For a few hours this past Saturday, it looked like we were on track to have a real debate about which team should be No. 1 in this week’s AP poll. Auburn got blitzed at home by Florida, Duke got dropped on the road at Clemson, then Alabama held off Arkansas for the road win.
But in both the AP poll and these Power Rankings, Auburn keeps its place at the top.
The Tigers’ total body of work is superior to that of every other team in the country. They’re No. 1 in the NET, KPI, ESPN’s strength of record, Wins Above Bubble, KenPom — you name it. They also have 13 Quadrant 1 wins when no other team has more than five, tallying the most combined Quadrant 1 and 2 wins in the country.
Alabama is No. 2 in each of the three résumé-based metrics, but the Tide aren’t better than No. 5 in BPI, KenPom, Torvik or the NET.
Fortunately, the Tigers and Tide will settle the No. 1 debate on the court Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN) in what should be the game of the year.
Previous ranking: 1
Following Saturday’s home loss to Florida, Bruce Pearl made a tweak to his starting lineup, moving Chad Baker-Mazara to the bench and bringing Chris Moore off it. Moore ended up not playing much against Vanderbilt, scoring just 4 points in 13 minutes, while Baker-Mazara had a scoreless 28 minutes. Pearl said after the game the decision was for health reasons, as Baker-Mazara is “flat-out banged up.” But the move also gave Pearl an elite three-man bench group in Baker-Mazara, Chaney Johnson (who scored 20 points) and Tahaad Pettiford. It will be interesting to see whether Pearl rolls with it moving forward.
Next seven days: at Alabama (Feb. 15), vs. Arkansas (Feb. 19)
Previous ranking: 3
Entering the season, Alabama was perceived as having one of the deepest, if not the deepest — rosters in the country. And down the stretch of the season, the Crimson Tide are starting to get a noticeable advantage from their bench. In Tuesday’s road win at Texas, Aden Holloway continued his stellar season, scoring 18 points and making 3s off the bench. Freshman Labaron Philon broke out of his slump to finish with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. And glue guy Mouhamed Dioubate had double figures for the fourth time in six games, finishing with 13 points and three 3s.
Next seven days: vs. Auburn (Feb. 15), at Missouri (Feb. 19)
Previous ranking: 6
The way Todd Golden and Florida keep pushing forward and winning games despite a new injury every week is increasingly more impressive. They beat Vanderbilt without Walter Clayton Jr. on Feb. 4. They went to Auburn and beat the top-ranked Tigers without Alijah Martin. And then they went to Starkville and beat Mississippi State without Martin and Alex Condon, who left after 30 seconds because of a sprained ankle. Guard Denzel Aberdeen is averaging 14.3 points in three games as a starter, while Thomas Haugh came off the bench in Condon’s place to put up 16 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals against Mississippi State.
Next seven days: vs. South Carolina (Feb. 15), vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 2
Duke’s 16-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Clemson — and it was a surprisingly porous interior defense that was at the heart of the Blue Devils’ struggles. Clemson made 26 2-pointers, shooting better than 63% from inside the arc, by far the best any team has shot against Duke this season. On the season, Duke opponents are shooting worse than 43% on 2-pointers, ranking second nationally. The Blue Devils’ defense returned to form against Cal on Wednesday, with the Golden Bears shooting 38% inside the arc and scoring 0.87 points per possession.
Next seven days: vs. Stanford (Feb. 15), at Virginia (Feb. 17)
Previous ranking: 7
Houston’s only loss since the end of November was a one-point overtime loss to Texas Tech, but the Cougars’ schedule is about to increase in difficulty. The stretch will be critical for Houston’s push for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, as the Cougars have elite efficiency-based metrics but lag behind their competition in résumé-based metrics and résumé-boosting wins. Their final seven games: at Arizona, at Arizona State, vs. Iowa State, at Texas Tech, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Kansas, at Baylor. There will be chances to close the gap on Duke and the myriad SEC teams pushing for the top line.
