The road to March Madness is still wide open after the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks lost again earlier this week, and with a few still left before the biggest annual sports betting services tournament, a lot will be determined. The Jayhawks will hold the top ranking until at least the weekend, but after that they're likely to fall given how close the most recent voting was. That opens the door for the rest of the top-five, but there is one team that has to be favored to move in to first for next week.
The Texas Longhorns are ranked second overall in the ESPN/USA Today Polls, and third in the AP Top 25, but if they remain undefeated through this weekend it will be hard not to bump them up to first. Texas missed out on top spot in the USA Today poll based on a single first place vote, one that was handed to the Jayhawks despite the fact that Kansas' lone loss at that time was actually to Texas. Now that they have lost a second game, the meeting between those sports betting bonus teams will have greater significance and that should make the difference in the rankings. Texas will travel to face Nebraska this Saturday with the opportunity to move to 11-0 in Big 12 play, and with none of their five remaining sports wagering service games to be played against ranked opponents there is a good chance that the Longhorns can achieve an undefeated Big 12 season, and in turn the top spot in the national rankings heading in to the Madness.
The other team that seems most capable of passing Kansas in the rankings is the former No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, which moved to second in the AP Top 25 poll but rebounded strong with a double-digit win over Michigan State. The Buckeyes will get another solid test this weekend against the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers, and if they can clinch that victory should be in good position down the stretch with just one of their final four games on the road and none against ranked opponents. Ohio State beat the Boilermakers 87-64 the first time these NCAA basketball teams met back in January, and if it wasn't for that tough loss to Wisconsin they would still be on top of the national rankings.
Rounding out the current top five is the No. 4 Pittsburgh Panthers and No. 5 Duke Blue Devils, two programs that didn't move when this week's rankings were released. At times Pittsburgh has looked like a world beater, but the truth is that they have suffered major price per head letdowns in a couple of big games so far. The loss to Notre Dame at home was testament to that, as few would have predicted them to lose that game. Meanwhile, the defending national champions have won five straight since their upset loss to the St. John's Red Storm, but a relatively weak schedule has kept them from moving up.
The Texas Longhorns are ranked second overall in the ESPN/USA Today Polls, and third in the AP Top 25, but if they remain undefeated through this weekend it will be hard not to bump them up to first. Texas missed out on top spot in the USA Today poll based on a single first place vote, one that was handed to the Jayhawks despite the fact that Kansas' lone loss at that time was actually to Texas. Now that they have lost a second game, the meeting between those sports betting bonus teams will have greater significance and that should make the difference in the rankings. Texas will travel to face Nebraska this Saturday with the opportunity to move to 11-0 in Big 12 play, and with none of their five remaining sports wagering service games to be played against ranked opponents there is a good chance that the Longhorns can achieve an undefeated Big 12 season, and in turn the top spot in the national rankings heading in to the Madness.
The other team that seems most capable of passing Kansas in the rankings is the former No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, which moved to second in the AP Top 25 poll but rebounded strong with a double-digit win over Michigan State. The Buckeyes will get another solid test this weekend against the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers, and if they can clinch that victory should be in good position down the stretch with just one of their final four games on the road and none against ranked opponents. Ohio State beat the Boilermakers 87-64 the first time these NCAA basketball teams met back in January, and if it wasn't for that tough loss to Wisconsin they would still be on top of the national rankings.
Rounding out the current top five is the No. 4 Pittsburgh Panthers and No. 5 Duke Blue Devils, two programs that didn't move when this week's rankings were released. At times Pittsburgh has looked like a world beater, but the truth is that they have suffered major price per head letdowns in a couple of big games so far. The loss to Notre Dame at home was testament to that, as few would have predicted them to lose that game. Meanwhile, the defending national champions have won five straight since their upset loss to the St. John's Red Storm, but a relatively weak schedule has kept them from moving up.
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