Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: A new No

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• height =” 40″/ > Jeff BorzelloFeb 13, 2025, 09:00 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting expert.
• Joined ESPN in 2014.
• Graduate of University of Delaware.For a few hours this past Saturday,

  it looked like we were on track to have a real debate about which team need to be No. 1 in this week’s AP poll. Auburn got blitzed in the house by Florida, Duke got dropped on the road at Clemson, then Alabama held off Arkansas for the roadway win.But in both the AP poll and these Power Rankings, Auburn keeps its location at the top.The Tigers’ total body of work transcends to that of every other group in the nation.

  They’re No. 1 in the web, KPI, ESPN’s strength of record, Wins Above Bubble, KenPom– you name it. They also have 13 Quadrant 1 wins when no other group has more than 8, tallying the most combined Quadrant 1 and 2 wins in the country.Alabama is No. 2 in each of the three résumé-based metrics, however 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 argument on the court Saturday( 4 p.m. ET, ESPN) in what must 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.” However the move also provided Pearl an elite three-man bench group in Baker-Mazara, Chaney Johnson (who scored 20 points) and Tahaad Pettiford. It will be fascinating to see whether Pearl rolls with it moving forward.Next 7 days: at

  Alabama( Feb. 15), vs. Arkansas (Feb. 19) Editor’s Picks 2 Associated< img

  alt=”” src =” https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/333.png?w=65&h=120&transparent=true” width=” 70″/ > Previous ranking: 3 Going into the season

  , Alabama was perceived as having one of the inmost, if not the inmost– lineups in the nation. And down the stretch of the season, the Crimson Tide are beginning to get a noticeable advantage from their bench. In Tuesday’s road win at Texas, Aden Holloway continued his outstanding season, scoring 18 points and making 3s off the bench. Freshman Labaron Philon broke out of his downturn to end up with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. And glue guy Mouhamed Dioubate had double figures for the 4th time in six games, finishing with 13 points and three 3s. Next seven days: vs. Auburn (Feb. 15), at Missouri( Feb. 19 )< img alt ="" src=" https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/57.png?w=65&h=120&transparent=true" width=

  ” 70″/ > Previous ranking: 6 The method Todd Golden and Florida keep pushing

  forward and winning games regardless of a brand-new injury each week is increasingly more remarkable. 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 due to the fact that of a sprained ankle. Guard Denzel Aberdeen is balancing 14.3 points in three games as a starter, while Thomas Haugh came off the bench in Condon’s location to put up 16 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and 2 takes versus Mississippi State.Next 7 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 permeable interior defense that was at the heart of the Blue Devils’ battles. Clemson made 26 2-pointers, shooting better than 63% from inside the arc,

  without a doubt the best any group has actually shot versus Duke this season. On the season, Duke opponents are shooting even worse than 43% on 2-pointers, ranking 2nd 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 because the end of November was a one-point overtime loss to Texas Tech, however the Cougars’ schedule will increase in trouble. The stretch will be crucial for Houston’s push for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, as the Cougars have elite efficiency-based metrics but lag

  behind their competitors in résumé-based metrics and résumé-boosting wins. Their last 7 games: at Arizona, at Arizona State, vs. Iowa State, at Texas Tech, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Kansas, at Baylor. There will be opportunities to close the gap on Duke and the myriad SEC teams pushing for the leading 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 6 weeks continued into Tuesday’s loss to Kentucky– he completed with 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting, missing all 7 of his 3-point attempts.

  In Tennessee’s 20 wins this season, Lanier’s balanced 18.6 points, shooting 43.3% from 3-point range. In the Vols’ five losses, he has actually balanced simply 12.4 points and shot 26.3% from 3( and only 37% inside the arc, for great measure ). In the whole of SEC play, he has actually balanced 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 appeared like their defense had sprung a couple of leaks in January, the Aggies have refocused at that end of the floor. They held both Missouri and Georgia to less than one point per ownership, and the opponents balanced just 58.5 points. Missouri had a hard time 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 very first 12 efforts. They shot simply 37.5% from inside the arc, including 5-for-13 on layups.Next 7 days: vs. Arkansas( Feb. 15 ), at Mississippi State( Feb. 18) Leading stories of the week from Get exclusive access to countless premium posts a year from top authors. – Our 2025 Way-Too-Early MLB All-Stars” – Groups that make good sense for Myles Garrett?” – 4 Nations Face-Off: Forecasting every game” More ESPN+ content “Previous ranking: 5 There’s an apparent reason for it– the departure of Zach Edey– but