Next seven days: at Arizona (Feb. 15), at Arizona State (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 4
Senior guard Chaz Lanier‘s inconsistency of the past six weeks continued into Tuesday’s loss to Kentucky — he finished with 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts. In Tennessee’s 20 wins this season, Lanier’s averaged 18.6 points, shooting 43.3% from 3-point range. In the Vols’ five losses, he has averaged just 12.4 points and shot 26.3% from 3 (and only 37% inside the arc, for good measure). In the whole of SEC play, he has averaged 14.9 points, shooting 33.7% from 3 so far — numbers that drop to 13.6 points and 31.5% if you take out his solid SEC-opening game against Arkansas.
Next seven days: vs. Vanderbilt (Feb. 15)
Previous ranking: 8
After it looked like their defense had sprung a few leaks in January, the Aggies have refocused at that end of the floor. They held both Missouri and Georgia to fewer than one point per possession, and the opponents averaged just 58.5 points. Missouri struggled to make shots from the perimeter, while Georgia was simply abysmal after halftime. A&M didn’t let Georgia make a shot for nearly 13 minutes after halftime, with the Bulldogs missing their first 12 attempts. They shot just 37.5% from inside the arc, including 5-for-13 on layups.
Next seven days: vs. Arkansas (Feb. 15), at Mississippi State (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 5
There’s an obvious reason for it — the departure of Zach Edey — but Purdue’s dramatic drop-off in defense around the rim is significant. The Boilermakers rank 14th in the Big Ten in 2-point defense, allowing teams to shoot 55.5% inside the arc. They’re also last in the league in block percentage. A season ago, they were second in the Big Ten in 2-point defense. In the loss to Michigan on Tuesday, they actually dealt pretty well with Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf in the paint but still allowed more than 1.09 points per possession for the fourth time in six games.
Next seven days: vs. Wisconsin (Feb. 15), at Michigan State (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 9
After scoring fewer than one point per possession in three straight games, Iowa State has bounced back on the offensive end. The resurgence coincides with the return of Milan Momcilovic, who missed seven games because of a hand injury. The most notable difference however has come from Curtis Jones, who moved into the starting lineup with Momcilovic out. After averaging 9.7 points and shooting 21.6% from the field and 14.3% from 3 in his final three games as a starter, Jones had 24 points and made five 3s off the bench in Momcilovic’s first game back. He wasn’t great against UCF, but he still had 10 points and dished out 5 assists.
Next seven days: vs. Cincinnati (Feb. 15), vs. Colorado (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 18
Beating Tennessee by 11 on Tuesday is impressive in itself; put in context, it looks even better. The Wildcats were already without Jaxson Robinson, who was ruled out before the game because of a wrist injury, and Kerr Kriisa, who has missed two months because of a foot injury. And then late in the second half, starting point guard Lamont Butler took a hard fall and aggravated the shoulder injury that kept him out of three games. Despite that, Kentucky finished the game on a 17-4 run, getting a huge boost from its role players: Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor, Trent Noah and Travis Perry. More importantly, the Wildcats have now held their past two opponents to an average of 60.5 points and 7-for-40 3-point shooting after allowing their previous five opponents to make at least 11 3s each.
Next seven days: at Texas (Feb. 15), vs. Vanderbilt (Feb. 19)
11. St. John’s Red Storm (21-4)
Previous ranking: 12
After picking up its two biggest wins of the season over Marquette and UConn, St. John’s had its 10-game winning streak snapped Wednesday in a two-point loss at Villanova. The Red Storm’s four losses have been by a combined seven points.
They had their worst defensive performance of the season against the Wildcats, allowing them to shoot 60% inside the arc (the highest percentage the Red Storm have given up) and nearly 46% from 3-point range (the second-highest percentage they’ve given up). At the other end, the Red Storm shot 37 3s at a 61% rate. Both marks are St. John’s highest of the season, by a wide margin.
