College Basketball Rankings: Predicting the AP Poll Top 25 after Week 2, Champions Classic

The college basketball AP Poll Top 25 will get a fresh look on Monday, reflecting all the results of the past week as top teams work their way into the non-conference schedule. The competition continues to ramp up, with more ranked vs. ranked matchups on the slate. The Champions Classic took center stage on Tuesday, first with a matchup between Duke and Michigan State, then with a showdown between Kansas and Kentucky. Those results and plenty more help shape the way AP voters will view the blue-bloods all season long. [ $39.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] With a handful of results still to come on Sunday night, this story will be updated to reflect the results of St. John’s vs. Syracuse and USC vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Each game will only result in changes if the ranked team suffers a loss. After the second week of the college basketball season wraps up, it is time to look at how the results could impact the upcoming rankings. Here is an early projection of what Monday’s AP Poll could look like after the first set of games. 25. Memphis (Last Week: NR) Memphis took on a big task when the built the schedule, but have delivered early with some big-time upsets against top teams. Even after suffering their first loss of the season against Vanderbilt in the midweek, they dominated Louisville after completing one of the largest comebacks of the season. The Tigers will now take on Evansville on Sunday as they look toward their first buy game of the season. They will not return to the floor again until after the next AP Poll releases. 24. Nebraska (Last Week: 25) Nebraska climbed into the Top 25 last week off a strong opening, which continued into this week. They defeated Lindenwood at home in the midweek before taking down Boise State over the weekend. The Cornhuskers will play another home game on Wednesday, hosting South Dakota. They will then play a neutral site game against Butler as part of the Bad Boy Mowers Series on Sunday. 23. BYU (Last Week: 23) BYU took care of business over the past week and projects to hold onto its spot inside the Top 25 again. They started with a home win against Queens before hosting Montana State for another non-conference victory. The Cougars will return to the floor for another home matchup next week, set to take on Northern Colorado at home. That is the only game on the schedule before the AP voters will submit their next rankings. 22. Vanderbilt (Last Week: 22) Vanderbilt picked up a convincing win over Memphis on Tuesday. They followed that up with another big win at home against Prairie View as their undefeated start continues at home. The Commodores will continue the run of home games on Tuesday when they host Eastern Illinois. They will then get another shot at high-major competition when UCF comes to town on Friday. 21. USC (Last Week: 21) USC has gotten off to a hot start this season, which continued on Wednesday when they beat former conference foe California in an in-state showdown. They will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday night to round out the week. The Trojans will continue the schedule next week with a home game against Tarleton State on Thursday. They will then host Louisiana in a home game on Sunday. 20. Michigan (Last Week: 20) Michigan rebounded from a loss against UConn last week with a pair of wins, including one over Marquette on Wednesday. They followed that performance up against William & Mary at home on Sunday. The Wolverines return to the court on Saturday for their only game of the week. They will take on Villanova on the road in another matchup against high-major competition. 19. Arkansas (Last Week: 19) Arkansas bounced back from its first loss of the season with a pair of home games against lower-level competition. They took down Robert Morris on Wednesday before picking up another win against Central Arkansas on Friday. The Razorbacks will be back in action on Wednesday when they host Robert Morris in a buy game. They then get another home opportunity against Central Arkansas over the weekend. 18. Gonzaga (Last Week: 14) Gonzaga played just one game since the last AP Poll update, using the week to prepare for a matchup against LSU in the Bad Boy Mowers Series. They ultimately took a loss after giving up a late shot. The Zags will return to the floor for a game against Montana State on Tuesday. It will again be the only matchup on their schedule for the week as they prepare for an Multi-Team Event soon. 17. Louisville (Last Week: 10) Louisville played just one game over the past week, using the long run-up to prepare for a road game against Memphis. They gave up a massive comeback against an old rival and then got blown out in the second half. The Cardinals will get back on the floor Thursday when they host Stetson in a home game. That will again be the only game played on the week. 16. Alabama (Last Week: 18) Alabama played a pair of home games this week, continuing a strong start to the season with a dominant performance against Oakland. They then faced Seton Hall on Friday, pulling away for their first high-major win of the season. The Crimson Tide will now set their sights on a home game against Kennesaw State which will take place on Tuesday. That is the only game they will play before the next AP Poll releases. 15. Miami (Last Week: 17) Miami continues a strong start to the season this week with a pair of home wins. They first faced North Florida on Monday, then took down North Alabama on Friday to round out a dominant week of performances. The Hurricanes will continue their run of home games when they face Rider on Tuesday. They will keep the homestand going on Friday with a matchup against Manhattan. 