Around The Top 25: Feb. 19

Story posted February 19, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Dale Ostrander

The college basketball regular season is coming to a close in less than a month. A lot left to be determined still for who will be the top seeds heading into the tournament for March Madness.

Here’s dive into what the AP top 25 is looking like with less than a month left of the regular season.

No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs

The new number one team in the country is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. After the previous No. 1 school of Auburn suffered a loss to Arkansas, it has now elevated the Bulldogs into the No. 1 team in the country.

The Bulldogs have been able to coast through the WCC so far this year, with an 11-0 conference record in the WCC.

The Bulldogs were able to get a win last week against their top rival in the WCC, Saint Mary’s Gaels. Gonzaga was in full control of the game and was able to get a 74-58 win over the Gaels.

The Bulldogs are still being led by Drew Timme who is averaging 17.8 points per game this year. Timme hasn’t had to be dominant yet in many games in the WCC, but look for him to get going soon so he can be ready for tournament play.

No. 10 Villanova Wildcats

The Villanova Wildcats have had a successful run as of late. The Wildcats were able to defeat Seton Hall who came into the game on a three-game winning streak.

After the 73-67 defeat of Seton Hall, Villanova jumped up from No. 15 to No. 10 in the polls, which set up a top ten battle between Providence and Villanova.

The matchup between Providence and Villanova in the Big East was the first matchup between the top two teams with their second matchup coming on March 1. However, Villanova was able to get the edge over the No. 8 Friars in this battle in a tightly contested 89-84 Wildcats victory.

Collin Gillespie led the Wildcats in this game with 33 points in a huge performance coming off a sprained ankle in previous games.

No. 14 Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars were on a 12-game winning streak until they ran into the SMU Mustangs. The Cougars dropped that game against a good Mustangs team in a close 85-83 loss.

The Cougars in their next game after the match-up against Memphis fell in this game as well which gave them their fourth loss of the season and second in as many games.

The Cougars fell from No. 6 in the poll to No. 14 after the first loss to SMU however, this loss to Memphis could put them scraping to stay into the top 25 polls next week.

No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide

A team that has been in and out of the top 25 polls this year is finally back in after some impressive wins.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were able to propel themselves back into the top 25 after they defeated Arkansas who also jumped into the top 25 after their upset over No. 1 Auburn.

The Crimson Tide are currently on a three-game winning streak with their next opponent being No. 4 Kentucky. If Alabama could win that game, they could rise even higher and potentially keep themselves in the top 25 for the rest of the season.

Dale Ostrander is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dko5097@psu.edu.