Kelvin Sampson

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Ole Miss could not survive a trip to Tennessee. James Madison wasn't ready to win at Southern Miss.

Conference play has arrived, and only one unbeaten team remains in men's college basketball: the Houston Cougars, who are making their first trip through the Big 12 with Kelvin Sampson.

Ole Miss and James Madison were joined by eight other ranked teams that lost last week, which should create plenty of movement in this week's poll.

Here is my weekly ballot, with the top five teams unchanged:

  1. Purdue (14-1): The Boilermakers have entered a tricky part of their schedule, playing three of their next four on the road.
  2. Houston (14-0): The last unbeaten will have to withstand trips to Iowa State and TCU this week.
  3. Kansas (13-1): Something does not compute: The Jayhawks are ranked 17th by Ken Pomeroy's formula and 18th by Bart Torvik's.
  4. Kentucky (11-2): Never hurts to start conference play with a come-from-behind road win.
  5. Tennessee (11-3): The Vols visit Mississippi State and Georgia this week.
  6. UConn (13-2): The Huskies took Butler's best shot — and won in Indianapolis Friday night.
  7. North Carolina (11-3): The Tar Heels put a pair of ACC road wins in the deposit box last week.
  8. Auburn (12-2): I'm in the front row of the Auburn bandwagon. The Tigers' average margin of victory is 19.1 this season after they won by 32 at Arkansas.
  9. Oklahoma (13-1): The Sooners beat Iowa State in their Big 12 opener.
  10. Duke (11-3): North Carolina won at Pitt last week. The Blue Devils need to match UNC on Tuesday against Jeff Capel's squad.
  11. Illinois (11-3): After losing at Purdue Friday, the Illini get Michigan State at home Thursday.
  12. Marquette (11-4): After that 5-0 start, the Golden Eagles are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
  13. Baylor (12-2): The Bears needed overtime to beat Oklahoma State.
  14. Wisconsin (11-3): Bo Ryan would be proud. The Badgers play the seventh most efficient offense in the nation.
  15. Memphis (13-2): Penny Hardaway's team has won seven games by five points or less.
  16. Arizona (12-3): The Wildcats bounced back from a rough stretch by dominating Colorado and Utah.
  17. Colorado State (13-2): The Rams couldn't handle Utah State on the road. Happens.
  18. San Diego State (13-2): The Aztecs won their first two Mountain West games.
  19. Clemson (11-3): The Tigers have hit their first rough patch, losing three of their last five.
  20. Dayton (12-2): The Flyers have won nine straight, including a win over Cincinnati.
  21. BYU (12-2): The Cougars stumbled in their first Big 12 game — against Cincinnati.
  22. Florida Atlantic (11-4): First Florida Gulf Coast? Then Charlotte?
  23. St. John's (11-4): Rick Pitino's team won by 10 at Villanova Saturday.
  24. Utah State (14-1): The Aggies have won 13 straight and took down Colorado State.
  25. South Carolina (13-1): The Gamecocks opened SEC play by handling Mississippi State.

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.