Men’s college basketball rankings: Purdue, Texas Tech make massive jumps

Every week we have incredible stories this season in men’s college basketball. This week, previously undefeated and first-ranked Arizona lost back-to-back games to bring the Wildcats back down to earth a bit. Miami (Ohio) now remains the only undefeated team, so I have to explain why I still don’t have them in my rankings. I have tremendous respect for the RedHawks and Coach Travis Steele for what they have accomplished. Regardless of conference, going undefeated at the end of February is difficult to achieve. It’s a great story and we love underdogs in America. However, I don’t think Miami is a top 25 team in college basketball. The word “undefeated” certainly matters, but not so much that I feel obligated to rank them. I still want them to win and think they should be included in the NCAA tournament field even if they don’t win their conference. With that said, here is the latest edition of my men’s college basketball rankings, as of February 15. Utah State is tied with San Diego State for first place in the Mountain West region. On Saturday, the Aggies flexed their muscles against a struggling Memphis team, beating the Tigers by 24 points. Louisville is back in my rankings after winning five straight games, including losing 118 points to NC State and then handily beating Baylor in a random non-conference game in February. (More of this, please!) Tennessee moved up two spots in my rankings after beating Mississippi State and LSU, which was expected. The Vols defense is still one of the toughest around. The competition this Saturday at Vanderbilt is big. Alabama has won four straight SEC games and made 31 combined 3-pointers this week. Next up is a conference game against Arkansas on Wednesday. It will be fun! Wisconsin seems too low here, doesn’t it? The backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell is currently causing havoc in the Big Ten. Wisconsin now has road wins against Michigan and Illinois, the two most talented teams in the conference. [COLLEGE HOOPS: 4 Takeaways From Wisconsin’s Dominant Big Ten Win Over Michigan State] Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the best players in the country – period. Auburn didn’t have any answers for Saturday night, but they’re not the only ones. I’m so disappointed that one of the best players in the country, Caleb Wilson, is injured (in his hand) and out indefinitely. He is the heart of this team, while also being the most talented performer. I had to abandon North Carolina because of this. Saint Louis played two bad teams this week but crushed them both by a total of 51 points. The Billikens dominate the Atlantic 10 and rank 23rd in KenPom. St John’s win at Providence was marred by a brawl followed by the dirtiest play I’ve seen all year. In the process, the outstanding play of St. John’s Dylan Darling dropped 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench. After its three-game skid a few weeks ago, Vanderbilt is back playing its fun style of offensive basketball, and the Dores are winning five of their last six games. Forward Tyler Nickel had 25 points against Texas A&M on Saturday. I saw Virginia beat an average Ohio State team on Saturday, but the Cavaliers did it very methodically. This is meant to be a great compliment; Virginia plays both sides of the ball and doesn’t fight. Gonzaga is the hardest team to rank. I understand those who think the Zags have no place in my top 15 after Braden Huff’s (knee) injury and their loss to lowly Portland. However, I still think they’re a good team – but they’re slowly falling in my rankings. Michigan State has lost three of its last four games, including a road loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The good news is that the Spartans will host UCLA and Ohio State this week for success. My initial skepticism about Nebraska was well documented, but I changed my mind. Despite losing at home to an excellent Purdue team, Nebraska is one of the toughest teams in the country. No lead is safe, as the Huskers put five guys on the floor who can all shoot from 3. Illinois lost at home to a surging Wisconsin team, but recovered Sunday against Indiana, so it didn’t fall far. Home losses count, of course, but I’d still take the Fighting Illini on neutral ground in the NCAA Tournament against whatever team is below them right now. Texas Tech had the second-best win of any team this season by beating top-ranked Arizona in Tucson. (Iowa State beating Purdue by 23 at Mackey Arena is still my No. 1.) This goes well with the Red Raiders’ neutral court win over Duke. Kansas beat Arizona at home without Darryn Peterson (illness), then got dominated at Iowa State with Peterson playing (only 10 points), so I kept the Jayhawks where they were last week. Arizona’s victory says a lot about where this team can go. Florida’s 5-4 start to the season seems like an eternity ago at this point, and I won’t hold it against the Gators because none of the losses were bad. The Gators are everything we thought they could be at the start of the season and are now the favorites to win the SEC. I was ready to leave Purdue out of the title contender conversation a few weeks ago, but their overtime win at Nebraska followed by a Saturday demolition of Iowa moved the Boilermakers back into my top 10. UConn barely beat Georgetown at home on Saturday. Not that impressive – I know – but aside from that entertaining loss at St John’s last week, UConn is one of the most consistent teams in the country. Duke might be underrated at No. 5 because the Blue Devils defense is elite (and their NET is 2). They completely shut down a good Clemson team on Saturday. Their defense will give them a chance to win every game, but it’s their offensive depth that worries me. My feelings about who Iowa State is (top five) and what the Cyclones are capable of (national title) haven’t wavered much since the start of the year. Their revenge victory against Kansas has just confirmed it. Milan Momcilovic’s fade-away corner 3 in the first half was the most ridiculous shot I’ve seen this season. Back-to-back losses aren’t ideal for Arizona fans, but I think it could be a good thing for this group. I think the Wildcats will regroup. Koa Peat’s injury (lower leg), however, is much more worrying. We will keep an eye on this. Houston now leads the Big 12. It will be an intriguing race and a fascinating conference tournament in March. The Cougars host Arizona this week in one of the most important regular season games of the year. Michigan demolished an improved UCLA team by 30 points on Saturday, a result that surprised no one. This is why this team is the best in the country. Aday Mara also had to take it out on her former coach. It must have been fun for him.