14. St. John’s (Last Week: 13) St. John’s continues a strong start to the season as they dominated Colgate on Wednesday. They will get their first high-major opportunity on Sunday night when they host Syracuse at home. The Red Storm will be back in action on Wednesday with another home game set against Siena. That is the only game listed on the schedule before the next Top 25 drops. 13. Arizona (Last Week: 12) Arizona put together a strong week as they dominated Northern Arizona at home on Tuesday. The performance was followed up by a road win against Auburn on Friday, helping build the early resume. The Wildcats will get another opportunity to raise their stock on Wednesday, facing UConn at home. That is the only game on the schedule over the coming week, giving it a big impact on their next Top 25 spot. 12. Tennessee (Last Week: 11) Tennessee remains undefeated on the season, picking up a pair of wins over lesser competition this week, but could drop again as others around them win big games. They took care of Radford before a close game against Tennessee State on the weekend. The Volunteers will continue to ramp up the season on Monday when they face Radford at home. The run of lower-level opponents will continue on Friday when they host Tennessee State for a game. 11. Kansas (Last Week: 15) Kansas picked up a dominant win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, further raising their stock early this season. That was the only game on the schedule this week, with a big week ahead. The Jayhawks will now participate in the Players Era 8, starting the event with a game against UNLV on Tuesday. Other potential opponents include Florida or Houston in the championship game. 10. Texas Tech (Last Week: 16) Texas Tech picked up a massive win to separate itself from the competition this week, beating Illinois at home. They followed that up with a dominant win over Stonehill over the weekend to cement a move up the AP Poll Top 25. The Red Raiders will play just one game over the next week, facing LSU New Orleans on Wednesday. The home game will serve as the final preparation before a big slate the following week. 9. UCLA (Last Week: 9) UCLA continues a strong start to the season by picking up a dominant home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. That is the only game played over the past week, as they prepare for the slate ahead. The Bruins will get back in action with a run of three home games in the next seven days. They start against Long Beach State, then face Fullerton, finishing off the week with a game against Delaware. 8. Houston (Last Week: 8) Houston played just one game this week, using the additional time to prepare for a Multi-Team Event coming up. In the one home game, they put up a dominant effort against Jacksonville State. The Cougars will continue the season on Tuesday when they open the Players Era 8 in Las Vegas against Rutgers. Other potential opponents in the semifinals and championship include Florida and Kansas. 7. Texas (Last Week: 7) Texas continues its run through the non-conference schedule, hosting Grambling in a big win on Monday. They then moved to a neutral site to face Baylor in the San Antonio Hoops Showdown and came away with a win. The Longhorns will be back in action next week with a pair of games against lesser competition on the schedule at home. They start with Southern Utah on Thursday before hosting Southern Indiana on Sunday. 6. Virginia (Last Week: 6) Virginia played two more games as their quick start to the season continues, beating Bucknell at home on Tuesday. They then went on the road to face Maryland in a high-major matchup, walking away with a victory. The Cavaliers will continue next week with a pair of home games on the schedule. They will first host Old Dominion on Tuesday before facing off against Loyola-Maryland on Friday. 5. Illinois (Last Week: 3) Illinois suffered its first loss of the season, falling on the road against Texas Tech on Tuesday. They bounced back quickly with a dominant win over Sam Houston at home on Friday night. The Fighting Illini get another chance to impress against elite competition Tuesday when they travel on the road to face Duke. From there, they return home for a Friday matchup against Eastern Illinois. 4. Duke (Last Week: 2) Duke took its first loss on the season on a neutral floor against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. They then responded at home with a convincing win over SIU-Edwardsville at home on Friday night. The Blue Devils will get a second chance against elite competition on Tuesday when they host Illinois for a home game. That will be followed up by a neutral site meeting with Washington State on Saturday. 3. UConn (Last Week: 4) UConn picked up another pair of wins this week to boost its early resume with AP Poll voters. They started with a blowout home win over Wagner before taking down Ohio State in convincing fashion on their home floor on Friday. The Huskies will be back on the floor Wednesday for another big-time matchup, travelling on the road against Arizona. They will not play any other games before the next Top 25 release. 2. Michigan State (Last Week: 5) Michigan State picked up the best win of the college basketball season so far, taking down Duke in the Champions Classic on Tuesday. They followed up the performance with a home win against Northern Iowa. The Spartans continue the season with an appearance in the State Farm Champions Classic against Duke on Tuesday. After that, they will play a Friday home game against Northern Iowa. 1. Florida (Last Week: 1) Florida continued its strong start to the season Tuesday with a rivalry win on the road against Florida State. They then returned home for a Friday win over Merrimack in convincing fashion. The Gators will participate in the Players Era 8 starting on Tuesday with a game against Notre Dame in Las Vegas. From there, potential opponents in the semifinals and championship include Houston and Kansas. Projected to drop out: Kentucky (Last week: 24)