College Basketball Power Rankings 2020-21

Conference tournaments are in full swing as teams fight for a championship title to take home. Each win and loss from here has the potential to have massive effects on seeding for the March Madness tournament. In smaller conferences, a conference championship is the way in, so the pressure is on. Selection Sunday is this week and will determine who’s in and who’s out. Some teams know they are in and are fighting for a higher seed while some are desperately trying to prove their worth for a chance at being selected. A tournament win would guarantee a spot. But also a tournament win looks better on a team’s resume, so we will have every team fighting for the title. March is here and you better be ready for some exciting plays to come. As of March 12th, here are the top 25 teams in college basketball. Each Friday throughout the season I will be updating the rankings based on the previous week’s turnout.

1. Gonzaga

Record: 26-0

Gonzaga has held their ground against Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa, and Virginia to keep hold of their number one spot. They took home the WCC tournament championship and will now go into March Madness as the only undefeated team.

2. Baylor

Record: 22-1

The Baylor Bears finished the regular season with just one loss to Kansas late in the season. They are now making their way through the Big 12 conference tournament with a great shot at winning as Kansas had to opt-out due to COVID.

3. Michigan

Record: 20-3

The Wolverines fell to Michigan State in their final regular-season game but responded with a win over Maryland in their first game of the Big Ten conference tournament. While they essentially have secured a #1 seed for March, a conference tournament championship would cement that.

4. Illinois

Record: 20-6

Illinois is on a roll now with wins over Michigan and Ohio State to close out the season. It will be a tough stretch to win the Big Ten tournament but doing so would secure them a #1 seed for March.

5. Alabama

Record: 22-6

Alabama took over the SEC with just two conference losses in the regular season. Now they are fighting for a tournament title where they could get a rematch with Arkansas in the finals.

6. Iowa

Record: 20-7

Iowa finished out the season strong after losing to Michigan with wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin. They have a rematch against Wisconsin in the tournament where they can show their complete dominance over the Badgers this season.

7. Houston

Record: 21-3

Houston finished second in the American Athletic Conference but now has the opportunity to take home a tournament title in what could be a rematch with Wichita State. A tournament victory would help their seeding for Sunday.

8. Arkansas

Record: 21-5

Arkansas is now on an eight-game winning streak as they enter the conference tournament. They heated up just in the nick of time as March is where it counts.

9. Ohio State

Record: 20-8

Things took a bit of a turn for the Buckeyes as they finished the season with four consecutive losses. They have rebounded with wins over Minnesota and Purdue as they climb their way through the Big Ten tournament.

10. Kansas

Record: 20-8

The Jayhawks are the only team that has taken down Baylor this whole season and showed they are a championship contender for March. They were forced to drop out of the Big 12 tournament but they are in great shape for March Madness.

11. Oklahoma State

Record: 19-7

The Cowboys might be the hottest team right now as they have rolled through the heart of the Big 12 with several victories. They have a chance to make it to the Big 12 tournament final if they can manage to beat Baylor.

12. Texas

Record: 18-7

The Longhorn barely got past Texas Tech in their revenge game and got a free pass into the Big 12 final game after Kansas dropped out. They will wait to see who they play in the Baylor vs Oklahoma State game.

13. West Virginia

Record: 18-9

The Mountaineers have now lost three of their last four games as they fell to Baylor and Oklahoma State twice. The second loss to Oklahoma State came in the tournament which forces West Virginia to have to wait until Sunday to see their position.

14. Florida State

Record: 15-5

Florida State suffered an embarrassing loss to Notre Dame to end the season, but they are making their way through the ACC tournament now that Duke had to forfeit. They just have to get through a red-hot North Carolina team to get to the finals.

15. Villanova

Record: 16-6

Villanova picked up a huge win for them over Creighton to secure another Big East regular-season championship but it has not been a joyride since. Villanova got knocked out of the conference tournament and is now on a two-game losing streak.

16. Virginia

Record: 18-6

Virginia began to get their swagger back after a three-game losing streak with three consecutive wins. That ended as they were forced to drop out of the ACC tournament and now have to wait and see where they get seeded.

17. Loyola Chicago

Record: 22-4

Loyola Chicago took home both the regular-season and conference tournament titles out of the Missouri Valley Conference. They are looking to be a team to worry about as no one knows how they will line up against the other top-ranked teams.

18. Texas Tech

Record: 17-10

Texas Tech had their season come to an end with a loss to Baylor. Now their conference tournament hopes are gone as they fell to Texas by one point and will now have to wait for Sunday.

19. San Diego State

Record: 20-4

San Diego State finished the season at 20-4 and in a tie for the Mountain West Conference regular-season title. They will have to take the tournament title if they want sole possession of a conference championship and can look forward to a good position in March.

20. Creighton

Record: 19-7

The Creighton Blue Jays lost their chances of the Big East championship after falling to Villanova as well as Xavier. They will need a good conference tournament run to make any headway, but they are still a strong contender entering March despite their recent problems.

21. Virginia Tech

Record: 15-6

After having to cancel the final two games of the season, the Hokies ran into the Tar Heels who were not playing around. Virginia Tech will now have to wait for Sunday to see their seeding for March Madness.

22. Purdue

Record: 18-9

Purdue has stuck around in the Big Ten with some big wins along the way. They fell to Ohio State in the conference tournament so now they must wait and see where they are put.

23. BYU

Record: 20-6

While Gonzaga has taken the main stage out of the West Coast conference, BYU has stuck around with a solid win over San Diego State earlier in the season. They fell in the conference championship to Gonzaga but made it very close.

24. Oregon

Record: 20-5

Oregon made a great final push to climb back to the top of the PAC 12. They are still currently fighting for a Pac 12 tournament championship to add to their resume for Sunday.

25. Oklahoma

Record: 15-10

Oklahoma did not have the end of the season that they wanted. Four straight losses to finish it out was in no one’s mind as they plummeted down the Big 12 standings. They are now out of the Big 12 tournament after falling to Kansas, so their seeding is now out of their hands.

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