RADIO
Welcome back, hoop fans! As another electrifying week of college basketball wraps up, it's time to shake up the power rankings. A handful of top-ranked teams fell this week, but some underrated teams also came away with huge victories, which has rattled these power rankings. My power rankings are updated and listed here at RotoBaller and updated weekly!
Unlike traditional polls, these rankings will also show similarities and differences between teams, breaking down not only team wins but crucial losses as well. This past week included wild finishes, upsets, and strong victories.
Let's break it down, team by team, and see who's falling and rising in this week's power rankings.
(25) New Mexico (18-4) ⇓1
Last week: W 89-55 vs. Nevada and L 86-78 vs. Boise State
New Mexico State drops just one spot this week after the dominating win against Nevada, but then losing to Boise State by eight points over the weekend. The Lobos currently sit third in the Mountain West and are led by senior guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., who is averaging 15.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season.
We've got the weekend off so enjoy these highlights from @Donovandent1's career-best 31 point game! pic.twitter.com/ZAdJG7rSBL
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) February 2, 2024
(24) Oklahoma (16-6) ⇓5
Last week: W 73-53 at Kansas State and L 74-63 at UCF
Leaving the Sooners still ranked may be a little generous, but this team is much better than how they have been playing recently. Oklahoma has struggled to create a win streak in January as they have now lost three of their last four games. If Oklahoma wants to remain ranked, they must walk away with two wins this week against ranked BYU and Oklahoma State.
(23) Ole Miss (18-4) ⇑2
Last week: W 86-82 vs. Mississippi State and L 91-77 vs. Auburn
Despite going 1-1 last week, Ole Miss is bumped up two spots due to their win against Mississippi State and due to other teams losing to weaker competition this past week. Ole Miss has just four losses this year but has lost three of their last six games. The Rebels are led by Matthew Murrell, who is averaging 16.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.
(22) Florida Atlantic (18-4)*
Last week: W 66-63 vs. North Texas and W 102-70 vs. Tulsa
A new but familiar addition to the rankings this week, Florida Atlantic sits at 22nd after securing two more conference victories against North Texas and Tulsa this past week. FAU has won seven straight games and sits first in the American conference.
He just continues to impress 🔥🔥#WinningInParadise pic.twitter.com/3LbTt8nyEc
— No. 20 Florida Atlantic Men's Basketball (@FAUMBB) February 4, 2024
(21) BYU (16-5) ⇓1
Last week: W 86-73 at West Virginia
BYU saw just one game this week where they could take down West Virginia comfortably. Every game in the Big 12 will always be challenging; even though they played just one game, this was good for BYU to have under their belt. Despite having a 16-5 record, BYU is just seventh in the conference. The team is led by Jaxson Robinson, who is averaging 13.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season.
(20) Utah State (19-3) ⇓3
Last week: W 82-61 vs. San Jose State and L 81-67 at San Diego State
The Aggies saw a problematic matchup this past weekend, resulting in their third loss of the season against a tough San Diego State team. Utah State also grabbed a monster win earlier in the week against San Jose State. The team is led by Great Osobor, who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this season.
(19) Texas Tech (16-5) ⇓5
Last week: L 85-78 at TCU and L 75-72 vs. Cincinnati
Texas Tech may have been ranked too high last week as we saw them lose to TCU and Cincinnati this past week. Even though the team lost both games this week, their previous conference success shouldn’t go unrecognized. However, going 0-2 this week ultimately drops them five spots.
(18) Alabama (16-6) ⇑3
Last week: W 85-76 at Georgia and W 99-67 vs. Mississippi State
Having won against Georgia and Mississippi moves the Crimson Tide up three spots this week. Alabama stands first in the SEC standings but has six losses on the season, which shows that they are either a little inconsistent or just had a slow beginning. Mark Sears is one of the league's best guards and should be viewed as such by all, as he is currently averaging 20.1 points and 3.9 assists per game this season.
