Men’s college basketball Power Rankings: The top 5 gets a big reshuffle

We warned everyone last week that major changes to the top of the Power Rankings could be on the horizon, with four of the top five playing road games against other ranked teams between editions.

Well, all four of those teams lost: UConn to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Friday; Duke at the buzzer to North Carolina on Saturday; Illinois in overtime to Michigan State on Sunday; and Arizona, for the first time this season, at Kansas on Monday.

The carnage extended down the rankings more than expected, with Illinois dropping another game Tuesday against Wisconsin; Iowa State losing at TCU; and Nebraska dropping one at home to Purdue.

When the dust settled, the top seven teams in last week’s Power Rankings went 8-7 in the span of seven days, with Michigan accounting for three of those wins.

So, how seismic were the resulting shifts at the top of the rankings?

Well … not that seismic.

The top four teams are still the top four teams — just in a different order. Houston takes over the fifth spot. We did opt for Michigan in the top spot, overtaking Arizona. The Wolverines have the edge in six of seven teamsheet metrics, and though Arizona has better wins overall, the Wildcats haven’t beaten a team in this week’s Power Rankings since Dec. 13.

Previous ranking: 3

Michigan was pushed in Wednesday’s trip to Northwestern as it had been very few times this season. The Wolverines trailed by 16 points with less than 15 minutes before turning the game completely on its head to win by 12. Over the final 14:05, they outscored Northwestern 45-17, going 14-for-18 from the field while holding the Wildcats to 5-for-25 shooting, including 1-for-13 from 3. The surprise star performer was backup point guard L.J. Cason, who took over for Elliot Cadeau early in the second half and never left the court again. He finished with 18 points and three assists, hitting several big shots during Michigan’s game-changing runs.

Next seven days: vs. UCLA (Feb. 14), at Purdue (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 1

Arizona’s first loss featured issues at both ends of the court. Monday’s was the Wildcats’ second-worst offensive game and their second-worst defensive game of the season. One stat that stood out was the free throw shooting. Arizona has been the best team in the Big 12 at getting to the free throw line all season, averaging more than 26 foul shots. Against Kansas, it got to the line only 14 times, and the Jayhawks shot 25 of their own. Because the Wildcats don’t shoot a high volume from 3, not getting foul shots put so much pressure on their half-court offense to get clean looks at the rim, and things became stagnant at that end.

Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech (Feb. 14), vs. BYU (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 2

Even when UConn was struggling from the perimeter, coach Dan Hurley maintained that his team was getting good looks — the shots just weren’t falling. “We haven’t changed anything on offense,” he said after last week’s win over Xavier. “We’re just starting to make shots at the clip and at the level that this team should be making shots.” Whatever it is, UConn’s newfound shotmaking is real. The Huskies have now made at least nine 3s in five straight games after doing it five times all season; over that span, they’re making 11.8 3s per game at a 44.7% clip.

Next seven days: vs. Georgetown (Feb. 14), vs. Creighton (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 4

In both of Duke’s losses this season, the Blue Devils have blown double-digit leads and looked far too reliant on Cameron Boozer for offense late in games. The national Player of the Year favorite is good enough to oblige, but coach Jon Scheyer will hope Tuesday’s win over Pittsburgh helps Isaiah Evans regain the form that made him one of the most dangerous wings in the conference early. After averaging 24.0 points in the first three games of January, the sophomore guard averaged 13.1 points and shot 25.6% from 3 in his next seven. But against Pitt, he scored 21 points and was 5-for-6 from 3.

Next seven days: vs. Clemson (Feb. 14), vs. Syracuse (Feb. 16)

Previous ranking: 8

This is Houston’s third year in the Big 12 — and it has a shot at a third consecutive Big 12 regular-season title. The Cougars have won five straight since their four-point loss at Texas Tech, with a potential title-deciding stretch coming up after this weekend’s game against Kansas State. In that eight-day span, Houston will play Iowa State on the road, Arizona at home and Kansas on the road. The Cougars are playing arguably their most consistent offensive basketball of the season, scoring at least 1.28 points per possession in three of their past four games. Emanuel Sharp has scored 20 or more in three of his past six, and freshman Chris Cenac Jr. hit double figures in three straight before Tuesday.

