How college basketball power rankings compare to polls for week of December 12

A new week of college basketball brings us a new set of polls today as we cruise through the month of December. At 10-0, Purdue is the new No. 1 team in the land in both the AP and Coaches poll with Virginia and UConn following right behind them.

Starting this week, we’ll take a look both NET and KenPom power rankings to analyze which teams the pollsters may be overlooking and which ones they may be putting too much stock into.

Underrated

West Virginia did not crack either the AP or Coaches polls this week despite its numbers suggesting that it is very much a Top 25 team. The Mountaineers are 8-2 on the season while being ranked No. 8 in NET and No. 23 in KenPom heading into this week. Their only blemishes on their resume are a pair of Quad 1 losses to Purdue and Xavier, but have rolled everyone else on their schedule by double digits points. Rank WVU people.

No. 17 Mississippi State could probably be a little bit higher considering that it is 2-0 in Quad 1 games and boasts a perfect 9-0 record heading into the new week. Meanwhile, mid-majors like Florida Atlantic, Utah State, and Saint Mary’s were left out of the both polls entirely despite putting together resumes that have landed them in the Top 20 in NET. Saint Mary’s stumbled a bit with a three-game losing streak following Thanksgiving, but they’re still No. 16 in NET and No. 21 in KenPom. Don’t sleep on the Gaels.

Overrated

Virginia gets the respect for 8-0 at No. 2 and are a combined 4-0 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 contests. However, the power rankings suggest that the Cavaliers shouldn’t be this high with them being ranked No. 9 in both metrics. The Hoos beat a horrendous Florida State team by only five points just over a week ago and edged James Madison by five last Tuesday. Yes, that’s just standard operating procedure when it comes to Tony Bennett basketball, but a No. 2 ranking should warrant more impressive victories.

Other programs whose spot in the polls slightly exceeds their spot in the power rankings include No. 9 Arizona, No. 11 Baylor, and No. 21 TCU. The Horned Frogs don’t even crack the Top 40 in NET or KenPom and a nice win over Iowa is almost negated by a horrendous loss to Northwestern State.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 in the AP Poll, NET and KenPom as of December 12: