College basketball power rankings: Arizona rises to the top after convincing road win vs. UConn
The Wildcats are off to a torrid start this season with wins vs. Florida, UCLA and the Huskies
By
Kyle Boone
•
4 min read
There's a new No. 1 on the prowl in the CBS Sports men's college basketball Power Rankings.
Welcome to the top, Tommy Lloyd and Arizona.
The Wildcats earned the No. 1 distinction by claiming another top-25 victim on Wednesday in a 71-67 road win over No. 3 UConn -- their second win over a ranked opponent in the span of a week -- to move from No. 2 to No. 1 in the Power Rankings. The win is Arizona's second this season over a No. 3-ranked team after opening its season with a win over then-No. 3 Florida.
Arizona's rise isn't the only shakeup at the top of the ranks this week, either. In fact, the entire top five is comprised of either new teams entirely or new spots for teams previously occupying the space. Those changes include a bump down to No. 5 for AP No. 1 Purdue and notable climbs for Duke, Gonzaga and others.
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Let's dive in to the latest Power Rankings as we barrel into a big weekend of basketball.
College Basketball Power Rankings
| 1 |  |
| The best resume in college basketball and the hottest team in the sport right now resides in Tucson. The Wildcats have two wins over top-three teams -- including over No. 3 UConn on Wednesday -- and another win over No. 15 UCLA under their belt. Last week: No. 2 | |
| 2 |  |
| Duke is No. 1 at KenPom.com in its net rating metrics with a 5-0 record that was burnished by a 78-66 win over Kansas in the Champions Classic on Tuesday. Last week: No. 3 | |
| 3 |  |
| This will continue to be a safe space for Zags truthers. I had the Bulldogs No. 6 last week and it turns out that was not high enough. This team is dominating with defense and efficient offense and has a metrics-based case to be the best team in the sport. In wins over OU, Arizona State and Creighton, Gonzaga won by an average margin of 18 points. Last week: No. 6 | |
| 4 |  |
| A strong start to the 2025-26 season for Tom Izzo and his Spartans was strengthened Tuesday with a resounding 83-66 win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic. Michigan State is 4-0 and two of those wins (Arkansas and Kentucky) have come against top-15 teams. Last week: No. 7 | |
| 5 |  |
| Purdue was briefly tested by Memphis on Thursday before handling its business in Baha Mar 80-71. The Boilermakers are 5-0 with its 87-80 road win over Alabama last week keeping them comfortably in the top five in the Power Rankings. Last week: No. 1 | |
| 6 |  |
| That 96-88 home win over Kentucky on Nov. 11 is suddenly looking a bit less impressive for Louisville but I can't punish the Cardinals for the performance of other teams. They do, however, fall one spot to No. 6 because of their otherwise lackluster schedule; their other three wins this season have all come vs. teams ranked 200 or worse at KenPom. Last week: No. 5 | |
| 7 |  |
| Houston passed its first real test of the season this week with a 73-72 win over No. 22 Auburn in Birmingham. It is 5-0 heading into a tough upcoming three-game stretch that includes Syracuse, Tennessee and Florida State. Last week: No. 8 | |
| 8 |  |
| The 87-80 home loss to Purdue last Thursday was dispiriting for Alabama -- but a bounceback 90-86 win in Chicago over Illinois on Wednesday was an incredible performance. This team now has wins over St. John's and Illinois under its belt ahead of a huge neutral site showdown vs. Gonzaga on Monday in Vegas. Last week: No. 14 | |
| 9 |  |
| UNC's win over Kansas on Nov. 7 is keeping it high in the Power Rankings along with its 5-0 overall record. It has the 17th best scoring margin in the sport with all five of its wins by double figures. Last week: No. 9 | |
| 10 |  |
| UConn despite suffering its first loss of the season this week to Arizona remains steady at No. 10 this week. The only thing we learned about the Huskies in that 71-67 loss is that UConn remains very good and Tarris Reed -- who missed the game -- is very important. Last week: No. 10 | |
| 11 |  |
| Iowa State is bludgeoning teams with its defense this season and has the third-highest scoring margin in the sport with an average margin of victory of 33.3 (!!!) points. Big test on deck for the Cyclones on Monday vs. St. John's. If you love defense you will love watching that one. Last week: No. 16 | |
| 12 |  |
| The third of three teams from The Triangle to appear in this week's Power Rankings! NC State is quietly 4-0 with wins over VCU and UAB, among others. With Darrion Williams looking like an All-American, the Wolfpack are primed to be a mainstay in this space all season. Last week: NR | |
| 13 |  |
| Illinois missed a really good opportunity Wednesday to take down Alabama and add to its strong early season start -- but this team is still plenty worthy of inclusion. Andrej Stojakovic is looking like perhaps *the* early frontrunner for Transfer of the Year, as he's averaging 16.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. Last week: No. 4 | |
| 14 |  |
| Michigan just missed a spot in the Power Rankings last week but a 67-63 road win over TCU and a 25-point beatdown of MTSU gets the Wolverines into the mix. They are playing at an elite level early on defense and their adjusted efficiency metrics on that end of the floor is currently sixth-best at KenPom. Last week: NR | |
| 15 |  |
| Texas Tech won a thriller Thursday over Wake Forest, 84-83, to improve to 4-1 on the season ahead of a major showdown Friday night vs. No. 1 Purdue. The Red Raiders' lone loss was an 81-77 road loss at Illinois. Last week: No. 13 | |
| 16 |  |
| This is the first appearance for the defending national champions in this season's Power Rankings after suffering a season-opening loss to Arizona on Nov. 3. The Gators have won three-straight since -- all over teams from Florida -- which includes wins over Florida State and Miami. Last week: NR | |
