Power Rankings: The 4-team race for No. 1

Four teams had a legitimate case to be No. 1 in this week's Power Rankings.

Michigan took the top spot in last week's edition thanks to the Wolverines' overwhelming dominance at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, and Dusty May's team hasn't slowed since, winning two more games by a combined 69 points.

Arizona was our No. 1 team heading into Feast Week after the Wildcats went into Storrs and knocked off UConn in a true road game. At the time, they had the best résumé in the country featuring quality wins over UConn, Florida and UCLA. They've since added a win over Auburn.

Duke now has the best collection of wins of any unbeaten team with victories over Michigan State, Arkansas, Kansas, Florida and Texas -- only one of which came at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils are No. 1 in wins above bubble and ESPN's Strength of Record.

And finally, there's Iowa State, which landed potentially the most impressive win we'll see from any team this season, going to Purdue and knocking off the then-AP No. 1 Boilermakers by an astonishing 23 points. A win like that automatically gets the Cyclones into the mix.

We opted to keep Michigan on top given the strength of its dominance over the past few weeks. It doesn't look like there's a team in the country that could beat the Wolverines with the way they are playing.

1. Michigan Wolverines (9-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Michigan is on a run rarely seen in college basketball. The Wolverines rattled off four straight wins by at least 30 points, culminating in Saturday's 101-60 victory over Rutgers. They also became only the third Division I team in the past 25 seasons to win six straight games by at least 25 points with Tuesday's 89-61 win against Villanova, per ESPN Research, joining the 2018-19 Gonzaga and 2006-07 Florida squads. That Gonzaga team won its next game by 13, while Florida lost its next, so Michigan has a chance to set itself apart this Saturday in College Park.

Next seven days: at Maryland (Dec. 13)

2. Arizona Wildcats (8-0)

Previous ranking: 3

Freshman Brayden Burries is starting to hit his stride, looking more and more like the much-sought-after top-15 recruit he was coming out of high school. He struggled to start his career, scoring in single digits in four of his first five games while shooting 33.3% from the field and 29.4% from 3. But in his past three games, he's averaging 17.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 56.3% from the field. He went for 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting in Saturday's win over Auburn.

Next seven days: vs. Alabama in Birmingham (Dec. 13), vs. Abilene Christian (Dec. 16)

3. Duke Blue Devils (10-0)

Previous ranking: 5

Other than the sheer talent headlined by Cooper Flagg, the most impressive part about last season's Duke team was how elite the Blue Devils were on defense. Freshman-laden rosters don't typically adapt at that end of the floor as quickly, but Jon Scheyer once again has this season's team dialed in defensively. Through 10 games last season, the Blue Devils were first in adjusted defensive efficiency, eighth in effective field goal percentage defense and sixth in 2-point defense. Through 10 games this season, they are third in adjusted defensive efficiency, first in effective field goal percentage defense and second in 2-point defense.

Next seven days: vs. Lipscomb (Dec. 16)

4. Iowa State Cyclones (9-0)

Previous ranking: 7

There hasn't been a win this season more impressive than Iowa State's victory over Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers hadn't lost a nonconference game at home in more than six years -- and the Cyclones defeated them by 23 points. Milan Momcilovic's shotmaking en route to a 20-point performance garnered headlines, but Iowa State's defense is what was truly remarkable. The Cyclones held Purdue to its third-worst offensive performance since Braden Smith arrived in West Lafayette, forcing Smith to turn it over six times while stifling Fletcher Loyer (2-for-8) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (1-for-8). Killyan Toure's pressure defense on Smith was eye-opening.

Next seven days: vs. Iowa (Dec. 11), vs. Eastern Illinois (Dec. 14)

5. UConn Huskies (9-1)

Previous ranking: 4

There are few teams that can match UConn's depth, and Dan Hurley isn't afraid to turn to his bench in big games. Dayton transfer Malachi Smith is arguably the best backup point guard in the country. He finished with nine assists and one turnover in Tuesday's win over Florida and has totaled 31 assists to just six turnovers in five games against top-25 foes this season. Eric Reibe filled in admirably for Tarris Reed Jr., averaging 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in five games as a starter before Reed returned Tuesday. Jayden Ross is a defensive game changer. And five-star freshman Braylon Mullins is one of the sport's elite shooters.

UConn has a strong case for owning the best set of wins in the country with victories over BYU, Illinois, Kansas and Florida -- all of which came away from home. The Huskies' one loss to Arizona keeps them outside the debate for No. 1 for now, though.