The Freshman was in a groove last night!#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/8z44USS0sD
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 4, 2024
(17) Creighton (16-6) ⇓1
Last week: L 99-98 vs. Butler
The Bluejays surprisingly lost their lone game this past week to unranked Butler. This shouldn’t be a loss that hurts Creighton too much, but going 0-1 this week does drop them one spot on this week’s rankings. The team is led by Baylor Scheierman, who is averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year.
(16) Iowa State (16-5) ⇑2
Last week: L 70-68 at Baylor
The Cyclones lost their lone conference game this week to Baylor in a close matchup. Iowa State has struggled this season from the three-point line, which draws concern when they play against teams who can shoot 52.2 percent from the three-point line like Baylor did against the Cyclones.
(15) South Carolina (19-3) ⇑10
Last week: W 63-59 at Tennessee and W 72-72 at Georgia
The largest jump this week comes from South Carolina after they take down both Tennessee and Georgia on the road, which stretches their winning streak to five games, including wins over two top-10 teams. This may be an aggressive leap for the Gamecocks, but this team needs to be considered one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC.
Sundays? They're 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜. #Gamecocks🐔🏀 // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/fTBPvxZw86
— Gamecock Men's Basketball (@GamecockMBB) February 4, 2024
(14) Baylor (16-5) ⇑1
Last week: W 77-69 at UCF and W 70-68 vs. Iowa State
Baylor ended their three-game losing streak by capturing a win at UCF and against Iowa State this week. This team has shown sparks of greatness this season but lacks a true identity, which Baylor seems to have always had in the past. Winning both games this week lands them here.
(13) Illinois (17-5) ⇔
Last week: W 87-75 at Ohio State and W 87-84 vs. Nebraska
The Fighting Illini are on a three-game winning streak after defeating Ohio State and Nebraska this past week. Illinois has proven to be one of the nation’s best and currently sits second in the Big 10 standings. With the return of Terrence Shannon Jr., this team can take down anyone in their conference.
(12) Auburn (18-4) ⇔
Last week: W 81-54 vs. Vanderbilt and W 91-77 at Ole Miss
Auburn was able to win both conference games this week, including a massive second-half performance in the road contest against Ole Miss. Both of these wins were huge for their conference standings after they lost both of their games last week. Auburn is led by junior forward Johni Broome, who is averaging 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.
(11) Kentucky (15-6) ⇓5
Last week: L 94-91 vs. Florida and L 103-92 vs. Tennessee
This was an unfortunate week for the Wildcats as they lost both of their home games against two very good SEC teams. Losing both these games places Kentucky fifth in the SEC and moves down five slots in this week's rankings. The Wildcats currently have all five starters averaging double-digit points and are led by senior Antonio Reeves, who averages 19.5 points and 4.2 rebounds.
(10) Marquette (17-5) ⇑1
Last week: W 85-80 at Villanova and W 91-57 at Georgetown
Two road victories this week for Marquette, including escaping an almost comeback from Villanova as the Golden Eagles won by five points despite being up nearly 20 points early in the first half. Marquette is led by senior guard Tyler Kolek, averaging 15.1 points and 7.2 assists this season.
.@realdavidjoplin grabbed one offensive rebound in Saturday’s win over Georgetown!
Check out the Second Chance Play of the Game ⬇️#MUBB | #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/Znjy6ATmhy
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) February 4, 2024
(9) Wisconsin (16-6) ⇓1
Last week: L 80-72 at Nebraska and L 75-69 vs. Purdue
Wisconsin may have been a little overhyped coming into this past week, and we saw just how unpredictable they can be after losing both of their conference games this week, including a loss to unranked Nebraska. Losing both games this week drops them one spot.
(8) Duke (16-5) ⇑1
Last week: W 77-67 at Virginia Tech and L 93-84 at North Carolina
The Blue Devils moved up one spot this week despite going 1-1 due to their double-digit road win against Virginia Tech and due to other teams suffering worse losses. Duke couldn't walk away with the win in Chapel Hill, but still looked like a top-tier team as they shot 50.7 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. Kyle Filipowski leads Duke with 17.7 points per game this season.
