Here are the 4 biggest winners and losers of college basketball this week
▲ St. John's Red Storm — Received 59 votes in the AP Top 25 Poll
The only undefeated team that has yet to break into the AP Top 25 Poll, the St. John's Red Storm emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Junior guard Shamorie Ponds has led the Red Storm to a perfect 10-0 record — their best start in 36 years — thanks to 21.0 points and 5.8 assists per contest. St. John's readily handled Princeton and Wagner this week, but the team's best wins of the season came against Georgia Tech and Cal.
▲ No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels — Up 3 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
No. 9 North Carolina picked up early losses this season against Texas and undefeated Michigan, but since then the Tar Heels have looked as good as any team in the country. Roy Williams' squad picked up a convincing 13-point win against Gonzaga to deal the Bulldogs their second consecutive loss after starting the season undefeated. North Carolina will host John Calipari and No. 19 Kentucky Saturday before preparing to tackle a tough ACC schedule in the new year.
▲ No. 21 Houston Cougars — Up 3 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
The No. 21 Houston Cougars came out of nowhere and continue to shock the world of college basketball as one of the nine remaining undefeated teams this season. This week, the Cougars took down LSU, who started the year ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll and boasts one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Houston will not face another ranked opponent during the regular season, so expect their reign in the rankings to last for a while.
▲ No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers — Up 3 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
Thanks to an epic buzzer-beating heave from Rob Phinisee, the No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers topped Butler and jumped three spots in this week's AP Top 25 Poll. The Hoosiers will face a handful of unranked opponents in the coming weeks before moving on to conference play, where they'll take on No. 4 Michigan and No. 25 Nebraska in January.
▼ No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs — Down 4 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
The No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs were the team to beat after taking down mighty Duke in the Maui Invitational championship game. The Bulldogs' thrilling run as an undefeated team came to a screeching halt thanks to a last-second loss against Tennessee last Sunday and a convincing 13-point defeat against North Carolina on Saturday. Gonzaga will not face another ranked opponent during the regular season, so Mark Few's squad will likely need to wait until March to reestablish itself as a force amongst the best teams in college basketball.
▼ Notre Dame Fighting Irish — Unranked
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a lot of promise, but just like last year, their season has been derailed by injuries. A week after falling to UCLA on the road, Notre Dame took down Purdue, 88-80, but not without a significant cost. The Fighting Irish lost starting guard Rex Pflueger for the season with a torn ACL. Now, Notre Dame will look to integrate a new player into the starting five with ACC play rapidly approaching.
▼ Syracuse Orange — Dropped out of the AP Top 25 Poll
Jim Boeheim's squad reentered the AP Top 25 Poll rankings last week after taking down then-No. 15 Ohio State on their home floor. After squeaking out a one-point win against Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas last Saturday, the Orange suffered a brutal loss against unranked Old Dominion at the Carrier Dome one week later. Syracuse is set to take on the undefeated Buffalo Bulls Tuesday before gearing up for a grueling conference slate in a stacked ACC.
▼ Villanova Wildcats — Dropped out of the AP Top 25 Poll
After enduring an already tumultuous start to the season, the reigning national champions sustained an ugly loss to unranked Penn. The defeat snapped Villanova's 25-game winning streak in the Big 5, an unofficial association of Philadelphia-area programs. The Wildcats then missed out on one of their only opportunities to redeem themselves with a close loss to top-ranked Kansas. With just one ranked opponent remaining on its schedule for the remainder of the regular season, Villanova could struggle to climb its way back into the rankings.
Next Story
I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
Why are so many elite coaches moving to Western countries?
Global GDP to face a 19% decline by 2050 due to climate change, study projects
5 things to keep in mind before taking a personal loan
Markets face heavy fluctuations; settle lower taking downtrend to 4th day
Move over Bollywood, audio shows are starting to enter the coveted ‘100 Crores Club’
