Last season marked a comedown for Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall and Saint Peter's, but all three parties are trending upward again as conference play heats up across college basketball. After guiding the Peacocks on a historic run to the Elite Eight, Holloway made the jump to Seton Hall for 2022-23, replacing Maryland-bound Kevin Willard.
The Pirates were fine but not great, finishing 17-16 (10-10 Big East) in Holloway's first season at his alma mater. Meanwhile, Saint Peter's regressed to 14-18 (7-13 MAAC) following a talent exodus in the wake of Holloway's departure. Now, one year later, Saint Peter's and Seton Hall are a combined 11-1 in league games under their second-year coaches.
Seton Hall's 6-1 start to Big East play includes home wins over UConn and Marquette and a 3-1 mark in road games. The Pirates have taken the league by storm with their rebounding and rim protection, among other things. Holloway's club averages 13.2 offensive rebounds per game, which is No. 32 nationally and especially impressive since the Pirates don't play fast. Meanwhile, Saint Peter's is building on the foundation set by Holloway with a 5-0 start to conference play under coach Bashir Mason.
If we're crowning a mid-January king of New Jersey, the distinction belongs to Seton Hall, in spite of its loss to Rutgers on Dec. 9. The Pirates have won eight of nine since then while Rutgers is just 4-4.
With that, here are the latest CBS Sports power rankings.
College basketball power rankings
| 1 | |
| UConn is 16-2 after navigating much of the season's first half without either elite freshman wing Stephon Castle or star center Donovan Clingan. Both are healthy now, which should terrify the Big East and the rest of college basketball. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| Purdue was excellent last season even while shooting just 32.2% from 3-point range, which ranked No. 291 nationally. This year, the Boilermakers are shooting 39.6% from deep, which is 10th nationally. This team is barreling toward consecutive No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Last week: 2 | |
| 3 | |
| At 6-0 in league games, North Carolina is the last unbeaten team in ACC play. RJ Davis looks like an All-American and is becoming the face of a promising mission to secure redemption for last season's fiasco. Last week: 4 | |
| 4 | |
| Kansas adequately redeemed itself from a confounding loss to UCF by sweeping the Oklahoma schools with a pair of double-digit victories. Those outings offered confirmation that the Jayhawks are indeed the Big 12's most likely champion after a slow start to league play. Last week: 5 | |
| 5 | |
| Auburn has obliterated everything in its path during a 10-game winning streak while emerging as a somewhat unexpected SEC title contender. Bruce Pearl's team is experienced and filled with a diverse variety of skill sets that complement each other perfectly. Even playing these guys close would be an accomplishment right now. Last week: 6 | |
| 6 | |
| Kentucky's 97-92 overtime loss at Texas A&M over the weekend is just part of life in the SEC. The Wildcats bounced back by shredding Mississippi State on Wednesday in another display of how improved they are offensively. Last week: 3 | |
| 7 | |
| Duke is frustratingly inconsistent but positively scary when at its best. There is arguably no better combination of depth and talent in America. If the Blue Devils can put it all together, this could evolve into a special season. Last week: 9 | |
| 8 | |
| Give credit to ninth-year coach Rick Barnes for adapting offensively in a way that allows Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht to shine on the wing. The Volunteers are playing faster and using two traditional bigs together less frequently. The results are encouraging. Last week: 14 | |
| 9 | |
| Houston learned quickly that life on the road in the Big 12 requires some serious fortitude. But the Cougars returned to .500 in league play by crushing Texas Tech on Wednesday and are still profiling as one of the Big 12's best teams. Last week: 7 | |
| 10 | |
| The Pac-12 is going out with a whimper, and Arizona isn't helping much. The Wildcats are only 5-4 over their past nine games after Wednesday night's win over USC. Arizona at its best is scary, but Arizona at its worst will roll over and play dead on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Last week: 8 | |
| 11 | |
| Wisconsin suffered its first Big Ten loss Tuesday night at Penn State, but the Badgers are still leading the league heading into Friday's game against Indiana. They look like the best bet to challenge Purdue for the conference crown. Last week: 10 | |
| 12 | |
| Oklahoma is off to a 2-2 start in Big 12 play after posting a 12-1 record in nonconference action. The Sooners are much-improved under third-year coach Porter Moser and look destined for an NCAA Tournament bid. Last week: 11 | |
| 13 | |
| Memphis beat Missouri, Michigan, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson, Virginia and Vanderbilt before AAC play began. But the quality of its résumé has been diminished by the fact that basically all of those teams are on the struggle bus. Last week: 12 | |
| 14 | |
| Iowa State is 0-2 in Big 12 road games and 2-0 in Big 12 home games with one of those wins coming against Houston. The Cyclones are card-holding members of a strong upper-middle class in the Big 12. Last week: 13 | |
| 15 | |
| San Diego State dropped its first Mountain West game on the road in the Pit at New Mexico on Saturday but responded with a 71-59 home win over Nevada on Wednesday to reach 15-3 (4-1 MWC). The Aztecs are really good once again. Last week: 14 | |
| 16 | |
| Nonconference wins over Auburn and Seton Hall continue to age impeccably well. Baylor is falling off the prolific 3-point shooting pace it enjoyed during nonconference play but is 3-1 in Big 12 play anyway. That's an encouraging sign. Last week: NR | |
| 17 | |
| Seton Hall is off to a 6-1 start in Big East play in Year 2 under Holloway. Some tough road games still lie ahead, but for now the Pirates are surging. Last week: NR | |
| 18 | |
| TCU lost in overtime at Cincinnati on Tuesday, but the Horned Frogs proved their legitimacy with a 68-67 win over Houston on Saturday. Jamie Dixon's club is on track to make three straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history. Last week: NR | |
| 19 | |
| The loss of starting point guard Malachi Smith for the season due to injury after one game could have derailed the Flyers. Instead, it seems to have galvanized them. Dayton owns the nation's third-longest winning streak at 11 and is 4-0 in the A-10 behind star big DaRon Holmes II. Last week: NR | |
| 20 | |
| BYU began its Big 12 tenure with a home loss to Cincinnati and a loss at Baylor. It seemed like the joy of 12-1 nonconference run might be coming to an abrupt halt. But with wins at UCF and vs. Iowa State over the past week, BYU is back on track. Last week: NR | |