RADIO
Welcome back, hoop fans! As another electrifying week of college basketball wraps up, it's time to shake up the power rankings. This week had a handful of top-ranked teams fall, which will tweak the rankings accordingly. My power rankings are updated and listed here at RotoBaller and updated weekly!
This is also going to show similarities and differences compared to traditional polls because I will break 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 (16-3) *
Last week: W 99-86 vs Utah State and W 85-66 at Air Force
The Lobos are a new addition to my rankings this week and the team went 2-0 this week including a win against No. 16 ranked Utah State. New Mexico has lost just three games this season including losses against Saint Mary's, Colorado State and UNLV. The team is led by Jamal Mashburn Jr. who is averaging 15.7 points per game this year.
(24) Ole Miss (15-3) ⇓6
Last week: L 89-80 at LSU and L 82-59 at Auburn
The Rebels lost both road games this week against unranked LSU and No. 13-ranked Auburn. Despite losing both games, Chris Beard and crew are among the more underrated teams in the SEC. Losing both conference games this week after starting 15-1 results in them dropping six spots.
(23) Iowa State (14-4) ⇑2
Last week: L 87-72 at BYU and W 73-72 at TCU
The Cyclones split both conference games this week including a road loss against BYU, but responded with a road win against No. 25 Texas Tech. Iowa State has three of their five starting players averaging double-digits this season including Tamin Lipsey who is averaging 14.5 points per game and was absent during the win against TCU.
(22) Alabama (12-6) ⇑2
Last week: W 93-75 vs Missouri and L 91-71 at Tennessee
Winning against Missouri and falling to Tennessee moves Alabama up two spots this week. The Crimson Tide currently sit second in the SEC standings but have six losses on the season. Alabama is still looking for their first win against a ranked opponent, but Mark Sears is one of the league's best guards and should be viewed by all -- currently averaging 19.8 points and 3.6 assists per game this season.
(21) Dayton (15-2) *
Last week: W 70-65 vs Saint Louis and W 96-62 Rhode Island
Dayton is a new addition to my rankings this week after winning both conference games this week which improves their record to 15-2 on the year. The Flyers have strong wins against Cincinnati and SMU, but has yet to win against a ranked team this year. With an easy end to the schedule, Dayton could be a team that we see continue to rise as long as they don't suffer a loss to a poor opponent. Stretching the win streak to 12 games lands them here.
(20) BYU (14-4) ⇔
Last week: W 87-72 vs Iowa State and L 85-78 at Texas Tech
BYU went 1-1 this week, including a win over the red-hot Iowa State Cyclones which has improved their record to 14-4. Unfortunately, BYU has lost three of their last five games which leaves me concerned about how high this team will end when conference play is completed, but I still see the Cougars as a top-25 team in the country.
(19) Texas Tech (15-3) ⇑4
Last week: L 77-54 at Houston and W 85-78 vs BYU
Texas Tech has improved its record to 15-3 and has earned itself a bump in this week’s rankings. The Red Raiders have improved to 4-1 in conference play and sit on top of the Big 12. The loss at Houston shouldn’t leave too big of a scare as Houston is one of the best teams in the country. Texas Tech finds itself moving up four spots in this week’s rankings.
(18) Utah State (17-2) ⇑1
Last week: L 99-86 at New Mexico and W 83-62 vs Fresno State
The Aggies broke their 14-game winning streak this past week when they were defeated in a road game against New Mexico. Despite going 1-1 this week, Utah State is bumped up one spot due to their bounce-back win against Fresno State and other teams losing. The team is led by Great Osobor who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this season.
(17) Creighton (14-5) ⇔
Last week: L 62-48 at UConn and W 97-94 at Seton Hall
The Bluejays went 1-1 this past week but escaped a close victory against Seton Hall on Saturday. Creighton did lose to UConn, but that road loss shouldn’t leave that big of a scare on them as UConn is currently the number-one team in the nation. Baylor Scheierman has led the way for the Bluejays with 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year.
(16) Wisconsin (14-4) ⇓3
Last week: L 87-83 at Penn State and W 91-79 vs Indiana
The Badgers split their two games this week, but fell on the road to Penn State, marking their first loss in the last seven games. The Badgers have been able to score efficiently this year, averaging 76.5 points per game. Outside of Purdue and Illinois, the Badgers have looked like one of the strongest teams in the Big10 conference.
(15) Marquette (13-5) ⇔
Last week: W 87-74 vs Villanova and W 73-72 at St. John’s
Marquette found two, much-needed wins this week, including a road victory against St. John’s, which came down to the game's final seconds. Marquette is led by guard Kam Jones, who is averaging 15.1 points per game this season. The team currently sits 4th in the Big East and remains 15th in this week’s rankings.
(14) Memphis (15-4) ⇓5
Last week: L 74-73 vs South Florida and L 81-79 at Tulane
Memphis saw two bad losses this week against unranked South Florida and unranked Tulane, leaving them now ranked seventh in the American conference. These are games that Memphis cannot afford to lose if they want to continue to be viewed as one of the more dominant teams in the country. The Tigers will have a few rest days before playing just one game this week, but the two losses drop them five spots.
(13) Baylor (14-4) ⇓1
Last week: L 68-64 at Kansas State and L 75-73 at Texas
The Bears finally hit a cold streak, losing two games this past week after winning the last eight games. Baylor lost both road games but two or fewer possessions, leaving me to drop them just one spot. Baylor is led by Ja'Kobe Walter, averaging 15.2 points per game this season and has been one of the country’s most exciting players.