Next seven days: vs. Texas (Dec. 12), vs. Butler (Dec. 16)

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UConn tops Florida at MSG in battle of last 2 champs

UConn wins a slugfest against Florida in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

6. Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1)

Previous ranking: 8

Gonzaga went back to its strengths to rebound from its blowout loss to Michigan at the Players Era, outscoring Kentucky in the paint 46-18 in last week's win over the Wildcats. Graham Ike had one of the best games of his career with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Braden Huff went for 20 points on 9-for-11 shooting. The Bulldogs' offense is heavily predicated on their bigs -- they lead the nation in paint points and 2-point attempts per game, per CBB Analytics, and are getting 60% of their points from inside the arc.

Next seven days: vs. UCLA in Seattle (Dec. 13), vs. Campbell (Dec. 17)

7. Purdue Boilermakers

Previous ranking: 2

We addressed the lows of Purdue's historic loss to Iowa State above. Well, entering halftime of Wednesday's game against Minnesota with only a one-possession lead, it looked as if the Boilermakers' struggles might continue. But Matt Painter's team opened the second half with 21 straight points amid a 29-2 run to rebound with a 28-point win over the Golden Gophers.

The recent play of 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen has been a highlight. He's scored in double figures four times in Purdue's past five games, finishing just short of a double-double against Texas Tech (eight rebounds) and Eastern Illinois (9) last month. He has been remarkably efficient, too, playing no more than 21 minutes in a game this season.

Next seven days: vs. Marquette (Dec. 13)

8. Michigan State Spartans (8-1)

Previous ranking: 6

Michigan State's undefeated season came to an end with Saturday's home loss to Duke. The Spartans have been able to dominate inside the arc against every opponent this season, crashing the offensive glass and limiting opponents in the paint. But against the Blue Devils, Michigan State shot just 29.5% on 2-pointers while making only 13 shots inside the arc to Duke's 12. The Spartans also had their worst offensive rebounding performance of the season.

There aren't many teams that can compete with them in the paint, though, and there won't be many games in which Jeremy Fears Jr. goes 0-for-10 from the field.

Next seven days: at Penn State (Dec. 13), vs. Toledo (Dec. 16)

9. BYU Cougars (8-1)

Previous ranking: 9

AJ Dybantsa had a true statement performance in Tuesday's Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, taking over the final 20 minutes against Clemson to lead BYU to its largest second-half comeback in program history. He scored 22 of his 28 points, grabbed 7 of his 9 rebounds and dished 5 of his 6 assists in the final frame. But the most eye-popping stat of the game? Dybantsa had more points and more assists than Clemson in the second half while going 7-for-11 to Clemson's 7-for-27 from the field.

Next seven days: vs. UC Riverside (Dec. 13), vs. Pacific (Dec. 16)

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BYU comes back from its largest 2nd-half deficit ever to win at the buzzer

Robert Wright III's shot somehow goes in, and BYU completes the largest second-half comeback in BYU history.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2)

Previous ranking: 10

If Jalil Bethea continues to play like he did in Sunday's win over UTSA, he adds yet another dimension to Alabama's offense. The former five-star recruit was considered one of the elite shotmakers in the 2024 high school class before an inconsistent freshman season at Miami in which he didn't carve out a rotation spot until the second half of the campaign. Then a preseason foot injury sidelined him for the first seven games, but in his second game back, he went for 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting from 3-point range against the Roadrunners.

Next seven days: vs. Arizona in Birmingham (Dec. 13), vs. South Florida (Dec. 17)

11. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-2)

Previous ranking: 14

Illinois is coming off the best week of its season, beating Tennessee by 13 in Nashville on Saturday before hitting the road and taking down Ohio State in a true road game Tuesday. Freshman wing Keaton Wagler broke out of his mini-slump with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against the Vols then 23 points and 5 assists against the Buckeyes, shooting 7-for-16 from 3 in the two games. He was an unheralded recruit out of high school but received rave reviews in the offseason -- and could be tracking as a potential one-and-done recruit given his positional size and shotmaking ability.

Next seven days: vs. Nebraska (Dec. 13)

12. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1)

Previous ranking: 11

Caleb Wilson has been one of this season's elite players, and with Henri Veesaar also playing at an extremely high level, Hubert Davis has perhaps the best low-post tandem in the country. Wilson is averaging 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds with six double-doubles in his past seven games. Meanwhile, Veesaar had 17 points and 10 boards against Kentucky then went for 18 points, 15 boards and 3 blocks against Georgetown. The Arizona transfer showed flashes down the stretch last season and has officially taken the next step in Chapel Hill.

