Several people have asked why I have Villanova No. 1.
My answer: The Wildcats have the nation's best resume, plain and simple. Villanova is 17-1 with four top-25 KenPom wins and six top-50 victories -- two of which came in true road games. None of the other obvious candidates for No. 1 -- i.e., UCLA, Kansas and Gonzaga -- can match that. And Villanova's lone loss is a single-digit loss on the road to a Butler team I have ranked ninth, which is comparable to UCLA's loss (at Oregon) and better than Kansas' loss (to Indiana).
So that's why Villanova is No. 1 in the Top 25 (and one).
And I imagine the Wildcats will stay there until/unless they lose again.
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Wildcats' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-15 losses. They're unlikely to be an underdog in any game the rest of the regular season. | -- | 18-16 |
| 2 |  | The Bruins lone loss is last month's last-second 89-87 loss at Oregon. They're shooting 43.3 percent from 3-point range and have the nation's best effective field goal percentage. | -- | 16-17 |
| 3 |  | The Jayhawks have won 16 straight since that season-opening loss to Indiana. Frank Mason is averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | The Wildcats have won four of their five SEC games by 20-plus points. They own non-league wins over North Carolina and Michigan State. | -- | 23-10 |
| 5 |  | The Zags are undefeated and 3-0 against teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). They now have a 33.7-percent chance to enter the WCC Tournament with zero losses, according to KenPom. | -- | 27-8 |
| 6 |  | The Mountaineers forced Baylor into 29 turnovers during Tuesday's blowout of the Bears. West Virginia's two losses have come by a combined five points. | -- | 9-23 |
| 7 |  | The Bears own a national-best seven top-50 KenPom victories. Their lone loss is last week's 89-68 loss at West Virginia. | -- | 24-11 |
| 8 |  | The Bluejays' only loss is last month's 80-70 loss at home to Villanova. They rank second nationally in 2-point field goal percentage and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage. | -- | 25-10 |
| 9 |  | The Bulldogs' win over Xavier doubled as their sixth top-50 KenPom victory. Kelan Martin is averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. | -- | 18-15 |
| 10 |  | The Irish have five top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-20 losses. They just won back-to-back road games at Miami and Virginia Tech. | -- | 13-20 |
| 11 |  | UNC snapped Florida State's 12-game winning streak Saturday. It was the Tar Heels fifth top-50 KenPom win and fourth straight victory in general. | -- | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | The Seminoles are 3-1 against currently ranked Top 25 (and one) teams. They've beaten Virginia, Florida and Duke while losing at North Carolina. | -- | 17-16 |
| 13 |  | The Cavaliers have won two straight since losing at Pitt in OT. Their resume features three top-50 KenPom wins, including a 61-53 victory at Louisville. | -- | 23-11 |
| 14 |  | The Cardinals own victories over Kentucky and Duke. Their three losses have all come to schools currently ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). | -- | 8-24 |
| 15 |  | The Blue Devils have three top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-50 losses. They're 1-2 since Mike Krzyzewski stepped away to recover from back surgery. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Lauri Markkanen finished with a career-high 30 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's win over Arizona State. The Wildcats have won 10 straight games since losing to Gonzaga. | -- | 27-9 |
| 17 |  | The Gators needed OT to get past Georgia on Saturday. They've won seven straight games since losing at Florida State. | -- | 24-12 |
| 18 |  | The Ducks will take a 14-game winning streak into Thursday's game with California. They're tied with Arizona atop the Pac-12 standings. | -- | 24-12 |
| 19 |  | The Badgers have won 10 of their past 11 games and are on track to win the Big Ten title outright, according to KenPom. Ethan Happ is averaging 12.9 points and 9.2 rebounds. | -- | 22-14 |
| 20 |  | The Bearcats held East Carolina to 15 field goals and a shooting percentage of 25.4 in Sunday's 55-46 win. Cincinnati will take an eight-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Temple. | -- | 22-15 |
| 21 |  | The Musketeers are 0-3 against other Top 25 (and one) teams. They'll take a two-game losing streak into Monday's game with Creighton. | -- | 16-18 |
| 22 |  | The Boilermakers are 2-2 in their past four games with losses to Minnesota at home and Iowa on the road. They're 4-4 against top-70 KenPom teams so far this season. | -- | 34-5 |
| 23 |  | The Gamecocks have won four straight since losing at Memphis. They're still undefeated this season with Sindarius Thornwell in the lineup. | -- | 26-8 |
| 24 |  | The Gaels suffered a blowout late Saturday at Gonzaga. A November victory over Dayton continues to be their lone top-50 KenPom win. | -- | 26-8 |
| 25 |  | The Horned Frogs' resume features two top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-25 losses. They've beaten Texas and Iowa State on this two-game winning streak. | -- | 21-13 |
| 26 |  | Four of Iowa State's five losses are to teams that are also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). The only exception is last month's loss at Iowa. | -- | 29-8 |