(7) Arizona (17-5) ⇑3
Last week: W 91-65 vs. California and W 82-71 vs. Stanford
Arizona went 2-0 this week by shooting over 47 percent from the field in both wins. Unsurprisingly, the Wildcats are one of the nation’s best in offensive production, leading to a three-game winning streak after losing five of their last 11 games. Arizona will look to continue to shoot lights out as they face two road opponents this week.
🎥 Roll the highlights from win No. 12 in McKale this season!pic.twitter.com/t9w7NdIKi3
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 5, 2024
(6) Houston (19-3) ⇓2
Last week: W 76-72 at Texas and L 78-65 at Kansas
Houston escaped a close win on the road against Texas but was unable to take down Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. This was a significant loss for Houston in the Big 12 conference standings as they now hold a share of it with the Jayhawks after being the clear front runners.
Junior Ja'Vier Francis had to exit the game early after he suffered a hip injury in the first half of play. This could be a significant loss for the Cougars if he were to miss some time, as the forward has been a big contributor on the boards this year. He is currently averaging 5.3 rebounds per game this season. Due to the gruesome loss this week, Houston ranks sixth.
(5) Tennessee (16-5) ⇔
Last week: L 63-59 vs. South Carolina and W 103-92 at Kentucky
The Volunteers had a surprising home loss to a very underrated South Carolina team, but recovered and secured an impressive double-digit win against Kentucky. Dalton Knecht has become must-watch television and should be considered one of the best players in the country. Knecht is averaging 19.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. Despite going 1-1 this week, Tennessee has no movement and remains a top-five team.
(4) Kansas (18-4) ⇑3
Last week: W 83-54 vs. Oklahoma State and W 78-65 vs. Houston
Kansas has added Houston to their already strong resume as the Jayhawks caught fire offensively against one of the nation's best defensive teams. Kansas has now taken down UConn, Tennessee, Houston, and Kentucky this season. The Jayhawks have been perfect at home this year, but road games have continued to be where Kansas has struggled. The breakout of freshman forward Johnny Furphy has been one of the key reasons this team has looked much better compared to the start of the season. Furphy has now scored double-digits in his last six games.
ICYMI: Johnny one hand SLAM 👀 pic.twitter.com/aZuz6haTMs
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) February 4, 2024
(3) North Carolina (18-4) ⇓1
Last week: L 74-73 at Georgia Tech and W 93-84 vs. Duke
North Carolina fell one spot this week due to the loss earlier in the week against unranked Georgia Tech, but recovered nicely after defeating their historical rival, Duke. The Tar Heels still stand on top of the ACC standings but have a demanding schedule, including road games against Miami, Syracuse, Virginia, and Duke. However, there should be little reason to start getting nervous as a North Carolina fan, as the loss this past week was just their first in the last 11 games.
(2) Purdue (21-2) ⇑1
Last week: W 105-96 vs. Northwestern and W 75-69 at Wisconsin
Purdue moves up one spot this week after securing revenge on Northwestern after losing to them earlier this season and then capturing a win against a top-ranked Wisconsin team on the road. Zach Edey continues to showcase himself as one of the nation's more dominant centers and is currently averaging 23.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game this season.
(1) UConn (20-2) ⇔
Last week: W 74-65 vs. Providence and W 77-64 at St. John’s
UConn remains at the top of my list this week as this team continues to win and show dominance at home and on the road against tough, non-ranked opponents. The Huskies currently sit on top of the Big East with just three ranked opponents remaining in their schedule. Guards Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer lead the team in scoring with over 15 points per game.
Steph takes home his 5th @BIGEAST Freshman of the Week in 6 weeks, Tristen gets another Honor Roll nod 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Gffxo14x1P
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 5, 2024
Others Receiving Votes
- TCU
- Saint Mary’s
- Memphis
- Indiana State
- Texas
Stay tuned for the college basketball rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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