Saturday's showdown between Duke and North Carolina is shaping up as an epic clash with an ACC regular-season title, bragging rights and NCAA Tournament seeding position all on the line. Both teams are also on the rise in this week's power rankings after strong recent showings, and their quality play only adds to the intrigue of college basketball's best rivalry.
North Carolina has won five in a row and will win the ACC outright with a victory. But if Duke wins, the teams will share the crown and enter the conference tournament with their season series tied at 1-1. The Blue Devils have looked particularly strong since their loss at Wake Forest on Feb. 24 and will be out to avenge last month's 93-84 loss at UNC. They have won each of their three games since then by 15 or more points, including a 73-48 dismantling of Virginia on Saturday and a 79-64 win in a hostile environment at NC State on Monday.
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That recent run has the Blue Devils back in the top 10 this week as they prepare for their all-important regular-season finale with the Tar Heels. UNC is also up a spot in this week after clinching at least a share of the ACC title with a blowout win over Notre Dame on Tuesday on an emotional senior night.
College basketball power rankings
| 1 | |
| Houston has won 13 of its last 14 games in what most regard as college basketball's toughest conference. As a result, the Cougars are Big 12 champions in their first season in the league. This team is more evidence of how Kelvin Sampson is completing one of college basketball's all-time great rebuilding jobs at UH. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| UConn has already won the Big East by multiple games and put quite an exclamation point on a dominant regular season by beating Marquette on the road Wednesday. The only drama here entering Selection Sunday is whether the Huskies can claim the No. 1 overall seed. Last week: 2 | |
| 3 | |
| Purdue clinched the outright Big Ten title with a clutch second-half performance at Illinois on Tuesday as Zach Edey's supporting cast continued offering substantive contributions. With a win over Wisconsin on Sunday, the Boilermakers will reach 17 conference victories for the first time in program history. Last week: 3 | |
| 4 | |
| Tennessee has won seven straight, including three in a row against ranked teams after clinching the outright SEC title with a 66-59 win at South Carolina on Wednesday. The Volunteers have turned in to road warriors with seven wins in their last eight tries away from Thompson-Boling Arena. That bodes well for a program with a sketchy postseason past. Last week: 4 | |
| 5 | |
| Iowa State completed an undefeated home campaign with a final dose of Hilton Magic on Wednesday by outlasting BYU 68-63. The Cyclones have won eight of their last nine games and could still split the Big 12 title with Houston if they beat Kansas State and the Cougars lose to Kansas on Saturday. Last week: 5 | |
| 6 | |
| North Carolina clinched a share of the ACC crown Tuesday with a blowout win over Notre Dame. The Tar Heels can win it outright and continue building the case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they complete a sweep of Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. Last week: 7 | |
| 7 | |
| Arizona needs to win at UCLA and at USC to ensure itself the outright Pac-12 title and the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 10 and remain firmly in the mix for the fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last week: 8 | |
| 8 | |
| Duke has won eight of its last nine and can share the ACC title with North Carolina if it beats the Tar Heels on Saturday. The Blue Devils crack the No. 1 seed conversation if they run the table through the ACC Tournament and teams like Arizona and Tennessee falter. Last week: 13 | |
| 9 | |
| Kentucky has won six of its last seven after pulling away from Vanderbilt for a 93-77 win on Wednesday. These Wildcats are a wagon offensively and one of the most fun teams to watch of John Calipari's 15-year tenure. A win at Tennessee on Saturday would go a long way towards legitimizing UK as a postseason threat. Last week: 11 | |
| 10 | |
| Creighton has won six of its last seven, including an 89-75 win over shorthanded Marquette on Saturday. Baylor Scheierman has drilled six 3-pointers in each of the past two games and is making a push for All-American consideration. Last week: 12 | |
| 11 | |
| Baylor turned on the afterburners in the second half against Texas on Monday for its third straight victory. The Bears are deep with playmakers and appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. Last week: 16 | |
| 12 | |
| Marquette fell against Big East heavyweights Creighton and UConn while playing without injured star Tyler Kolek. The Golden Eagles face a tricky game at Xavier to close the regular season but could use a victory to reclaim a positive trajectory entering the postseason. Last week: 6 | |
| 13 | |
| Florida put its elite potential on display again Tuesday in a 105-87 win over Alabama. That result, along with victories over Auburn and Kentucky, show what the Gators are capable of. This is a potential dark horse for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Last week: NR | |
| 14 | |
| BYU should beat Oklahoma State at home Saturday to finish 10-8 in Big 12 play during its first season in the league. That would be an incredible accomplishment after the Cougars went 7-9 in the WCC last season. Last week: 14 | |
| 15 | |
| Illinois still hasn't dropped consecutive games this season as it heads to Iowa to close the regular season following a 77-71 loss to Purdue. The Illini are pretty clearly the Big Ten's second-best team behind the Boilermakers and could end up wrecking a No. 1 seed's title hopes in the Sweet 16 if they land as a No. 4 seed for the Big Dance. Last week: 15 | |
| 16 | |
| If Washington State beats Washington on Thursday at home and Arizona loses either of its final two games at UCLA and USC, then the Cougars will share the Pac-12 title. They would also be the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in that scenario given that they swept the Wildcats. Last week: 18 | |
| 17 | |
| Nevada has won nine of its last 10 games and could claim a share of the MWC title if it beats UNLV and Utah State loses this weekend. The Wolf Pack have an uncanny knack for reaching the free-throw line. Last week: NR | |
| 18 | |
| Kansas has lost seven games for the first time ever in Big 12 play. But the Jayhawks still have the potential to make noise this month, especially if Kevin McCullar is close to 100%. He's played in the last two, averaging 19.5 points. Last week: 17 | |
| 19 | |
| Utah State can win the Mountain West outright with a victory over New Mexico on Saturday. Considering the league's competitiveness, that would be an insanely impressive accomplishment for first-year coach Danny Sprinkle. Last week: 19 | |
| 20 | |
| Auburn returned to its winning ways with a 15-point victory over Mississippi State and a 27-point win at Missouri after going through a stretch of three losses in five games. The Tigers are explosive and dangerous but perhaps limited in their ultimate potential by the lack of a perimeter star. Last week: 20 | |