Xavier is merely a win over DePaul this weekend away from securing the outright Big East regular-season title, and raise your hand if you thought anybody would ever be able to write that sentence back when Villanova was 22-1 overall and 9-1 in the league heading into a home game with St. John's.
Seemed way unlikely then.
But, against all odds, here we are thanks to the Wildcats going 4-3 in their past seven games with losses to St. John's, Providence and Creighton. It's a wild turn of events. Villanova's streak of four straight Big East regular-season titles is likely ending. And yet, as you'll see below, I still have Jay Wright's Wildcats one spot ahead of the Musketeers in Thursday's updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one) college basketball rankings because, quite simply, I still believe Villanova's body of work, all things considered, is slightly superior.
Both teams are 26-4 with 10 top-50 KenPom wins. But Villanova has four top-15 wins compared to Xavier's one. And if you prefer the NCAA Tournament selection committee's quadrant system, Villanova has eight Quadrant One wins while Xavier has six. Plus, if you care about such things, Villanova is ahead of Xavier in KenPom, KPI, Sagarin and the RPI. And it's also worth noting that one of Villanova's losses came when the Wildcats were without two of their top six scorers -- Phil Booth and Eric Paschall. And, yes it's also worth noting that Villanova is 2-0 vs. Xavier with an 89-65 win at home and a 95-79 victory on the road.
Now let me be clear.
None of this is to suggest I don't like Xavier or think Chris Mack should be Big East Coach of the Year, because I do and I do. In fact, as you can tell from these rankings, I'd have Xavier penciled in as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament right now, and I might pick the Musketeers to advance to their first Final Four in school history. And Trevon Bluiett should get serious consideration for First Team All-America honors. I have nothing but respect for X. It's just that, right now, I still believe Villanova's resume should have the Wildcats ahead of the Musketeers in the pecking order of things despite what the Big East standings suggest. Not by much. But by some.
Thursday's updated Top 25 (and one)
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | The Cavaliers own nine top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Duke, North Carolina and Clemson. They've already secured the outright ACC regular-season title. | -- | 7-5 |
| 2 |  | The Spartans finished 16-2 in the Big Ten to win their first outright regular-season league title since 2009. Their resume features six top-50 KenPom wins - including victories over Purdue and North Carolina. | -- | 10-2 |
| 3 |  | The Wildcats' resume features 10 top-50 KenPom wins -- including a regular-season sweep of Xavier. They've only lost to two sub-30 KenPom teams. | -- | 8-5 |
| 4 |  | The Musketeers' resume features 10 top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-40 loss. They have already secured at least a share of their first Big East title in school history. | -- | 8-5 |
| 5 |  | The Jayhawks won their 14th game against a top-50 KenPom team on Monday and secured the outright Big 12 regular-season championship. Kansas has become the first school to ever win 14 straight league titles. | -- | 9-2 |
| 6 |  | The Blue Devils' five-game winning streak was snapped Monday at Virginia Tech. Duke owns nine top-50 KenPom wins and has lost to a sub-40 opponent only twice. | -- | 10-2 |
| 7 |  | The Boilermakers finished their regular season with eight top-50 Kenpom wins and just two sub-50 losses. They'll take a three-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 8-4 |
| 8 |  | The Zags beat BYU on Saturday to secure their 14th outright WCC regular-season championship in 19 seasons under Mark Few. Their resume features four top-45 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Ohio State and Creighton. | -- | 9-3 |
| 9 |  | The Mountaineers have won four of their past five games and compiled a total of 11 top-50 KenPom wins. Five of their eight losses are to teams also ranked in the Top 25 (and one). | -- | 9-2 |
| 10 |  | The Tar Heels' six-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday by Miami. Their resume features 10 top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-40 loss. | -- | 7-5 |
| 11 |  | The Red Raiders own nine top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Kansas and West Virginia. Their past 11 games include a seven-game winning streak and a four-game losing streak. | -- | 9-2 |
| 12 |  | The Shockers will take a six-game winning streak into Thursday's game at UCF. Their resume includes four top-55 KenPom wins and just two sub-40 losses. | -- | 9-3 |
| 13 |  | The Tigers own eight top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over North Carolina and Ohio State. Six of their seven losses are to teams currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 10-3 |
| 14 |  | The Buckeyes' resume features four top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-30 losses. They finished 15-3 in the Big Ten. | -- | 8-4 |
| 15 |  | The Bearcats are one win away from securing at least a share of the AAC regular-season title. They're 2-4 vs. top-50 KenPom teams, 23-0 against everybody else. | -- | 10-1 |
| 16 |  | The Vols own six top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Purdue and Kentucky. UT is 12-5 in the SEC and tied with Auburn atop the league standings. 1 | -- | 11-0 |
| 17 |  | The Wolverines' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins -- most notably a road victory over Michigan State. They'll take a five-game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 9-3 |
| 18 |  | The Tigers are stuck on five top-50 KenPom wins because they've dropped three of their past four games. Auburn is 12-5 in the SEC and tied with Tennessee atop the league standings. | -- | 11-1 |
| 19 |  | The Wolf Pack's resume features seven top-70 KenPom wins and just three sub-25 losses. Their only home loss came when their leading scorer (Caleb Martin) was sidelined. | -- | 8-4 |
| 20 |  | The Wildcats' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins -- among them a road victory over West Virginia. They'll take a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Florida. | -- | 10-2 |
| 21 |  | The Wildcats' resume features five top-50 KenPom wins and five sub-50 losses. They're currently without their head coach (Sean Miller) and second-leading scorer (Allonzo Trier). | -- | 6-5 |
| 22 |  | The Horned Frogs' resume features only one sub-50 KenPom loss -- a January loss at Vanderbilt. They own six top-50 KenPom wins and will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Texas Tech. | 1 | 7-4 |
| 23 |  | The Gators own eight top-50 KenPom wins -- among them victories over Gonzaga, Auburn, Cincinnati and Kentucky. They'll take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's game with UK. | 1 | 12-0 |
| 24 |  | The Razorbacks' resume features five top-50 KenPom wins and zero sub-65 losses. Arkansas is 6-1 in its past seven games. | 1 | 10-2 |
| 25 |  | The Hokies own six top-50 KenPom wins -- most notably victories over Virginia, Duke and North Carolina. Their resume features only one sub-55 loss. | 1 | 5-7 |
| 26 |  | The Hurricanes own seven top-50 KenPom wins -- most recently a road win at North Carolina. They'll take a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game with Virginia Tech. | NR | 4-8 |
In: Miami (Fla.)
Out: Butler
