ESPN shook up its BPI Top 25 rankings after a chaotic college basketball Saturday. Similar to football, the Basketball Power Index uses strength of schedule metrics, results and predictive measures to determine the rankings.
Saturday’s results certainly sent the top 25 in the BPI for a loop though. We didn’t even get through the entire weekend!
So without further ado, let’s dive into ESPN’s latest BPI. We’ll start at No. 1 of the top 25.
The Blue Devils stayed at No. 1 in the BPI despite suffering their first loss of the season. They fell 82-81 to Texas Tech.
Cameron Boozer had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss. His twin Cayden added 13 points as the only other scorer in double digits.
James Snook-Imagn Images
The Bulldogs remained in the second spot in the BPI after Saturday and last played Wednesday, a 98-70 win over Campbell. But, Gonzaga is back in action Sunday at Oregon at 6:00 p.m. ET.
In the win over Campbell, Dovydas Butka had 19 points, six rebounds and one assist. DJ Smith added 18 points, three rebounds and three assists.
The Wildcats remained perfect (11-0) on the season, but only No. 3 in ESPN’s latest BPI rankings. They beat San Diego State 68-45 Saturday and don’t have a ranked matchup until January 26th against BYU.
In the win over the Aztecs, Koa Peat and Jaden Bradley led the way with 11 points each. The Wildcats outscored San Diego State 40-18 in the second half.
The Wolverines have been off since Dec. 13, a 101-83 win over Maryland. They’ll be back in action against La Salle Sunday, so unless they lose, they’ll stay in the top five of the BPI.
Michigan begins Big Ten play on Jan. 2 at home against USC and then they’ll take on Penn State four days later. Dusty May’s crew is certainly in national title contention.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Iowa State also returns to action today before Christmas comes in a few days. The Cyclones are 11-0 on the season and look like they’ll be favored until Jan. 13 when they take on Kansas.
As far as the BPI is concerned, this team is firmly in the top five of ESPN’s metrics. How high can they climb?
Houston got back on the court Saturday with a ranked win over Arkansas, beating the Razorbacks 94-85. The Cougars are firmly in the top 10 of the BPI.
In the win, Emanuel Sharp had 22 points, three rebounds and one assist. Kingston Flemings added 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Louisville improved to 10-2 on the season with a 94-54 win over Montana Saturday in their return to action. The Cardinals actually flipped spots with Houston in the BPI due to the latter’s ranked win.
In the Cardinals’ win, Sanada Fru had 18 points , eight rebounds and two assists. Isaac McKneely had 16 points and five rebounds.
Purdue head coach Matt Painter – Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio
Purdue earned a ranked win over Auburn on Saturday, dominating them 88-60. The Boilermakers are now 11-1 on the season, but didn’t budge in the BPI.
Trey Kaufman-Renn put up 18 points, six rebounds and one assist. CJ Cox added 14 points, one rebound and one assist.
UConn returns to action Sunday against DePaul after beating Butler 79-60 five days ago. The Huskies are 11-1 and in the top 10 of the BPI.
However, Dan Hurley and crew don’t get a ranked matchup on their schedule until Feb. 6 at St. John’s. But until then, this team should keep it rolling.
The Cougars beat Abilene Christian on Friday night 85-67 to improve to 11-1 on the season. BYU rounds out ESPN’s BPI top 10 with an impressive start to the season.
In their latest win, AJ Dybantsa put up 35 points, six rebounds and four assists. Richie Saunders added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists.
ESPN shakes up BPI Top 25
11. Florida
12. Kentucky (+2)
13. Illinois (-1)
14. Tennessee (+4)
15. Vanderbilt (+2)
16. Alabama (-1)
17. Kansas (+2)
18. St. John’s (-5)
19. Indiana (-3)
20. Michigan State
21. UCLA
22. Clemson (+1)
23. Texas Tech (+2)
24. NC StateÂ
25. Nebraska (+2)