(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Although there was not an immense amount of shakeup within the top five (only Wichita State, ranked third, lost this past week), there were still plenty of intriguing upsets that noticeably altered the bottom of the rankings. Most notably, the well-disciplined Pirates fell eight spots from 15th to 23rd after losing to an unranked Rutgers program. Similarly, the Wichita State Shockers were overwhelmed by a then-unranked Oklahoma Sooners program that was relentless at shooting the basketball from start to finish.
Top 25 College Basketball Rankings 2017: Week 7
While the red-hot Sun Devils only jumped from fifth to third in the rankings, their gutsy, defensive victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores was noteworthy for a team whose success has largely been predicated on an accurate and efficient offense. In terms of unranked teams that emphatically forced their way into the top-25, the Oklahoma Sooners proved that their style of shoot first and ask questions later is more than enough to overcome some of the top teams in college basketball. While the Sooners will need to improve on defense to hold a coveted place in the top-25, their high-octane offense should be able to carry them for the foreseeable future until they can establish a much more well-rounded competitive identity.
| Ranking | Team (1st place votes) |
| 1 | Villanova (45) |
| 2 | Michigan State (15) |
| 3 | Arizona State (5) |
| 4 | Duke |
| 5 | North Carolina |
| 6 | Miami |
| 7 | Kentucky |
| 8 | Texas A&M |
| 9 | Xavier |
| 10 | West Virginia |
| 11 | Wichita State |
| 12 | Gonzaga |
| 13 | Virginia |
| 14 | Kansas |
| 15 | TCU |
| 16 | Purdue |
| 17 | Oklahoma |
| 18 | Arizona |
| 19 | Baylor |
| 20 | Cincinnati |
| 21 | Tennessee |
| 21 | Texas Tech |
| 23 | Seton Hall |
| 23 | Florida State |
| 25 | Creighton |
As the fearless Sun Devils continue to rise upwards in the rankings, those who have doubted Arizona State’s competitive legitimacy have been quickly shamed for their disbelief. This is the Sun Devils first time being ranked third in the country since 1981, a notable milestone that could be outdone in the coming weeks if this program continues to perform this well consistently.
Dropped from rankings: Notre Dame 18, Florida 22
Others receiving votes that did not make the poll: Arkansas 83, Notre Dame 73, Clemson 35, Louisville 28, Texas 21, Nevada 13, Oklahoma State 9, Minnesota 9, SMU 5, Alabama 5, Auburn 4, Virginia Tech 3, Rhode Island 2, Syracuse 2, Florida 2, Towson 1, Michigan 1
