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, but some underrated teams also came away with huge victories. 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) South Carolina (17-3)*
Last week: W 79-62 vs. Kentucky and W 72-63 vs. Missouri
It has been a long wait, but it is exciting to finally welcome South Carolina into the Top 25 for the first time this season. The Game Cocks have put on a show this season and currently stand third in the SEC after taking down Kentucky and Missouri this week. South Carolina brings a ton of fast-paced guard play, and the team leans on star guard Meechie Johnson who is averaging 15.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season.
(24) New Mexico (18-3) ⇑1
Last week: W 95-75 at San Jose State and W 89-55 vs. Nevada
The Lobos secured two victories this week including a huge win over Nevada who has done relatively well this season. 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. and Jaelen House, averaging 15.6 points per game this year. The Lobos currently sit second in the Mountain West.
(23) Memphis (15-5) ⇓9
Last week: L 97-88 at UAB
Memphis saw their third straight unranked loss this week after falling to UAB on the road this past weekend. Memphis has lost to UAB, South Florida, and Tulane, ranking them sixth 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 couple of home games this week, but this group needs to get back on track soon.
(22) Ole Miss (17-3) ⇑2
Last week: W 77-51 vs. Arkansas and W 71-68 at Texas A&M
The Rebels won both games this week including a huge road victory over a tough Texas A&M team. This was the week that Ole Miss needed to get more national recognition despite being ranked by many for some time now. Chris Beard and the Rebels are among the more underrated teams in the SEC and are led by Matthew Murrell, who is averaging 16.6 points per game this season.
(21) Alabama (14-6) ⇑1
Last week: W 79-75 vs. Auburn and W 109-88 vs. LSU
Winning against Missouri and falling to Tennessee moves the Crimson Tide up two spots this week. Alabama stands first in the SEC standings but has six losses on the season. The team needed to find their first ranked win, and this week, they found it in a tight game against Auburn. Mark Sears is one of the league's best guards and should be viewed as such by all, as he is currently averaging 20.0 points and 3.9 assists per game this season.
(20) BYU (15-5) ⇓1
Last week: L 75-68 vs. Houston and W 84-72 vs. Texas
BYU went 1-1 this week, including a loss against a very talented Houston team, but then responded by defeating Texas by double-digits. Taking down Texas after a loss keeps the Cougars in discussion as a top-25 team in the country. BYU has been one of the more difficult venues to play at this season.
(19) Oklahoma (15-5) ⇓9
Last week: L 75-60 vs. Texas and L 85-84 vs. Texas Tech
This was a very poor week for the Sooners. They lost both conference home games this week, and have now lost four of their last six games. Oklahoma may have been one of the few teams that we got fooled into thinking was a top-tier team, but after some real conference competition, they take a significant drop in the rankings.
(18) Iowa State (16-4) ⇑5
Last week: W 78-67 vs. Kansas State and W 79-75 vs. Kansas
The Cyclones won both conference games this week including a big resume builder after taking down Kansas in a game where Iowa State shot the lights out. Iowa State has struggled this season from the three-point line but caught fire against one of the nation's best. Iowa State continues to make a strong case for why they are a top Big 12 team. Two wins this week land them here.
(17) Utah State (18-2) ⇑1
Last week: W 90-84 at Boise State
The Aggies saw a difficult matchup this week but were able to grab the victory in overtime against a tough Boise State team. Utah State is first in the Mountain West and has lost just one game since December. The team is led by Great Osobor who leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this season.
(16) Creighton (16-5) ⇑1
Last week: W 85-78 vs. Xavier and W 85-62 vs. DePaul
The Bluejays went 2-0 this past week and now have won three straight games since falling to UConn. It took a while for them to find a rhythm on Saturday, but they had a monster second half and avoided a scare against a weaker DePaul team. Crieghton is now second in the Big East and is led by Baylor Scheierman who is averaging 17.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this year.
(15) Baylor (14-5) ⇓2
Last week: L 105-102 vs. TCU
Baylor has now lost three straight games, all to unranked opponents, with two being on the road. There is no surprise that every road game in the Big 12 has been a tough fight this season, but having lost three straight games, including falling at home in overtime, lands them here.
(14) Texas Tech (16-3) ⇑4
Last week: W 85-84 at Oklahoma
Texas Tech has improved its record to 16-3 and has moved up four spots in this week’s rankings after winning their lone road game against an excellent Oklahoma team. Texas Tech was able to steal that road game and stand on top of the Big 12 with a 5-1 conference record. Beating a difficult Sooners team on the road moves them up four spots.
(13) Illinois (15-5) ⇓2
Last week: L 96-91 at Northwestern and W 70-62 vs. Indiana
It was not the most decisive week for Illinois as they lost their road game against unranked Northwestern and barely survived a home scare against a struggling Indiana team. Despite going 1-1 this week, Illinois is still one of the conference’s most formidable teams and arguably has one of the best dual-threat teams in the Big 10. Star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has officially returned, and Coleman Hawkins has become one of the conference’s most electric players to watch. Splitting their games this week lands them here.
