 | |
4 | The Musketeers' resume features nine top-50 KenPom wins and one sub-70 loss. They've won eight straight games since losing at Villanova. | 1 | 27-10 | |
5 | The Boilermakers' resume features eight top-50 KenPom wins and one sub-60 loss. They've lost two straight games since starting 12-0 in the Big Ten. | 2 | 29-6 | |
6 | The Bearcats will take a 15-game winning streak into Sunday's game at SMU. They're 11-0 in the AAC and at least three games ahead of everybody in the league standings. | -- | 23-13 | |
7 | The Red Raiders' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-45 loss. They own a one-game lead over Kansas in the Big 12 standings. | -- | 16-16 | |
8 | The Blue Devils' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins and three sub-50 losses. They own wins over three other schools ranked in the Top 25 (and one) -- most notably Michigan State. | 1 | 27-9 | |
9 | The Tigers' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and only one sub-45 loss. They own a two-game lead over Tennessee and Florida in the SEC standings. | 1 | 21-13 | |
10 | The Zags' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-30 loss. They'll take a seven-game winning streak into Thursday's game with Loyola Marymount. | 2 | 31-6 | |
11 | The Tigers' resume includes six top-50 KenPom wins and just two sub-50 losses. They're 13-0 at home and 3-1 in neutral-court games. | 2 | 23-11 | |
12 | The Buckeyes' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-50 losses. They're 13-1 in the Big Ten and alone atop the league standings. | 3 | 16-19 | |
13 | The Jayhawks' resume features eight top-50 KenPom wins and two sub-35 losses. Three of their six losses have come inside Allen Fieldhouse. | 5 | 28-8 | |
14 | The Tar Heels' resume features seven top-50 KenPom wins and two sub-50 losses. They've won three straight games since losing at Clemson. | 2 | 20-13 | |
15 | Gonzaga snapped Saint Mary's 19-game winning streak late Saturday. The Gaels' own four top-65 KenPom wins. | 4 | 27-8 | |
16 | The Vols' resume includes four top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-45 losses. Their six-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Alabama. | 2 | 25-11 | |
17 | The Shockers' resume includes three top-50 KenPom wins and only one sub-55 loss. They've won four of their five games since losing at Houston. | 2 | 17-15 | |
18 | The Rams have won 15 straight games since losing at Alabama. They have a four-game lead in the Atlantic 10 standings. | 2 | 9-22 | |
19 | The Aggies' resume includes seven top-50 KenPom wins. Three of their eight losses came when they were down at least two starters. | 6 | 25-10 | |
20 | The Mountaineers' resume includes six top-50 KenPom wins and just two sub-35 losses. They've beaten Virginia once and Oklahoma twice - but lost six of their past nine games. | 3 | 19-15 | |
21 | Four of the Wolverines' seven losses are to schools ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). Michigan's resume is highlighted by a double-digit victory at Michigan State. | 1 | 18-16 | |
22 | The Sooners' resume features seven top-50 KenPom wins and three sub-50 losses. OU is 6-6 in the Big 12 and tied for fourth in the league standings. | 4 | 15-17 | |
23 | The Bulldogs' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-45 loss. They are one of only two teams that have beaten Villanova. | -- | 14-18 | |
24 | The Wildcats' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and four sub-50 losses. They're 10-3 in the Pac-12 and at least two games ahead of everybody in the league standings. | NR | 28-7 | |
25 | The Wildcats' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins -- among them a victory at West Virginia. They'll take a three-game losing streak into Wednesday's game at Auburn. | 4 | 22-12 | |
26 | The Horned Frogs' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and two sub-50 losses. They own road wins at Baylor and Oklahoma State. | NR | 22-13 |
In: Arizona, TCU
Out: Miami, Florida State