AP Top 25 College Basketball Analysis & Betting Opportunities

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The college basketball preseason top 25 was updated on Sunday after nearly a week’s worth of games, and there are some things that need to be questioned.

It is often brought to light that some of these voters don’t really watch many games and simply rely on other rankings to fill out their rankings. That is beginning to like more than a conspiracy theory.

Let’s take a look at the following analysis for your NCAAB bets.

Top 25 College Basketball Season 2022

The Top Five: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Houston, Kentucky, Kansas.

We might be splitting hairs here, but there really isn’t a case to be made that Kansas should be in front of Baylor.

The Jayhawks played nobody during the first week of the season, which is pretty typical for everyone, but at least Scott Drew played a team that made the tournament last season in Norfolk State.

In fact, Baylor is the team that eliminated Norfolk from the dance last season. It’s a minor issue, but it’s noteworthy.

The Next Five: Baylor, Duke, UCLA, Creighton, Arkansas

There are no real concerns here other than what has already been stated. It should be pointed out that this handful of teams will not be clumped together as the season progresses. Arkansas, Baylor, and UCLA are leagues better than the other two.

If Dariq Whitehead doesn’t come back this season, Duke may not have the horses to maintain a position in the top half of the 25. Dereck Lively has been nursing a calf injury, and it will be interesting to see how he is handled over the first couple of weeks of the season. If these two players return to full strength, Duke becomes a national championship contender.

Creighton needs a lot of players to develop into stars and be consistent at the same time. Trey Alexander’s stardom is considered a foregone conclusion at this point; now, all he has to do is live up to expectations. It’s highly unlikely that Ryan Kalkbrenner averages 16 points and eight rebounds all season, so the youngsters need to grow up quickly.

The Low Teens: Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, TCU, Auburn

Naturally, the Volunteers celebrated their top 12 ranking by inexcusably losing to Colorado on Sunday afternoon. You could claim that it was a Rick Barnes special where his team just didn’t show up, but it’s more than that.

That is a Tad Boyle classic as Colorado is coming off of a loss to lowly Grambling State only to defeat a top 15 team in a “semi-neutral” game that took place just down the road from Knoxville.

The other ridiculous part of this group is Texas Christian. What are the Horned (Frauds) Frogs even doing in the top 25 at this point? You cannot barely defeat two teams ranked outside of the Pomeroy top 350 (both games at home) and remain in the rankings ahead of the likes of Michigan State and/or Texas A&M.

TCU actually trailed Arkansas Pine-Bluff by four points with less than two minutes remaining. We ask you politely but firmly to leave; thank you.

The High Teens: Villanova, Arizona, Virginia, San Diego State, Alabama

There isn’t a whole lot of griping to do here apart from Villanova being behind the other four. The others are all undefeated, and Villanova lost to a team in Temple that they should have defeated.

That said, it was a road game against a regional rival when you are breaking in your brand-new head coach, so Villanova gets a pass.

Alabama has some serious star power on its side this season. Be sure to take advantage of lines and totals before the rest of the country catches up to the fact that despite massive losses, this team is still a force to be reckoned with.

The Last Five: Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Dayton, Texas Tech

Again, there is not a whole lot to complain about here, as four of the five teams are undefeated. Oregon’s loss to UC Irvine isn’t that shocking because, quite frankly, Oregon isn’t that good and will eventually play itself out of the rankings.

Given Michigan State’s performance against second-ranked Gonzaga, the Spartans should be in here ahead of the Ducks. It will happen eventually. Like novocaine, you just have to give it time.