Next seven days: vs. Creighton (Feb. 16), at DePaul (Feb. 19)
Previous ranking: 10
Texas Tech bounced back from its loss to Arizona with a double-overtime victory over Arizona State, with JT Toppin producing one of the best individual performances of the season. He finished with 41 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals, and he shot 17-for-22. According to ESPN Research, he’s the first Division I player with 35 points and 15 rebounds in a game this season. He’s also just the fourth player in Big 12 history and the first since Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim in 2014 to have 40 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
Next seven days: at Oklahoma State (Feb. 15), at TCU (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 13
Following a couple of single-digit wins over Charlotte and Wichita State in January, Penny Hardaway changed up his starting lineup. Moussa Cisse went to the bench and in stepped Dain Dainja, who was performing at a high level as a reserve anyway. In his past five games, all as a starter, Dainja is averaging 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists, and shooting 72%. He provides a capable complement to Memphis’ perimeter firepower, and he has been able to stay on the floor far more consistently than he did at Illinois.
Next seven days: at South Florida (Feb. 13), at Wichita State (Feb. 16)
Previous ranking: Unranked
The coaching job Dusty May has done in Ann Arbor deserves more attention. He took over a program that was in disarray toward the end of the previous campaign (8-24, 3-17 in the Big Ten) and, with one month left before Selection Sunday, has the Wolverines alone in first place in the league after Tuesday’s win over Purdue. Roddy Gayle Jr. broke out of his slump, scoring 14 points after being held to single digits in four straight games and losing his starting spot to Rubin Jones. May continues to push the right buttons.
Next seven days: at Ohio State (Feb. 16)
Previous ranking: 20
John Tonje is once again hitting his stride at the right time. After starting the season on a tear, including 41 points against Arizona and 33 against Pitt, he averaged just 12.0 points on 35.9% shooting in nine games between Dec. 7 and Jan. 18. In the six games since, though, Tonje has been dominant. He has scored at least 22 points in five games over that stretch, averaging 23.0 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 51.2% from the field and 49% from 3-point range.
Next seven days: at Purdue (Feb. 15), vs. Illinois (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 15
It’s not as simple as saying as Caleb Love goes, Arizona goes. But the splits point to a clear trend, one that is more apparent after the Wildcats lost to Kansas State on Tuesday with a subpar performance from their star guard: 6 points on 3-for-15 shooting, including 0-for-7 from 3. In Arizona’s 17 wins this season, Love has averaged 17.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.7 turnovers, while shooting 41% overall and nearly 37% from 3. In its seven losses, he’s at 11.8 points, 2.3 assists and 2.3 turnovers, shooting 31% overall and 18.8% from 3.
Next seven days: vs. Houston (Feb. 15), at Baylor (Feb. 17)
Previous ranking: 16
Dennis Gates’ team suffered a pair of challenging close losses to Tennessee and Texas A&M but took out its frustration out on Oklahoma on Wednesday, jumping out to a 20-point halftime lead and cruising to an easy win. Mark Mitchell, who was the catalyst for so much of Missouri’s success during the middle part of the season, officially broke out of his slump, too. Mitchell finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, going 13-for-18 from the free throw line. In his previous five games, the Duke transfer averaged just 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, getting to the free throw line only 4.2 times per game.
Next seven days: at Georgia (Feb. 15), vs. Alabama (Feb. 19)
Previous ranking: 11
The Jayhawks continue to struggle for any type of consistency, alternating wins and losses for most of the past month. And it’s their offensive home/road splits that are most concerning. In home games, they’re No. 17 overall at BartTorvik.com in adjusted efficiency margin, No. 15 nationally in offensive efficiency. In road games, they’re No. 27 overall but No. 187 on the offensive end. They’re last in Division I in free throw rate on the road while shooting just 30.5% from 3-point range.
Next seven days: at Utah (Feb. 15), at BYU (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 21
Even though LSU and South Carolina are the worst teams in the SEC, coming out of back-to-back road games in Baton Rouge and Columbia is still worth noting. And the Rebels have now won three in a row and four of their past five. Malik Dia was terrific in the second half against the Gamecocks, scoring 12 straight points during one stretch en route to 18 points — a strong bounce-back performance after scoring just one point against LSU. One potential trouble spot: Ole Miss has now allowed at least one point per possession in six straight games.
