2021 College Basketball Power Rankings Update Feb. 17th

As we edge ever closer to the end of the regular season in college basketball, we are not seeing a ton of movement in the national rankings. The teams at the top appear to be standing their ground, as we saw no change in the top 4 this past week. There was some jockeying for position that went on outside of the top 4, but no real big movers and shakers to speak of. As we do every week, we are going to take a look at the rankings and talk about what each of the teams have remaining in their regular season schedule. With that in mind, let’s get right to it so you can keep placing your bets against their College Basketball odds.

Updated Midweek NCAA Basketball Rankings

Gonzaga Bulldogs – I think it’s safe to say at this point that the Bulldogs are going to end the season with the #1 spot all locked up. Two more dominant wins for the Bulldogs last week saw them move to 20-0 on the season, and with two games remaining against teams that they have already beaten this season, they look destined to close out the regular season with an unbeaten record.
Baylor Bears – You need to go all the way back to February 2^nd to find the last time that the Baylor Bears played a game before the program was impacted by COVID. The current return date for this teams is now set at February 23^rd, at which time they will have 4 more games on their schedule, including a pair against ranked opposition.
Michigan Wolverines – After being forced to sit things out for 3 weeks, the Wolverines returned to action on Sunday with a 67-59 win over ranked Wisconsin. If they are able to stay healthy and close out the rest of the regular season, they will have 5 more games to play, including a pair of games against ranked opponents that could go a long way towards determining their final ranking.
Ohio State Buckeyes – Looking ahead to the remaining games on the schedule, we see that one of the biggest will come this Sunday, with the Buckeyes set to square off against Michigan at home. They have Penn State before that, as well as 3 more games to come, 2 of which are against ranked opponents, so certainly not an east run of games for Ohio State.
Illinois Fighting Illini – Illinois came into this week on a 5-game win streak that they extended to 6 with a win over the Northwestern Wildcats. That great little run of form has had the Fighting Illini creeping up the rankings and into the top 5, but with 6 games still to come, including a pair against ranked teams, they still have some work to do.
Houston Cougars – It wasn’t a big move up the rankings for the Cougars this week, who went from #8 to #6, but any positive move at this stage of the season is always a good thing. They have now had back-to-back games postponed, but they are scheduled to get back to action on Thursday night with the first of 4 games remaining on their schedule.
Virginia Cavaliers – The Cavaliers, who are 15-4 on the season, had best enjoy this lofty standing while they can, because they are likely to slip some spots in the next rankings. They started their week with an 81-60 hammering at the hands of the #16 ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Cavaliers now have 4 games remaining.