Next seven days: vs. Kansas State (Feb. 14), at Iowa State (Feb. 16)

Previous ranking: 9

Few bigs in America are playing at a higher level than Flory Bidunga right now. He’s coming off a game in which he went toe-to-toe with arguably the best interior team in the country, when it comes to scoring in the paint and deterring opponents at the rim — and was the best big man on the court. He finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks on Monday, and is now averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks over his past seven games.

Next seven days: at Iowa State (Feb. 14), at Oklahoma State (Feb. 18)

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Flory Bidunga elevates for a critical block

Flory Bidunga protects the paint for the Jayhawks with a late-game swat.

Previous ranking: 14

Michigan State bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a win over Illinois last weekend. Though Jeremy Fears Jr. was the headliner — he had 26 points and 15 assists, the first Big Ten player to do that in more than 30 years — coach Tom Izzo will have come away very happy with the production from his role players and bench. Jordan Scott moved into the starting lineup for the past two games and responded with a combined 25 points and 4-for-8 shooting on 3s. Kur Teng had 10 points and a couple of big 3s. Freshman Cam Ward had a monster dunk early and finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

Next seven days: at Wisconsin (Feb. 13), vs. UCLA (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 10

Purdue picked up its most notable win of the season Tuesday, beating Nebraska on the road in overtime. The win adds to an away-from-home résumé that already included November wins over Alabama and Texas Tech. The Boilermakers are now on a three-game winning streak, which coincides with Fletcher Loyer breaking out of his January slump. In his past three games, the senior guard is averaging 21.7 points and shooting 45.2% from 3 — which does include his 4-for-17 effort against Nebraska. Coach Matt Painter also received great production from his complementary players against the Cornhuskers, with C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and Jack Benter all hitting big 3s, and Oscar Cluff grabbing 10 offensive rebounds and making the winning basket.

Next seven days: at Iowa (Feb. 14), vs. Michigan (Feb. 17)

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Matt Painter talks about Purdue’s resiliency after OT win vs. Nebraska

Purdue coach Matt Painter talks to Scott Van Pelt about the Boilermakers’ overtime win after relinquishing a 22-point lead early in the second half.

Previous ranking: 5

Illinois has dropped two straight, both in overtime, after winning 12 consecutive games to rise into the top five nationally. Though Andrej Stojakovic was missed against Wisconsin, Kylan Boswell‘s absence for the past seven games was finally felt this past week. One of the best defensive guards in America, Boswell probably would have provided some sort of resistance against the guards of Michigan State and Wisconsin. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 26 points and 15 assists against the Illini, and Wisconsin’s backcourt of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd combined for 49 points and nine assists. Both teams scored above 1.19 points per possession against Illinois, a threshold only two other opponents have reached all season.

Next seven days: vs. Indiana (Feb. 15), at USC (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 12

There is arguably no better team in the country playing better defense than Florida. Here is the Gators’ performance on the defensive end in their past four games: held South Carolina to 48 points and 0.69 points per possession; held Alabama 15 points below its average; held Texas A&M to 67 points on 30.6% shooting; and held Georgia to 66 points on 34.7% shooting. Three of those games were on the road, and three were against likely NCAA tournament teams. Per ESPN Research, the past two games mark only the fifth time in the past 20 seasons that Florida has held back-to-back SEC opponents below 35% from the field.

Next seven days: vs. Kentucky (Feb. 14), vs. South Carolina (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 6

In Tuesday night’s loss to TCU, Iowa State had its worst offensive performance since its 2023 NCAA tournament loss to Pitt. Against the Horned Frogs, the Cyclones scored just 0.81 points per possession, and all the areas in which one would expect an Iowa State team to thrive were disappointing. The top-10 3-point shooting team went just 21.7% from beyond the arc. The top-10 team in forcing turnovers lost the turnover battle, and is now 14th out of 16 in the Big 12 in offensive turnover percentage. The conference’s best offensive rebounding team also lost the battle on the boards. The Cyclones also made only two free throws all game. With upcoming games against Kansas, Houston and BYU, coach T.J. Otzelberger will have to hope Tuesday was an anomaly.