  Purdue’s remarkable drop-off in defense around the rim is considerable. The Boilermakers rank 14th in the Big 10 in 2-point defense, allowing groups to shoot 55.5% inside the arc. They’re likewise last in the league in block portion. A season ago, they were second in
  the Big 10 in 2-point defense. In the loss to Michigan on Tuesday, they really dealt pretty well with Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf in the paint however still permitted more than 1.09 points per

  belongings for the fourth time in six games.Next seven days: vs. Wisconsin( Feb. 15), at Michigan State( Feb. 18

  ) Previous ranking: 9 After scoring less than one point per possession in 3 straight games, Iowa State has recuperated on the offending end. The resurgence coincides with the return of Milan Momcilovic, who missed 7 games due to the fact that of a hand injury. The most noteworthy difference nevertheless has actually come from Curtis Jones, who moved into the starting lineup with Momcilovic

  out. After balancing 9.7 points and shooting 21.6% from the field and 14.3% from 3

  in his last 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 dispensed 5 assists.Next 7 days: vs. Cincinnati (Feb. 15), vs. Colorado( Feb. 18) Previous ranking: 18 Beating Tennessee by 11 on Tuesday is outstanding in itself; put in context, it looks even better. The Wildcats were already without Jaxson Robinson, who was eliminated before the game due to the fact that of a wrist injury, and Kerr Kriisa, who has missed out on 2 months since of a foot injury. And after that late in the second half, beginning point guard Lamont Butler took a hard fall and worsened the shoulder injury that kept him out of 3 games. Despite

  that, Kentucky completed the game on a 17-4 run, getting a big boost from its role players: Koby Brea, Ansley Almonor, Trent Noah and Travis Perry. More significantly, the Wildcats have actually now held their previous 2 opponents to an average of 60.5 points and 7-for-40 3-point shooting after allowing their previous 5 challengers to make a minimum of 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 getting its 2 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 4 losses have been by a combined 7 points.They had their worst defensive performance of the season versus the Wildcats, allowing them to shoot 60% inside the arc( the highest portion the Red Storm have actually quit )and nearly 46 %from 3-point variety( the second-highest percentage they have actually given up ). At the other end, the Red Storm shot 37 threes at a 61% rate. Both marks are St. John’s greatest of the season, by a large margin.Next seven days: vs. Creighton( Feb. 16), at DePaul( Feb. 19 ) Previous ranking: 10 Texas Tech recuperated from its loss to Arizona with a double-overtime success over Arizona State, with JT Toppin producing among the best specific performances of the season.

  He finished with 41 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 takes, 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 likewise just the fourth player in Big 12 history and the first because 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, Cent Hardaway altered his beginning lineup. Moussa Cisse went to the bench and in stepped Dain Dainja, who was carrying out at a high level as a reserve anyhow. In his previous 5 games, all as a starter, Dainja is balancing 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 helps, and shooting 72%. He offers a capable enhance to Memphis’ perimeter firepower, and he has actually been able to stay on the floor far more regularly than he did at Illinois.Next 7 days: at South Florida (Feb. 13 ), at Wichita State( Feb. 16) Previous ranking: Unranked The training job Dusty May has actually performed in Ann Arbor should have more attention. He took control of a program that remained 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 area to Rubin Jones. May continues to push the right buttons.Next 7 days: at Ohio State( Feb. 16) Previous ranking: 20 John Tonje is once again striking his stride at the correct time. After starting the season on a tear, including 41 points against Arizona and 33 against Pitt, he balanced simply 12.0 points on 35.9% shooting in 9 games between Dec. 7 and Jan. 18. In the six games since, though, Tonje has actually been dominant. He has actually scored a minimum of 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 7 days: at Purdue( Feb. 15), vs. Illinois( Feb. 18 ) Previous ranking: 15 It’s not as basic as saying as Caleb Love goes, Arizona goes. However the splits point to a clear trend, one that is more obvious after the Wildcats lost to Kansas State on Tuesday with a substandard efficiency from their star guard: 6 points on 3-for-15 shooting, consisting of 0-for-7 from 3. In Arizona’s 17 wins this season, Love has actually averaged 17.8 points, 3.6 helps and 1.7 turnovers, while shooting 41% overall and almost 37% from 3. In its seven

