Buffaloes unranked in latest AP Top 25

Despite ripping off four consecutive Pac-12 wins, including three quality wins in the last week, the Colorado Buffaloes remain unranked in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll.

The Buffs are unofficially 27th in the poll. They received 158 votes, which is 24 fewer votes than 25th ranked Saint Louis, who have not played a game since December 23rd due to their halting of basketball operations.

There are so many teams on stoppage at the moment, there have been few games actually played, and therefore few opportunities for teams to fall from the rankings. This past week featured only 22 total games with a ranked team involved, which is obviously a fraction of what would happen in a normal season.

None of this really matters, thankfully. The Buffs are up to 7th in the latest NET rankings, which are used to seed teams in the NCAA Tournament. Colorado wouldn’t be a 2-seed — more likely a 5- or 6-seed — but it speaks volumes that they’re 11-3 with all three losses coming on the road against teams in the top-30 of NET.

The Buffs are also stacking up quality wins. According to KenPom.com, where CU is the 13th ranked team nationally, they have two A-tier wins (@ USC, vs. Oregon) and two B-tier wins (@ Utah, vs. Stanford). More importantly, the numbers give the Buffs a 60% or higher win probably in 11 of their remaining 12 games, the exception being a 50/50 game at Oregon.

Based on both the advanced stats and the eye test, there’s a strong chance Colorado contends for the Pac-12 title and a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They have to avoid a rough patch like the one that ended their 2019-20 season, but this team looks tougher than ever before.