Next seven days: vs. USC Upstate (Dec. 13), vs. East Tennessee State (Dec. 16)

13. Louisville Cardinals (8-1)

Previous ranking: 13

Louisville's awful 3-point shooting effort against Arkansas last week didn't cause any change in approach in the Cardinals' game against Indiana -- and Pat Kelsey's team was better for it. It went 13-for-31 from behind the arc against the Hoosiers after making just 21.6% of its attempts against the Razorbacks. Louisville is shooting 47-for-112 (42%) from 3 in its past three wins and now ranks second nationally with 12.7 made 3s per game. It's worth monitoring, however, that the Cardinals are making 10.5 per game at a 30.9% clip in four games against high-major opponents compared to 14.4 at a 39.8% clip in their other five contests.

Next seven days: vs. Memphis (Dec. 13), at Tennessee (Dec. 16)

14. Houston Cougars

Previous ranking: 12

Emanuel Sharp put together his best two-game stretch of the season this past week, going for 27 points and three assists against Florida State on 6-for-12 shooting from 3. The senior guard followed that with 23 points and three assists against Jackson State, including 21 points and five 3-pointers in the first half. Sharp struggled mightily in Houston's lone loss of the season (eight points against Tennessee) but has rebounded to the tune of 21.7 points per game in his past three.

Next seven days: vs. New Orleans (Dec. 13)

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Emanuel Sharp drills shot vs. Jackson State Tigers

Emanuel Sharp drills shot vs. Jackson State Tigers.

15. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-0)

Previous ranking: 15

Duke Miles has been one of the best transfer guards of the season, averaging career highs across the board at his fourth school. He put up 17.5 points at High Point two seasons ago, dropped to 9.4 per game last season with a step up in competition at Oklahoma and rediscovered his high-end scoring prowess with Vanderbilt. Miles is averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists through nine games, shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range while contributing 2.3 steals per game.

Next seven days: vs. Central Arkansas (Dec. 13), at Memphis (Dec. 17)

16. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-2)

Previous ranking: 16

Darius Acuff Jr. was the No. 1 point guard of the 2025 high school recruiting class and is starting to stake his claim for that same honor in this freshmen class. He has been playing fantastic basketball in recent weeks, starting with a 21-point, five-assist effort in the Thanksgiving loss to Duke. He went for 17 points and 10 assists against Louisville in a matchup against Mikel Brown Jr., then added 18 points and eight assists against Fresno State. Acuff turned the ball over just six times and shot 39% from 3-point range in those three contests.

Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech in Dallas (Dec. 13), vs. Queens (Dec. 16)

17. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Previous ranking: 23

Nebraska made its Power Rankings debut last week before a pivotal stretch featuring matchups against in-state rival Creighton and Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers won both by a combined 51 points and enjoy a five-spot boost as a result. Rienk Mast was once again the best player on the floor in both games, going for 20 points and five rebounds against the Bluejays then 17 points and 10 boards against the Badgers despite sitting the final 12 minutes of the latter game.

Next seven days: at Illinois (Dec. 13)

18. Kansas Jayhawks (7-3)

Previous ranking: 19

After a seven-game absence, Darryn Peterson made his long-awaited return from a hamstring injury in Sunday's rivalry game against Missouri. It didn't take the potential No. 1 pick very long to make his presence felt, opening the scoring with a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game. Peterson was aggressive out of the gates, taking 11 first-half shots (including seven 3-pointers) en route to 12 points and three rebounds before halftime. He played just six minutes in the second half as Kansas cruised to victory, adding five more points to finish with 17.

Next seven days: at NC State (Dec. 13), vs. Towson (Dec. 16)

19. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-2)

Previous ranking: 22

We're about to find out how good Texas Tech really is. The Red Raiders have lost their two most difficult games of the campaign: by 30 points to Purdue in the Bahamas and by four to Illinois on the road. Their best wins came against Wake Forest and LSU, and the jury is still out on both. But Grant McCasland's team faces Arkansas in Dallas on Saturday then heads to New York to face Duke next week. Christian Anderson's All-American push continues at pace; he's coming off a 27-point, 4-rebound, 8-assist performance against LSU on Sunday in which he went 5-for-9 from 3. He's up to 19.1 points and 7.0 assists (fifth in the country) and is making 43.1% of his 3-point shots.