Next seven days: vs. Kansas (Feb. 14), vs. Houston (Feb. 16)

Previous ranking: 7

Nebraska has now dropped three of four games since starting the season with 20 consecutive wins. When looking at the three defeats, two things stand out: the rebounding disparity, and the free throw disparity. Three of the Cornhuskers’ six worst rebounding performances at both ends of the court happened in those three losses. Their two worst games with free throw margin came in the losses to Michigan and Illinois. Neither should be a surprise, given that Nebraska ranks at the bottom of the Big Ten in both offensive rebounding percentage and free throw rate, but Purdue grabbing 21 offensive rebounds Tuesday was not part of the plan. Nor was Michigan and Illinois outshooting Nebraska from the free throw line by a combined 49-9 margin.

Next seven days: vs. Northwestern (Feb. 14), at Iowa (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 13

Gonzaga didn’t let the stunning defeat at Portland last week snowball into a losing streak, beating both Oregon State and Washington State by a combined 50 points this past week. The Bulldogs do have arguably their three toughest matchups of WCC play over the next two weeks: road games at Santa Clara, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. Star big man Graham Ike returned from the ankle injury that forced him to sit out three games and had one of the better four-game stretches of his college career: 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 64.1% shooting. He even made five 3s at a 55.6% clip over that span.

Next seven days: at Santa Clara (Feb. 14), at San Francisco (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 17

North Carolina followed up its biggest win of the season — beating Duke on Saturday on Seth Trimble‘s buzzer-beating corner 3 — with a letdown defeat three days later at home against Miami. There were plenty of areas that didn’t carry over from Saturday to Tuesday, at both ends of the court. Against Duke, Carolina’s frontcourt was dominant: Caleb Wilson in the first half, Henri Veesaar in the second half. Neither was as impactful against the Hurricanes. Trimble and Derek Dixon were terrific in the backcourt against Duke, combining for 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Against Miami, they totaled six points on 1-for-14 shooting.

Next seven days: vs. Pitt (Feb. 14), at NC State (Feb. 17)

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Miami knocks off UNC, fans storm the court

Miami beats UNC 75-66 and the fans are fired up as they storm the court.

Previous ranking: 15

During the first half of the season, it looked as if LeJuan Watts was going to be the third option in Texas Tech’s offense after Christian Anderson and JT Toppin. But over the past six weeks, Donovan Atwell has emerged as a reliable option for coach Grant McCasland — and lifted the Red Raiders at both ends of the court. Atwell’s 20 points in Wednesday’s win over Colorado marked his 11th double-figure scoring outing in his past 12 games, after hitting it five times in his first 12 games. He’s averaging 14.4 points and shooting 47.7% from 3 during that stretch.

Next seven days: at Arizona (Feb. 14), at Arizona State (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 16

Arkansas had its two best defensive performances in months this past week, with blowout wins over Mississippi State and LSU. The Razorbacks held both opponents below one point per possession and gave up only 130 points total. Coach John Calipari has been forced into a lineup change for the past two games with Karter Knox and D.J. Wagner both out because of injuries. Sophomore Billy Richmond III was promoted, and he has been terrific, averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the two games, and freshman Isaiah Sealy has played meaningful minutes for the first time in SEC play, providing a lift at both ends.

Next seven days: vs. Auburn (Feb. 14), at Alabama (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 22

St. John’s had a rocky 9-5 start to Big East play but is now tied with UConn atop the conference standings after beating the Huskies at Madison Square Garden, and then narrowly avoiding a massive letdown defeat at home against Xavier on Monday. The Red Storm are now on a 10-game winning streak, ranking No. 1 in the country in wins above bubble over that span. And though Dillon Mitchell has been the catalyst for some of the recent success, it’s time to start giving some credit to Zuby Ejiofor‘s recent form. The preseason Big East Player of the Year had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists against UConn and is now averaging 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a combined 3.0 blocks and steals in his past 12 games.

Next seven days: at Providence (Feb. 14), at Marquette (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 11

It’s impossible to avoid mentioning Tyler Tanner in the Commodores’ write-up every week. The sophomore point guard has been playing at an all-conference level all season, but he has taken his game to a different level since Duke Miles was sidelined. Tanner had 37 points and nine assists in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma, then finished with 25 points and six assists in a bounce-back win at Auburn. In six games without Miles, Tanner is averaging 24.5 points and 7.3 assists.

