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Colorado Buffaloes ranked 18th in AP Poll

The Buffs dropped just two spots after splitting the Oregon trip.

By Sam Metivier
Colorado v Oregon State Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images

The Colorado Buffaloes were not able to sweep the Oregon trip, but a split is just fine in the eye of media voters and the selection committee. The Buffs dropped just two spots in the poll, coming in at #18 in the latest AP Top 25.

Colorado improved to 20-6 over the weekend, the 11th time in program history they have reached 20 wins, 7 of which have been with Tad Boyle as head coach. They remain tied with Oregon for first place in the Pac-12 with a 9-4 conference record.

Colorado didn’t fall much in the poll because (1) a close loss at Oregon shouldn’t be punished and (2) all but one team (#23 Creighton) between #18 and #25 lost this past week, so there was no one to jump ahead of the Buffs. Oregon, meanwhile, moved up to #14 and Arizona climbed back into the poll at #24.

Aside from the usual Top 25, the Buffs are in stellar position in the NET ratings, which is a measuring tool used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Buffs are ranked 11th in the rating system. If they win at least four of five down the stretch, they should be at least a 5-seed in March, not to mention that they would likely split (or win outright) the Pac-12 title.

The Buffs are also now up to 16th in the KenPom ratings. They jumped all the way from #25 to #12 in defensive efficiency after holding Oregon State to just 34% effective shooting. (Not to take a cheap shot at Daylen Kountz, but his effective shooting this season is 35%, for comparison.) With an elite defense and the highest rated offense during Pac-12 play, this is a team that can make a run.

The full Top 25 goes as follows:

  1. Baylor Bears
  2. Gonzaga Bulldogs
  3. Kansas Jayhawks
  4. San Diego State Aztecs
  5. Dayton Flyers
  6. Duke Blue Devils
  7. Maryland Terrapins
  8. Florida State Seminoles
  9. Penn State Nittany Lions
  10. Kentucky Wildcats
  11. Louisville Cardinals
  12. Villanova Wildcats
  13. Auburn Tigers
  14. Oregon Ducks
  15. Creighton Blue Jays
  16. Seton Hall Pirates
  17. West Virginia Mountaineers
  18. Colorado Buffaloes
  19. Marquette Golden Eagles
  20. Iowa Hawkeyes
  21. Butler Bulldogs
  22. Houston Cougars
  23. BYU Cougars
  24. Arizona Wildcats
  25. Ohio State Buckeyes

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