Next seven days: vs. Arkansas in Dallas (Dec. 13), vs. Northern Colorado (Dec. 16)

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Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. LSU Tigers: Game Highlights

20. Auburn Tigers (7-3)

Previous ranking: 17

Auburn is already developing a unique résumé. The Tigers own double-digit wins over St. John's and NC State, as well as a one-point loss to Houston. Meanwhile, they have lost to Michigan and Arizona by a combined 59 points -- and have Purdue in Indianapolis next weekend. It's still hard to truly gauge just how good this team is, but it's clear that improvement needs to happen on the defensive end. The Tigers have already allowed seven opponents to hit the one point per possession threshold; the seventh opponent to hit that mark against Auburn last season was South Carolina on Jan. 11.

Next seven days: vs. Chattanooga in Atlanta (Dec. 13)

21. Tennessee Volunteers (7-3)

Previous ranking: 20

What has happened to Tennessee since it upset Houston in Las Vegas? The Volunteers have lost three games in a row, including Saturday's 13-point defeat by Illinois in Nashville. The schedule doesn't get much easier, either, with Louisville coming to town next week. The Volunteers' defense has really struggled over the past couple weeks -- three of their past four opponents have scored at least 1.17 points per possession. They had allowed only one nonconference opponent to do that in the past seven seasons.

Next seven days: vs. Louisville (Dec. 16)

22. Virginia Cavaliers (9-1)

Previous ranking: Unranked

It's clear to see these are no longer Tony Bennett's Cavaliers. They aren't flying up and down the floor by any stretch, even though they are averaging about eight more possessions than Bennett's teams did. Ryan Odom's Cavs are fourth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage after finishing 350th last season and have a top-75 3-point attempt rate, which the program achieved only twice in 15 years under Bennett. It's not totally foreign to what a Bennett team would look like, though -- freshman guard Chance Mallory, who committed to the Cavaliers under Bennett and recommitted under Odom, has been one of the best first-year players in the ACC this season.

Next seven days: No games

23. USC Trojans (9-1)

Previous ranking: 18

USC suffered its first loss Saturday, falling to Washington at home after blowing an 18-point second-half lead. The Trojans bounced back with a win over San Diego on Tuesday, though, as Chad Baker-Mazara continued his terrific scoring run -- he's scored at least 20 points in four straight games, including 31 against the Toreros. One potential silver lining with the recent injuries to Rodney Rice and Amarion Dickerson is that Eric Musselman has been able to experiment with different lineup combinations. Freshman Jerry Easter II has started the past four games, while senior Ryan Cornish had his first start Tuesday.

Next seven days: vs. Washington State (Dec. 14), vs. UTSA (Dec. 17)

24. Florida Gators (5-4)

Previous ranking: 21

After Tuesday's narrow loss to UConn, Todd Golden said that the Gators are "through the toughest part of [their] schedule." Given it's not even mid-December and they haven't played an SEC game yet, it sounded like a stretch -- but he might not be wrong. The defending champions have already played top-five teams Arizona, Duke and UConn, losing all three games by a combined 11 points. Their fourth loss also came away from home. While they have already matched their loss total from last season, the Gators are still a legitimate threat to be the best team in the SEC over the next few months. And that's why, despite a 5-4 record, they're still in these rankings.

Next seven days: vs. George Washington in Sunrise, Florida (Dec. 13), vs. Saint Francis (Dec. 17)

25. St. John's Red Storm (5-3)

Previous ranking: 25

One of the biggest issues St. John's faced last season was its lack of consistent 3-point shooting. The Red Storm ranked No. 340 in 3-point percentage, No. 342 in 3-point attempt rate and No. 352 in percentage of points from 3-pointers. A portal class that included four players who made 35% or better on four or more attempts per game was expected to rectify that problem. And while the shooting percentage is better (33% after 30.1% last season), it's still not a consistent enough piece of the Red Storm's attack. They went 4-for-22 against Ole Miss, 7-for-25 against Auburn, 7-for-20 against Iowa State and 6-for-17 against Alabama. The Johnnies are still overly reliant on offensive rebounding and getting to the free throw line, which is fine, but the personnel is there to be a more well-rounded outfit.

Next seven days: vs. Iona (Dec. 13), vs. DePaul (Dec. 16)

Dropped out: TCU Horned Frogs (No. 24)