Michigan State has lost as many times as it's won through eight games. But it's important to note the Spartans' losses are to the schools ranked No. 1 (Kentucky), No. 4 (Duke), No. 11 (Baylor) and No. 18 (Arizona) in the CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) - meaning, yes, there are four losses on the resume but no bad ones.
And MSU has a win over Wichita State.
So I've kept Michigan State ranked despite its .500 record because context matters. But now Miles Bridges is going to be sidelined "a couple of weeks," according to Tom Izzo. And without the freshman star - not to mention the also-injured duo of Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter - it's difficult to look at Michigan State and see a Top 25 (and one) team. So the banged-up Spartans are out. They've been replaced by an Ohio State team that's 6-1 with the lone loss being a 63-61 loss at Virginia.
The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Kentucky
| The Wildcats have won their seven games by an average of 30.6 points. Freshman Malik Monk is averaging a team-high 19.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. | -- | 5-0 |
2 |
Villanova
| Nearly 50 percent of Villanova's field goal attempts are coming from beyond the arc. The Wildcats are making 39.2 percent of them. | -- | 3-3 |
3 |
Kansas
| The Jayhawks have won six straight since their season-opening loss to Indiana. Frank Mason is averaging a team-high 19.6 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds. | -- | 5-0 |
4 |
Duke
| The Blue Devils' lone loss is a 77-75 loss to Kansas. Sophomore Luke Kennard is averaging a team-high 17.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. | -- | 4-1 |
5 |
N. Carolina
| The Tar Heels, late Wednesday, became the fifth straight top-three team to lose at Indiana. Point guard Joel Berry missed 10 of the 13 shots he took against the Hoosiers. | -- | 3-1 |
6 |
Xavier
| Trevon Bluiett has scored at least 21 points in four of Xavier's seven games. He's averaging a team-high 17.7 points and 6.1 rebounds. | -- | 5-0 |
7 |
Virginia
| The Cavaliers overcame a 16-point deficit Wednesday to beat Ohio State. London Perrantes is averaging a team-high 10.6 points and 4.0 assists. | -- | 3-2 |
8 |
UCLA
| Freshman Lonzo Ball finished with 13 assists in Wednesday's win over UC Riverside. He's leading the nation by averaging 9.6 assists per game. | -- | 5-1 |
9 |
Saint Mary's
| The Gaels recorded their fourth top-100 KenPom win late Wednesday via a 66-51 victory at Stanford. Jock Landale is averaging a team-best 19.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. | -- | 5-0 |
10 |
Gonzaga
| The Zags have three top-50 KenPom wins - among them victories over Florida and Iowa State. Washington transfer Nigel Williams-Goss is averaging 12.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. | -- | 5-0 |
11 |
Baylor
| Scott Drew's Bears already have four top-40 KenPom wins. Their next game is Saturday's showdown with Chris Mack's Xavier Musketeers. | -- | 4-2 |
12 |
Louisville
| Wednesday's win over Purdue was the Cardinals' second top-25 KenPom win in a seven-day span. The beat Wichita State in the Battle 4 Atlantis last Thursday. | -- | 3-1 |
13 |
Indiana
| The Hoosiers' resume features wins over Kansas and North Carolina but a loss at Fort Wayne. They're the only team ranked in the Top 25 (and one) with a sub-100 KenPom loss. | -- | 4-0 |
14 |
Creighton
| The Bluejays, as a team, are shooting 46.5 percent from 3-point range through seven games. That number ranks first nationally. | -- | 4-1 |
15 |
Wisconsin
| The Badgers' two losses are to North Carolina and Creighton. Nigel Hayes finished with nine points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Tuesday's win over Syracuse. | -- | 6-0 |
16 |
Purdue
| The Boilermakers' two losses are single-digit losses to Villanova and Louisville. They'll play Notre Dame a week from Saturday. | -- | 4-1 |
17 |
Butler
| The Bulldogs have beaten Pac-12 schools (Arizona, Utah) in back-to-back games. Memphis transfer Avery Woodson is averaging 9.7 points while shooting 46.2 percent from the field. | 1 | 4-1 |
18 |
Arizona
| Parker Jackson-Cartwright left Wednesday's win over Texas Southern with an ankle injury. Coach Sean Miller said he'll be out "a considerable amount of time." | 1 | 2-2 |
19 |
Florida
| The Gators' lone loss is a single-digit loss to Gonzaga on a neutral court. Florida's next game is Tuesday vs. Duke at New York's Madison Square Garden. | 1 | 6-0 |
20 |
S. Carolina
| The Gamecocks are rebounding 39.5 percent of their own missed shots. The credit mostly goes to Chris Silva, who ranks first nationally in offensive rebounding percentage. | 1 | 3-2 |
21 |
Rhode Island
| URI lost a tough road game at Valpo Tuesday while missing 13 of 17 3-point attempts. The Rams' resume features a win over Cincinnati. | 1 | 4-0 |
22 |
Cincinnati
| The Bearcats snapped Iowa State's 37-game non-league home winning streak Thursday night. Kyle Washington is averaging 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds for Cincinnati. | 2 | 4-0 |
23 |
Syracuse
| Both of Syracuse's losses are to teams (Wisconsin, South Carolina) ranked ahead of the Orange in the Top 25 (and one). Andrew White is averaging a team-high 15.5 points. | -- | 3-2 |
24 |
Notre Dame
| The Irish's perfect start features wins over Colorado and Northwestern. Notre Dame, as a team, is shooting 84.5 percent from the free-throw line. | 1 | 4-1 |
25 |
Iowa St.
| The Cyclones' two losses are to Gonzaga and Cincinnati, both of which are ranked higher than ISU in the Top 25 (and one). Monte Morris is averaging 15.9 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds. | 8 | 3-0 |
26 |
Ohio St.
| The Buckeyes' only loss is a 63-61 loss at Virginia. Their defensive efficiency rating ranks top 15 nationally. | NR | 4-1 |