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College Basketball Talk’s Latest Top 25: A new face in the top ten

2014 CBS Sports Classic

Tyler Ulis (Getty Images)

Getty Images

Elon v Duke

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1. Kentucky (13-0, LW: No. 1): The Wildcats will kick off SEC play on Tuesday night against Ole Miss in Rupp Arena.

2. Duke (13-0, LW: No. 2): Jahlil Okafor is starting to hit his stride, which is scary. In his last three games, he’s averaging 26.3 points, 8.0 boards and 2.3 blocks while shooting 30-for-39 from the floor and getting to the line 28 times.

3. Wisconsin (13-1, LW: No. 3): Wisconsin rolled over both Penn State and Northwestern to kick off Big Ten play. I don’t think it’s crazy to say that the Badgers will roll through league play undefeated. Who in that league looks like they can slow down this Badger attack?

4. Virginia (13-0, LW: No. 4): Virginia had their defense get torched in the first half of a win against Davidson and in the second half of a double-overtime win at Miami. That’s the bad news. The good news? London Perrantes seems to have busted out of his shooting slump. He had 26 points and hit five threes against Miami.

5. Arizona (13-1, LW: No. 5): Sean Miller shook up Arizona’s starting lineup on Sunday, moving Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Elliot Pitts into the starting lineup over Stanley Johnson and Gabe York. The Wildcats jumped all over Arizona State early. This will be something to track in future games.

6. Gonzaga (14-1, LW: No. 6): The Zags are now 3-0 in WCC play with all three wins coming on the road. They’ve already played their toughest game in conference, earning an 87-80 win at BYU in the opener. Like Wisconsin, I think the Zags run the table in the WCC.

7. Louisville (12-1, LW: No. 8): Chris Jones had 22 points and 10 assists in a win at Wake Forest, making a number of critical plays down the stretch for the Cardinals. Louisville needs that Chris Jones, not the one that showed up against Kentucky.

8. Villanova (13-1, LW: No. 7): The Wildcats lost at Seton Hall three days after St. John’s lost there. It was the first loss for Jay Wright’s club and it came in a game where they really struggled shooting the ball. The ‘road’ is going to trip up a lot of teams now that we are in the throes of league play.

9. Texas (10-2, LW: No. 9): The Longhorns got Isaiah Taylor back on Saturday in their Big 12 opener against Texas Tech. He struggled with his shot a bit, but he made plays defensively and was able to get into the paint. He’s their difference-maker.

10. Utah (12-2, LW: No. 11): The Utes certainly made a statement on Sunday, as they completely embarrassed UCLA, 71-39. Larry Krystkowiak looks like a shoe-in for Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and we’re only in January.

11. Kansas (11-2, LW: No. 12)
12. Oklahoma (10-3, LW: No. 13)
13. Maryland (14-1, LW: No. 18)
14. Notre Dame (14-1, LW: No. 14)
15. Iowa State (10-2, LW: No. 10)
16. North Carolina (11-3, LW: No. 19)
17. Wichita State (12-2, LW: No. 17)
18. Seton Hall (12-2, LW: UR)
19. VCU (11-3, LW: No. 24)
20. West Virginia (13-1, LW: No. 25)
21. Georgetown (9-4, LW: No. 15)
22. Indiana (11-3, LW: UR)
23. Ohio State (12-3, LW: No. 21)
24. Baylor (11-2, LW: UR)
25. Wyoming (13-2, LW: UR)

Dropped Out: No. 16 Washington, No. 20 Colorado State, No. 22 St. John’s, No. 23 Northern Iowa