Tomorrow’s Top 25 Today: Houston, Michigan State on the rise amid perfect starts to conference play

Fourteen ranked teams took at least one loss over the last seven days and nine of them fell to unranked opponents, setting up what should be plenty of movement Monday when the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is updated.

Houston will likely be among the many big movers after its double-overtime win at Kansas on Saturday that moved it to 8-0 in Big 12 play and extended its winning streak to 12 in the process. The Cougars opened the season with a 4-3 record that included a loss to Auburn and two overtime defeats on a neutral floor to Alabama and to San Diego State, but they have not lost since. Coming off its biggest win of the season, Houston is primed to potentially move into the top five this week.

Michigan State is similarly positioned for a bump in the rankings after it, too, won Saturday and extended its winning streak to 12 games. MSU improved to 8-0 in Big Ten play with an 81-74 win over Rutgers, and after moving into the top 10 last week for the first time all season, is positioned to move up once again for a fourth consecutive week.

AP voters will have their work cut out as they fill out the remainder of their ballots, though. And with every team ranked between No. 11 and No. 19 suffering at least one loss, some tough decisions related to ranking positions on teams like UConn, Kansas, Purdue, Texas A&M and others are coming.

How I project the AP poll to shake out Monday is below. As alway,s this is not a ballot of how I would rank teams personally, but instead a projection of how I think it will look when AP votes are tabulated.

Projected to drop out: UConn, West Virginia

As conference play heats up across the country, two teams are making a strong case for a spot in the Top 25 rankings. The Houston Cougars and Michigan State Spartans have both started their conference schedules with perfect records, and are quickly climbing the ranks as they continue to dominate their competition.

Houston, currently ranked No. 15 in the country, has been on a tear in the American Athletic Conference. Led by dynamic guard Quentin Grimes, the Cougars have rattled off impressive wins against the likes of Cincinnati and SMU. Their stifling defense and efficient offense have propelled them to a 4-0 start in conference play, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Meanwhile, Michigan State has been making waves in the Big Ten with their strong play. The Spartans, currently ranked No. 23, have defeated traditional powerhouses like Wisconsin and Rutgers in their first four conference games. Head coach Tom Izzo has his team firing on all cylinders, with a balanced scoring attack and tenacious defense leading the way.

As these two teams continue to roll through their conference schedules, it will be interesting to see how far they can climb in the national rankings. With tough tests ahead for both squads, including matchups against ranked opponents, Houston and Michigan State will have the opportunity to prove themselves as legitimate contenders on the national stage.

Keep an eye on these rising teams as they look to make a statement in the Top 25 rankings and solidify their status as conference powerhouses. Tomorrow’s Top 25 may just be today’s Houston and Michigan State.

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