No games played Thursday had any impact on the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. So there are no changes in Friday morning’s Top 25 And 1, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 16th consecutive day. But there is one neutral-court game scheduled for Friday night that could shake things up — specifically the non-league showdown between Gonzaga and Kentucky that’ll be played inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Gonzaga is No. 9 in the Top 25 And 1. Kentucky is No. 24.
Tip is scheduled for 7 ET.
Gonzaga is listed as a 4.5-point favorite despite the fact that the last time any of us saw the Zags, Michigan was beating them 101-61 in the championship game of the Players Era Festival. No idea if it’s unprecedented, but this has to be one of the few times in college basketball history that a team is favored over a ranked opponent immediately following a 40-point loss.
And yet it’s probably a bigger game for UK.
The Wildcats are believed to be college basketball’s most-expensive team ever, with a roster estimated to have cost around $22 million. So far, Kentucky has gotten a poor return on its investment. Two of the Wildcats’ high-priced players, Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaiantance, remain sidelined, reportedly because of injuries. And the other high-priced dudes who are playing mostly aren’t playing well, evidence being a 5-3 record featuring zero wins over teams in the top 200 at BartTorvik.com — and losses to Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina.
Is it time to panic in Lexington?
No, I don’t think so. But this super-expensive team that was picked to win the SEC in the preseason is now projected to finish tied for fourth in the conference, according to KenPom.com. That’s obviously not good. So it’ll be interesting to see if the Wildcats can turn things around by upsetting Gonzaga 213 miles away from Rupp Arena.
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