Next seven days: vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 14), at Missouri (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 18

Over its past two games, Virginia has had only one starter reach double figures, and only three players total have hit that mark. Leading scorer Thijs De Ridder (16.1 PPG) has scored only 18 points in the two games, shooting 6-for-20 from the field. Second-leading scorer Malik Thomas (12.2 PPG) has scored only 11 points in the two, shooting 4-for-15 from the field. Fortunately, the Cavaliers hit something of a soft spot in their ACC schedule, so the inconsistent production hasn’t been much of an issue. And, the bench has stepped up. That said, they’ll need to bounce back for upcoming games against Ohio State, Miami, NC State and Duke.

Next seven days: vs. Ohio State in Nashville (Feb. 14), at Georgia Tech (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 20

The Billikens are showing absolutely zero signs of slowing down as their winning streak hit 17 games over the weekend against La Salle. In fact, they’ve been playing some of their best offensive basketball in the past few weeks. They scored 1.38 points per possession against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 27, 1.40 against Dayton on Jan. 30 and 1.31 against Davidson on Feb. 3. In their past five games, they’ve made an average of 14.6 3s per game, shooting 49% from beyond the arc in that span. Expect the hot shooting to continue Friday against Loyola Chicago, one of the worst 3-point defenses in the country.

Next seven days: at Loyola Chicago (Feb. 13), at Rhode Island (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 23

After losing four of seven games between January and the beginning of February, Alabama has now won three straight, averaging 96.3 points. On Wednesday against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide started just 2-for-18 from 3 over the first 15 minutes, scoring only 15 points over that span — then they absolutely erupted over the final 25 minutes, scoring 78 points while shooting 15-for-27 from 3. Latrell Wrightsell has found his shooting stroke since sitting out three games in January; he’s now 24-for-48 from 3 over his past six games.

Next seven days: vs. South Carolina (Feb. 14), vs. Arkansas (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 24

Louisville extended its winning streak to four games with a 118-77 win over NC State on Monday. Mikel Brown Jr. had one of the best individual performances we’ve seen from anyone in college basketball this season, finishing with 45 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals, shooting 14-for-23 from the field, including 10-for-16 from 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the free throw line. The freshman guard set the single-game ACC freshman scoring record and tied Louisville’s single-game program record for points and 3-pointers made. The Cardinals are now 14-2 with him playing, compared to 4-4 without him.

Next seven days: vs. Baylor in Fort Worth (Feb. 14), at SMU (Feb. 17)

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Mikel Brown Jr. scores career-high 45 points in Louisville’s blowout win

Mikel Brown Jr. scores 45 points with 10 3-pointers as Louisville takes down NC State.

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Kentucky is back in the Power Rankings for the first time in 2026, after winning three in a row and eight of their past nine games — including a sweep of Tennessee and a road win at Arkansas. Otega Oweh has put a disappointing nonconference campaign in the rearview mirror and is performing at an incredibly high level in SEC play. He has scored at least 20 points in five straight games and is averaging 20.6 points and shooting better than 50% from the field over his past 12.

Next seven days: at Florida (Feb. 14), vs. Georgia (Feb. 17)

Previous ranking: 19

Though Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie earn most of the plaudits for Tennessee, sophomore guard Bishop Boswell is rapidly emerging as a key cog for the Volunteers at both ends of the court. It’s easy to see why coach Rick Barnes was drawn to Boswell during the recruiting process; Barnes said recently that he “can’t imagine anybody in the country putting in more time than [Boswell] does.” Boswell does a little bit of everything. Over the past eight games, he has had four double-figure scoring outings, six games with seven of more rebounds, and six games with three or more assists — including Wednesday’s eight-assist performance. He’s also averaging 1.5 steals and nearly one made 3 per game over that span.

Next seven days: vs. LSU (Feb. 14), vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 18)

Previous ranking: 25

It was expected to be their toughest remaining game on the schedule, but the RedHawks went to Marshall — which had won four of five and is third in the Sun Belt — and blew out the Thundering Herd by 16, leading by as many as 24 points. It was another strong performance for Antwone Woolfolk, who finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. After hitting double figures in scoring only four times in his first 12 games of the season, Woolfolk has reached the mark in nine of 11, averaging 12.5 points and shooting 68.4% over that span.

Next seven days: vs. Ohio (Feb. 13), at Massachusetts (Feb. 17)

Dropped out: BYU Cougars (No. 21)