College basketball power rankings: Iowa State jumps to No. 2 heading into showdown at Purdue
The Cyclones are one of the hottest teams in the nation heading into a huge game vs. the Boilermakers
By
Kyle Boone
•
6 min read
The No. 1 team in the men's college basketball Power Rankings remains unchanged for the first time in the fourth in-season update as Michigan -- which has not played since annihilating everyone in its path at the Players Era in Vegas last week -- holds steady at the top. But there are plenty of changes throughout this week's update -- starting with a new No. 2.
While Arizona may still be deserving of that spot just beneath the Wolverines where it was last week, Iowa State's run of late merits the promotion up to No. 2 for me. ISU is one of only two teams with top-10 efficiency metrics on both offense and defense this season and is now 8-0 with wins over St. John's, Creighton, Syracuse and Mississippi State. For good measure: The Cyclones also lead college basketball in scoring margin despite a schedule I'd consider among the toughest in November.
T.J. Otzelberger: My cap is tipped.
Arizona did not fall far this week, however, because after all, I consider myself a fair person. And dropping it precipitously despite remaining unbeaten would not be fair. But stellar performances from other teams of late -- Iowa State, Michigan State and Duke -- pushed it down to No. 5 in this week's Power Rankings.
My explanations are below for the changes and for the rest of this week's Power Rankings. I've also expanded the ranks from 16 teams to 20 teams this week because, well, why not? It's Christmas season, and I'm feeling generous.
Let's get to the rankings.
Week 1: Purdue | Week 2: Arizona | Week 3: Michigan
College Basketball Power Rankings
| 1 |  |
| Michigan didn't play this week after its three-game demolition of everyone in its path at the Players Era in Vegas. Accordingly, it remains No. 1 heading into the weekend with Rutgers coming to town. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| Iowa State leads the country in scoring margin and is 8-0 with wins over Mississippi State, St. John's, Creighton and Syracuse, among others, leading into Saturday's game vs. Purdue (on CBS!). It is deserving of this spot after its hot start, which got hotter after a 132-68 win over Alcorn State on Wednesday -- its largest win since 2016. Last week: 5 | |
| 3 |  |
| Flowers have been given frequently for Michigan State in this space and it continues this week with a bump up to No. 3 for the Spartans. They improved to 8-0 on the season with a 71-52 win over a good Iowa team Tuesday. On their resume now: wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa and North Carolina. Prettay, prettay good. Last week: 4 | |
| 4 |  |
| Duke secured its third win over a ranked opponent on Tuesday with a 67-66 win over No. 15 Florida. It is 9-0 on the season, marking its best start since 2017-18. Last week: 6 | |
| 5 |  |
| The resume for Arizona is still probably best in college basketball but wins the last two weeks over Denver and Norfolk State have the Wildcats on the slide a bit in the Power Rankings. Still, U of A is 7-0 for just the third time under Tommy Lloyd. Last week: 2 | |
| 6 |  |
| It's become boring how good Purdue is, and perhaps that -- along with its most recent outings vs. [yawn] Eastern Illinois and Rutgers has it down the ranks a bit. Boilermakers would still be No. 1 on my AP Top 25 ballot after starting the season No. 1 and marching out to an 8-0 start on the season. They face Iowa State on CBS Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. Last week: 3 | |
| 7 |  |
| This is the highest Vanderbilt has ever been ranked in the Power Rankings in my two years of doing this. And it is positively well-deserved. It is off to a 9-0 start for the first time since 2007-08 and has wins over VCU, Saint Mary's and SMU in its last three outings. Yowza. This team is going to be a factor in the SEC title race. Last week: 9 | |
| 8 |  |
| If not for a home slip-up to Arizona in mid-November, we might well be talking about UConn as the No. 1 team in the sport. It is 7-1 entering Friday's game vs. East Texas A&M with wins over Illinois and Kansas in the last week. Last week: 10 | |
| 9 |  |
| BYU is 7-1 entering Tuesday's tilt vs. Clemson and in possession of top-20 units in efficiency metrics at KenPom on both offense and defense. Cougars freshman star AJ Dybantsa has scored 15 or more points in every game he's played in this season and is one of three freshmen in the country averaging at least 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50% or better from the floor. Last week: 11 | |
| 10 |  |
| Let's show Eric Musselman and his USC club some overdue love here. The 8-0 Trojans are Maui Invitational champions with wins over Oregon, Boise, Seton Hall and Arizona State entering Saturday's game vs. Washington. Last week: NR | |
| 11 |  |
| Gonzaga's 7-1 after suffering its first loss in its most recent outing to Michigan last week, 101-61, in Vegas. It has had more than a week to stew on that defeat as it preps for Kentucky on Friday in Nashville. Last week: 8 | |
| 12 |  |
| A 97-94 OT loss to Clemson early last week won't keep red-hot Georgia from appearing this week. It won big on the road at Florida State this week 107-73 and it is now 8-1 on the season. Mike White's club playing with incredible tempo and flickering as real challengers in the SEC. Last week: NR | |
| 13 |  |
| A true road win over Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Tuesday has my attention, UNC. That felt like a surefire loss the way UK was trending. Tar Heels now 7-1 and own wins over Kansas and Kentucky. Last week: NR | |
| 14 |  |
| Hard to place Louisville after a hot start but a brutal loss at Arkansas this week. I docked them considerably but, perhaps controversially, still have them ahead of the Razorbacks because of their recent body of work. They are 7-0 overall entering Saturday's game vs. Indiana. Big bounceback opportunity awaits the Cards. Last week: 7 | |
| 15 |  |
| If you didn't know before then you surely know now: Ryan Odom can COACH. He took his Cavaliers into Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, and came away with an impressive 88-69 win over the Longhorns. UVA already ahead of schedule under Odom and 7-1 on the year. Last week: NR | |
| 16 |  |
| Consecutive wins over St. John's and NC State is how Auburn responded following a Nov. 25 loss to Michigan by a final margin of 102-72. That'll do. Steven Pearl has the Tigers playing well and trending in the right direction with a road test at Arizona on tap Saturday. Last week: NR | |
| 17 |  |
| Better days are ahead for Houston but despite the 7-1 start, it has -- from an objective standpoint -- largely not been pretty. Maybe I'm holding Houston to an impossible standard. But the Cougars are 7-1 despite not having their best stuff. They deserve a spot in the Power Rankings even if it hasn't been vintage Houston basketball. Last week: 14 | |
| 18 |  |
| TCU beat Florida and Wisconsin in consecutive days last week to earn a spot in this week's Power Rankings. That's despite a season-opening loss to New Orleans at home (🤢). They're trending in the right direction and playing well. Last week: NR | |
| 19 |  |
| Credit is due and credit is given to Arkansas, which fell to Duke last week but was up to the task Wednesday for a bounceback opportunity vs. Louisville. The Razorbacks never trailed in the game and dominated the glass and cleaned up on second-chance opportunities. Last week: NR | |
| 20 |  |
| Fourth-year LSU coach Matt McMahon has the Tigers 8-0 entering the weekend. The resume isn't anything to write home about -- notably, there are no wins over top-100 KenPom teams -- but it has played well one month into the season. It's the best start for the program in four years. Last week: NR | |