(12) Duke (13-4) ⇓4
Last week: L 80-76 vs Pittsburgh
The Blue Devils broke their eight-game winning streak after having a brutal home loss to unranked Pittsburgh this past weekend. Despite the loss, forward Kyle Filipowski has continued to impress this year, averaging 18.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. This is one of the main reasons why Duke has looked so good this year. Due to the loss, Duke drops four spots this week.
(11) Illinois (14-4) ⇑5
Last week: W 88-73 at Michigan and W 86-63 vs Rutgers
Illinois went 2-0 this week, including two monster wins at Michigan and at home against Rutgers. Star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was welcomed back after missing a couple of games due to an off-the-court issue, but was able to find his rhythm quickly having a monster second half against Rutgers and ending the game with 16 points scored. Forward Colman Hawkins has become one of the conference’s best duel-threat players. Illinois has quickly become my favorite team in the Big10 to watch, and that will continue as conference play goes on.
(10) Oklahoma (15-3) ⇑4
Last week: W 77-63 vs West Virginia and W 69-65 at Cincinnati
A very strong week for the Sooners -- winning both conference games this week including a road win against Cincinnati in an always hostile environment. Winning two straight games and having just three losses on the season moves them up four spots.
(9) Arizona (14-4) ⇑2
Last week: W 82-67 vs USC and W 77-71 vs UCLA
There is no surprise that Arizona can put up points -- currently second in the NCAA in points per game at 89.9 points, but winning both games this week has reentered Arizona in my top 10. The Wildcats came over a big deficit on Saturday against UCLA but were able to come from behind making a strong run in the second half which ultimately won them the game. Going 2-0 this week lands them here on this week’s rankings.
(8) Auburn (16-2) ⇑2
Last week: W 80-65 at Vanderbilt and W 82-59 vs Ole Miss
Auburn was bumped two spots this week and has continued to look like a top-10 team in the country every week. The Tigers play fast-paced basketball and have one of the most dominant offenses in the country, currently averaging 83.7 points per game. Auburn has now won 11 straight games and stands on the top of the SEC at 5-0 to begin conference play.
(7) Kansas (15-3) ⇓3
Last week: W 90-66 at Oklahoma State and L 91-85 at West Virginia
The questions around the Jayhawks are starting to circulate as the team responded well earlier in the week to a monster road win against Oklahoma State after falling to unranked UCF last week, but then fell to West Virginia on Saturday, leaving me concerned about Bill Self and Kansas. Losing to two weaker conference teams leaves me wondering how Kansas will be on the road for the remainder of the year. Dropping three spots may be generous, but going 1-1 this week places them here.
(6) Houston (16-2) ⇔
Last week: W 77-54 vs Texas Tech and W 57-42 vs UCF
Houston won both games this week which was the turnaround they needed after losing both conference road games last week to Iowa State and TCU. The Cougars are led by Baylor transfer L.J. Cryer, who is currently averaging 15.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season. Despite winning both games, I have them here for this week’s rankings.
(5) Tennessee (14-4) ⇑2
Last week: W 85-66 vs Florida and W 91-71 vs Alabama
Tennessee won both conference games this week to two tough non-ranked teams in Florida and Alabama. The Vols are led by senior guard Dalton Knecht, who has been lighting it up averaging 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. Knecht and the Vols have been must-watch television, and their fast-paced, athletic play style has them moving up two spots in this week’s rankings.
(4) Kentucky (14-3) ⇑1
Last week: W 90-77 vs Mississippi State and W 105-96 vs Georgia
Kentucky moves up one spot this week after two home wins over Mississippi State and Georgia. The big story here is forward Zvonimir Ivisic (Big Z). Ivisic recently received clearance to play from the NCAA and was able to play this week. The forward made deep shots, and behind-the-back passes and was a dominant rim protector in the limited minutes he received. Adding Big Z to an already-stacked Kentucky team will be dangerous, and I can see this team continuing to move up in my rankings as the season goes on.
(3) Purdue (17-2) ⇔
Last week: W 87-66 at Indiana and W 84-70 at Iowa
Purdue got the two ‘get right’ games that they needed to have after losing to their second unranked team this season last week in the loss to Nebraska. Winning two road games in the Big10 is never easy, but with National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey averaging 23.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game this season, it helps make it trouble-free.
(2) North Carolina (15-3) ⇔
Last week: W 86-70 vs Louisville and W 76-66 at Boston College
There is no movement this week for the Tar Heels despite defeating two more conference teams, which currently puts them 1st in the ACC. This team continues to run their offense through one of the league's best 1-2 punches when we look at guard RJ Davis and big man Armando Bacot. Winning both games this week places them here.
(1) UConn (17-2) ⇔
Last week: W 62-46 vs Creighton and W 66-65 at Villanova
The number one team in the nation continues to win after taking down both Creighton and Villanova in a week where they got star big man Donovan Clingan returned after dealing with an injury that has kept him out for a couple of games. With Clingan back in the Huskies lineup, this team can compete with anyone in the country.
Others Receiving Votes
- FAU
- Seton Hall
- Kansas State
- Colorado State
- San Diego State
Stay tuned for the college basketball rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
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