Next seven days: vs. Mississippi State (Feb. 15)
Previous ranking: 14
Marquette snapped a three-game losing streak at home against DePaul on Tuesday. While the Golden Eagles’ offense struggled, their defense got back on track, limiting the Blue Demons to 0.81 points per possession after allowing each of their previous five opponents to score at least 1.03. The 3-point shooting continues to be an issue, though, with the team going just 4-for-25 from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles now rank eighth in the Big East in 3-point shooting in conference play at 30.8%, despite ranking second in 3-point attempt rate.
Next seven days: vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 17
The Spartans have now lost three of four since winning 13 straight games and opening the Big Ten schedule with a 9-0 record. They have lost their grip on first place and are about to enter a brutal five-game stretch: at Illinois, vs. Purdue, at Michigan, at Maryland, vs. Wisconsin. Tuesday was the biggest stunner of the recent defeats: at home against Indiana, which had lost five in a row and just had its lame duck head coach announce he’s stepping down next month. It will be interesting to see if Tom Izzo continues to start Jase Richardson. The talented freshman was in the lineup with Jeremy Fears out against Oregon, finishing with 29 points, and then stayed as a starter after Fears’ return, with Tre Holloman moving to the bench.
Next seven days: at Illinois (Feb. 15), vs. Purdue (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: 23
It has been difficult to truly gauge UConn’s up-and-down performance over the past few weeks, given star freshman Liam McNeeley missed eight games because of an ankle injury, then struggled in his first game back (the loss to St. John’s). But at Creighton on Tuesday, McNeeley reminded everyone why he’s a draft lottery pick — and why UConn still has the potential to make a third straight Final Four run. He finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 12-for-22 from the field and making 5 3-pointers. McNeeley is the first Big East freshman to score 35-plus points in a conference game since 2007 and, per Opta, he’s just the third freshman in Division I in the past 20 years to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 3-pointers in a road game.
Next seven days: at Seton Hall (Feb. 15), vs. Villanova (Feb. 18)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Clemson breaks into the top 25 after back-to-back wins over Duke and North Carolina, handing the former its first loss since before Thanksgiving and blowing out the later by 20 in a game that wasn’t even that close. Brad Brownell’s team has now won eight of its past nine games, with the lone loss coming in three overtimes to Georgia Tech. The Tigers’ only other loss since mid-December was on the road at Louisville. Their metrics are consistently solid across the board, and they are now 9-4 against Quadrants 1 and 2. It’s an incredibly sound résumé.
Next seven days: at Florida State (Feb. 15)
Previous ranking: 19
Rodney Rice has provided a real boost offensively to the Terrapins in the past couple of weeks. In Maryland’s past four games, he averaged 19.0 points while shooting 52% overall and 52% from 3-point range, on more than six 3-point attempts per game. He came up big late in the road game at Indiana and has been shooting the ball with confidence from the perimeter. The latter has been a key part of his improved form; in Rice’s first nine Big Ten games, he was shooting just 29.2% from 3.
Next seven days: at Nebraska (Feb. 13), vs. Iowa (Feb. 16)
Previous ranking: Unranked
After an injury kept him out of two games, followed by a few weeks of some inconsistency, freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis appears to be back to his best. In the Illini’s most recent wins, over Minnesota and UCLA, he averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, going 5-for-12 from 3-point range. Those two outings were also Illinois’ best offensive performances since the Jan. 2 road win at Oregon — and much of that has to do with 3-point shooting. Illinois made fewer than 30% of its 3s in six straight games before the win over Minnesota. Against the Golden Gophers and Bruins, however, it shot 20-for-44.
Next seven days: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 15), at Wisconsin (Feb. 18)
Dropped out: UCLA Bruins (No. 22), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 24), Saint Mary’s Gaels (No. 25)
