By Kyle Beery | 97.1 The Ticket
With Baylor leapfrogging Gonzaga for the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, this season has seen seven different teams atop the poll -- tied for the most in a single season (1983-84). Though the Zags haven't lost in nearly two months, voters used their West Coast Conference affiliation against them and bumped the Bears -- who own the a 15-1 record and a recent win at Kansas -- to the top line.
Now we're all wondering if and when an eighth different team will ascend to the top of the poll.
But it's not just the top spot that's been topsy-turvy all season long. There have been 81 upsets -- not necessarily by Las Vegas betting standards; simply a ranked team falling to a lower-ranked or unranked opponent -- this season, with 34 of those coming in the first three weeks of January. As a matter of fact, 16 of them happened in the last week.
It's very possible our two local Big Ten teams add to that number this coming week, but in different ways. With Michigan dropping out of the AP Top 25 after losing three of its last four, the Wolverines will be looking to climb back into the ranks with a pair of tough games, while No. 11 Michigan State will have the target on its back with two Big Ten road tests.
There are also several games on the national stage that could produce upsets this week.
Here's a rundown of the best games to watch this week in college basketball.
Local games
Wednesday Jan. 22
Penn State @ Michigan -- 7 p.m., BTN
The Wolverines are trying to get out of a funk that has seen them allow centers score at least 30 points in each of their last three games (and Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston eclpise that mark in the game before that). The Nittany Lions have dropped from the rankings after losing three in a row, but rebounded over the weekend with an impressive win over Ohio State.
Penn State's Lamar Stevens is a bona fide Big Ten Player of the Year candidate and this matchup is one of the best under-the-radar games of the week.
Thursday, Jan. 23
No. 11 Michigan State @ Indiana -- 8:30 p.m., FS1
The Spartans rebounded from an ugly loss at Purdue with a win over Wisconsin last Friday and now embark on a tough road trip. Big Ten road teams are just 7-42 in conference play and the Spartans will have their hands full inside Assembly Hall on Thursday.
Can MSU come away with its second conference road win?
Saturday, Jan. 25
No. 21 Illinois @ Michigan -- noon, FS1
After a bit of a slow start to the season, the Illini are starting to hit their stride. They enter the week at 5-2 in conference play, tied for second with Rutgers. (Yes, that sentence is a microcosm of how wacky this college basketball season has been.)
Kofi Cockburn could be another candidate to have a big game against the Wolverines. He went for 19 points and 10 rebounds against Michigan when the Illini beat the Wolverines in Champaign back in December.
Sunday, Jan. 26
No. 11 Michigan State @ Minnesota -- 3 p.m., FOX
Just ask Michigan -- going to the Barn and winning is no easy task. The Gophers own home wins over then-No. 3 Ohio State and then-No. 19 Michigan. Daniel Oturu and Gabe Kalscheur are one of the tougher inside-out duos in the conference, but when they're clicking, so too are Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman. Which duo will prevail on the national stage -- it's the first Sunday without NFL football since early September, and this game will be in the spotlight.
National games
Monday, Jan. 20
Oklahoma @ No. 1 Baylor -- 9 p.m., ESPN
The newly minted top team in the country may have just been annointed that position, but the Bears have been playing like it for weeks. They have one of the best defenses in the country and a more than capable offense. The only question is, can they get through a classic "trap game" against a solid OU team that is fighting for an NCAA Tournament spot before traveling to face a resurgent Florida team this weekend?
Tuesday, Jan. 21
No. 13 Butler @ No. 9 Villanova -- 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Bulldogs were one of three top-five teams to lose two games last week -- at home against a Seton Hall team that's now in the top 10 and at DePaul, who is likely headed to the Big Dance come march. Butler's offense has gone dormant and teams have started to crack their defense in recent weeks. They'll need to find a way to turn it around if they want to knock off the Wildcats, who are suddenly playing like the top-10 team we all expected them to be in the preseason
Georgia @ No. 15 Kentucky -- 7 p.m., ESPN
Anthony Edwards is a top-5 NBA prospect. Can he lead the Bulldogs into Rupp Arena and deliver a much-needed win to their deteriorating NCAA Tournament hopes? It's possible. Kentucky just lost at South Carolina last week and was on the ropes at Arkansas before John Calipari's second-half ejection sparked a dominant rally late in the game.
Thursday, Jan. 23
USC @ No. 12 Oregon -- 11 p.m., ESPNU
"Pac 12 After Dark" could give us yet another upset on Thursday. The Trojans are quietly sitting atop the conference standings (4-1) and are 15-3 overall. But nobody's talking about them. This could be their first chance to nab a win against a ranked team -- a Payton Pritchard-led Ducks team that is capable of reaching the Final Four -- and bring their resume to life.
Saturday, Jan. 25
Tennessee @ No. 3 Kansas -- 4 p.m., ESPN
The Big 12/SEC Challenge is a wonderful little hiatus from conference play, and there's no shortage of great matchups this year. The Volunteers have been on-and-off the national radar throughout the season and are currently trying to climb back into the spotlight. A win at the Phog would do just that, but the Jayhawks, aside from a loss to Baylor, are finding another gear on both ends of the floor. They're the top-rated defense at KenPom and are 11th in offense.
Considering the rash of top-five upsets sweeping the nation, don't be surprised if Rick Barnes' team finds a way to pull one off in Lawrence.
No. 15 Kentucky @ No. 18 Texas Tech -- 6 p.m., ESPN
The lone ranked-vs.-ranked matchup of the challenge is a doozy. The national runners-up lost a ton from last year's team, but Chris Beard has found a way to make it work with a core of Jahmi'us Ramsey and Davide Moretti leading the way from the 3-point line. This game has been on the radar since the beginning of the season, but many expected it to be a top-10 matchup. While both teams have taken their lumps along the way, it's still one of the best games of the week.
No. 1 Baylor @ Florida -- 8 p.m., ESPN
Florida went from preseason Final Four contender to out of the Top 25 by December. Though a loss to Missouri earlier this month is an eyesore on their resume, the Gators are coming back around. And they made that abundantly clear by dominating then-No. 4 Auburn at the O'Dome on Saturday. That building will be rocking with the No. 1 team in town, and a Florida win might rejuvenate talks of making a run in March.