(12) Auburn (16-4) ⇓1
Last week: L 79-75 at Alabama and L 64-58 at Mississippi State
Auburn was bumped back a couple of spots this week after losing both of their road conference games this week to Alabama and Mississippi State. Auburn went from first in the conference to third after losing both of these games. Auburn should still be viewed as one of the nation's best but needs to get back on track after suffering a two-loss week.
(11) Marquette (15-5) ⇑3
Last week: W 86-73 at DePaul and W 75-57 vs. Seton Hall
Marquette won both games this week which included a win over a weaker DePaul team and a huge win against a Seton Hall team who received a couple of votes from the AP committee last week. This team has won four straight games after losing back-to-back conference games earlier this month. The Golden Eagles currently sit third in the Big East and get moved up one spot this week after winning both games by double-digits.
(10) Arizona (15-5) ⇓1
Last week: L 83-80 at Oregon State and W 87-78 at Oregon
Arizona continues to be a team that is surrounded by question marks as it seems they keep having a mysterious loss right when the team looks to be getting back on track. The loss to Oregon State now tallies their third defeat to an unranked team this season. This team has a lot of talent, but how consistent can they be for the remainder of the year? Going 1-1 this week drops them two spots.
(9) Duke (15-4) ⇑3
Last week: W 83-69 vs. Louisville and W 72-71 vs. Clemson
The Blue Devils seemed to get back on track after breaking their eight-game winning streak after their home loss to unranked Pittsburgh in mid-January. Duke then survived a scare at home against Clemson as the team shot game-winning free throws from a skeptical last-second foul call. Duke is led by Kyle Filipowski, averaging 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season.
(8) Wisconsin (16-4) ⇑8
Last week: W 61-59 at Minnesota and W 81-66 vs. Michigan State
The Badgers have been a team that hasn't inspired much confidence this season, but they find themselves in the top 10 after winning both their games this week, including a double-digit victory against Michigan State. Star guard AJ Storr continues to impress and now is averaging 15.9 points per game this season.
(7) Kansas (16-4) ⇓3
Last week: W 74-69 vs. Cincinnati and L 79-75 at Iowa State
Kansas continues to struggle on the road this season, and we saw that once again when they lost to Iowa State. The Jayhawks didn’t look bad in the loss, but Iowa State was hitting every three-point opportunity they were given. Kansas still ranks as one of the best teams in the country but will need to start winning on the road if they want to be viewed as a title contender. Kansas currently sits fourth in the Big 12 standings.
(6) Kentucky (15-4) ⇓2
Last week: L 79-62 at South Carolina and W 63-57 at Arkansas
Kentucky moves down two spots this week after losing on the road to unranked South Carolina, but then winning on the road against a struggling Arkansas team. Kentucky made second-half adjustments and flipped the Arkansas game into a win after showing poor efforts in the first 20 minutes of play. Despite moving down two spots, the Wildcats should still be considered one of the league's most dangerous teams.
(5) Tennessee (15-4) ⇔
Last week: W 75-62 at Vanderbilt
Tennessee won their lone conference game this week by double-digits after a very close first half of play. The Vols are led by senior guard Dalton Knecht, who has been lighting it up averaging 19.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. The Vols play a very athletic and fast-paced style but remain without movement in the rankings this week.
(4) Houston (18-2) ⇑2
Last week: W 75-68 at BYU and W 74-52 vs. Kansas State
Houston won both games this week including a huge road win against BYU in an always hostile environment and taking down Kansas State by double-digits. The Cougars play with a lot of energy and fast transition play, making them one of the strongest teams in the conference. Despite winning both games, they only move up to fourth in this week’s rankings.
(3) Purdue (18-2) ⇔
Last week: W 99-67 vs. Michigan and W 68-60 at Rutgers
Purdue is now on a five-game winning streak after their road loss to Nebraska. The Boilermakers continue to make a strong case for a future one-seed in the tournament, but for now, they just need to keep winning in an always tricky contest. Zach Edey is averaging 23.0 points and 11.4 rebounds per game this season.
(2) North Carolina (17-3) ⇔
Last week: W 85-64 vs. Wake Forest and W 75-68 at Florida State
There is no movement this week for the Tar Heels despite defeating two more conference teams, which currently puts them first in the ACC. This team continues to run their offense through one of the league's best one-two punches when we look at guard RJ Davis and big man Armando Bacot. Winning both games this week places them here.
(1) UConn (18-2) ⇔
Last week: W 99-56 vs. Xavier
The number one team in the nation continues to win after defeating Xavier in their lone contest this week. UConn is fully healthy with star big man Donovan Clingan back in the Huskies lineup, and this team can compete with anyone in the country. Expect the Huskies to continue to dominate this season as they look to be one of the most put-together rosters in college basketball.
Others Receiving Votes
- Gonzaga
- Seton Hall
- FAU
- TCU
- Dayton
Stay tuned for the college basketball rankings here at RotoBaller throughout the entire season!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
