College basketball rankings: Duke rises to No. 1 after thrilling win over Michigan on neutral court
The Blue Devils not only earned the top spot in our daily rankings, but they're also in line for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament
Saturday's NCAA March Madness Bracket Preview show could not have come at a better time -- specifically six hours before Michigan and Duke tipped in what would become the most-attended neutral-court game of the season. That's because what the selection committee told us during a 30-minute program on CBS is that if the 2026 NCAA Tournament would've started Saturday, the top two seeds in the bracket would've been Michigan and Duke -- point being that at least in the committee's eyes, what we had inside Capital One Arena was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown 22 days before Selection Sunday.
It wasn't pretty -- but it was fun.
Final score: Duke 68, Michigan 63.
Neither team played particularly well, especially on the offensive end. But the Blue Devils did score five more points than the Wolverines -- thanks largely to Cameron Boozer. The 6-foot-9 freshman took 10 shots, made six of them and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in 34 minutes while reminding the sport he's the clear leader in the CBS Sports National Player of the Year race. He's also now the best player on the team that's No. 1 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, because the Blue Devils have moved to the top spot after their massive victory.
Michigan is No. 2. Arizona is No. 3. Iowa State is No. 4. Houston is No. 5.
Yes, I know Iowa State lost at BYU on Saturday while Houston lost to Arizona. But if you've been following the Top 25 And 1 for a while, you likely know that this deep into any season, I mostly care more about bodies of work than anything else, and I still think Iowa State and Houston belong in the top five based on their bodies of work despite losses this weekend. Put another way, if the NCAA Tournament started today, I still think Iowa State and Houston would be seeded above everybody below them in the Top 25 And 1, which is why they're above everybody they're above in the Top 25 And 1.
Speaking of, 15 of the 16 teams in Saturday's bracket preview were also in Saturday morning's Top 25 And 1, as I noted with Emily Proud on CBS Sports HQ. The only difference was that on Saturday morning, I had St. John's in my top 16 but did not have Texas Tech, while the selection committee had Texas Tech in its top 16 but omitted St. John's.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 68-63 win over Michigan. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday at Notre Dame. | 1 | 25-2 |
| 2 |  | Elliot Cadeau missed seven of the eight shots he attempted in Saturday's 68-63 loss to Duke. The Wolverines' next game is Tuesday against Minnesota. | 1 | 25-2 |
| 3 |  | Anthony Dell'Orso finished with 22 points and four steals in Saturday's 73-66 win at Houston. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Baylor. | -- | 25-2 |
| 4 |  | Joshua Jefferson missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 79-69 loss at BYU. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Utah. | -- | 23-4 |
| 5 |  | Emanuel Sharp missed nine of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 73-66 loss to Arizona. The Cougars' next game is Monday at Kansas. | -- | 23-4 |
| 6 |  | Alex Condon finished with 24 points and six assists in Saturday's 94-75 win at Ole Miss. The Gators' next game is Wednesday at Texas. | -- | 21-6 |
| 7 |  | Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Friday's 93-64 win over Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against Michigan State. | 1 | 22-5 |
| 8 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 33 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 87-64 win over Penn State. The Cornhuskers' next game is Wednesday against Maryland. | 1 | 23-4 |
| 9 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 12 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 73-63 win at Villanova. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against St. John's. | 2 | 25-3 |
| 10 |  | David Mirkovic missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Saturday's 95-94 overtime loss at UCLA. The Illini's next game is Friday against Michigan. | 3 | 22-6 |
| 11 |  | Graham Ike finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 71-62 win over Pacific. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Portland. | 1 | 27-2 |
| 12 |  | Jacari White finished with 17 points and five assists in Saturday's 86-83 win over Miami. The Cavaliers' next game is Tuesday against NC State. | 1 | 24-3 |
| 13 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 16 points and 10 assists in Tuesday's 82-59 win over UCLA. The Spartans' next game is Sunday against Ohio State. | 1 | 21-5 |
| 14 |  | Melvin Council Jr. missed 10 of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 84-68 loss to Cincinnati. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Houston. | 4 | 20-7 |
| 15 |  | Bryce Hopkins finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 81-52 win over Creighton. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday at UConn. | 1 | 22-5 |
| 16 |  | Amari Allen finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 90-83 win at LSU. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Mississippi State. | 1 | 20-7 |
| 17 |  | Billy Richmond III finished with 21 points and three steals in Saturday's 94-86 win over Missouri. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Texas A&M. | 1 | 20-7 |
| 18 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 79-69 win over Iowa State. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against UCF. | 4 | 20-7 |
| 19 |  | Donovan Atwell finished with 26 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 100-72 win over Kansas State. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Cincinnati. | -- | 20-7 |
| 20 |  | Luke Skaljac finished with 24 points and four assists in Friday's 91-77 win over Bowling Green. The RedHawks' next game is Tuesday at Eastern Michigan. | -- | 27-0 |
| 21 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 69-65 win at Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Tuesday at Missouri. | -- | 20-7 |
| 22 |  | Mikel Brown Jr. finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-70 win over Georgia Tech. The Cardinals' next game is Monday at North Carolina. | 1 | 20-7 |
| 23 |  | Duke Miles missed 10 of the 13 shots he attempted in Saturday's 69-65 loss to Tennessee. The Commodores' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | 8 | 21-6 |
| 24 |  | Kellen Thames finished with 16 points and five steals in Friday's 88-75 win over VCU. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Dayton. | 1 | 25-2 |
| 25 |  | Henri Veesaar finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 77-64 win at Syracuse. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Louisville. | NR | 21-6 |
| 26 |  | Devin Askew missed all five shots he attempted in Saturday's 73-63 loss to UConn. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Butler. | -- | 21-6 |