  losses, he’s at 11.8 points, 2.3 helps and 2.3 turnovers, shooting 31% total and 18.8% from 3. Next 7 days: vs. Houston( Feb. 15), at Baylor( Feb. 17) Previous ranking: 16 Dennis Gates ‘team suffered a set of challenging close losses to Tennessee and Texas A&M however secured its frustration out on Oklahoma on Wednesday, leaping out to a 20-point halftime lead and cruising to a simple win. Mark Mitchell, who was the driver for so much of Missouri’s success throughout the middle part of the season, officially broke out of his depression, too. Mitchell finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, going 13-for-18 from the free toss line. In his previous five games, the Duke transfer balanced 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, rotating wins and losses for most of the past month. And it’s their offensive home/road divides that are most worrying. In home games, they’re No. 17 general at BartTorvik.com in adjusted efficiency margin, No. 15 nationally in offensive efficiency. In road games, they’re No. 27 general however No. 187 on the offending end. They’re last in Division I in complimentary toss rate on the roadway while

  shooting simply 30.5 %from 3-point range.Next 7 days: at Utah( Feb. 15), at BYU( Feb. 18)< img

  alt=”” src=” https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/145.png?w=65&h=120&transparent=true “width=” 70″/ > Previous ranking: 21 Despite the fact that LSU and South Carolina are the worst teams in the SEC, coming out of back-to-back roadway games in Baton Rouge and Columbia is still worth keeping in mind. And the Rebels have actually now won 3 in a row and 4 of their previous five. Malik Dia was terrific in the 2nd half against the Gamecocks, scoring 12 straight points during one stretch en route to 18 points– a strong bounce-back efficiency after scoring simply one point versus LSU. One prospective trouble spot: Ole Miss has actually now enabled a minimum of one point per ownership in six straight games.Next 7 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 had a hard time, their defense got back on track, restricting heaven Demons to 0.81 points per ownership after permitting each of their previous 5 challengers to score a minimum of 1.03. The 3-point shooting continues to be an issue, however, with the team going simply 4-for-25 from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles now rank 8th in the Big East in 3-point shooting in conference play at 30.8 %, regardless of ranking second

  in 3-point attempt rate.Next 7 days: vs. Seton Hall( Feb. 18)< img alt=" "src="

  https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/127.png?w=120&h=65&transparent=true “width=” 70 “/ > Previous ranking: 17 The Spartans have now lost three of 4 considering that winning 13 straight games and opening the Big 10 schedule with a 9-0 record. They have actually lost their grip on top place and are about to enter a ruthless five-game stretch: at Illinois, vs. Purdue, at Michigan, at Maryland, vs. Wisconsin. Tuesday was the most significant stunner of the current defeats: at home versus Indiana, which had lost five in a row and simply had its lame duck head coach announce he’s stepping down next month. It will be intriguing to see if Tom Izzo continues to begin Jase Richardson. The gifted freshman was in the lineup with Jeremy Worries out against Oregon, completing with 29 points, and after that remained as a starter after Worries’ return, with Tre Holloman transferring to the bench.Next seven days: at Illinois( Feb. 15

  ), vs. Purdue( Feb. 18) Previous ranking: 23 It has actually been challenging to really determine UConn’s up-and-down performance over the previous couple of weeks, given star freshman Liam McNeeley missed eight games due to the fact that of an ankle injury, then had a hard time in his very first game back (the loss to St. John’s). But at Creighton on Tuesday, McNeeley advised everyone why he’s a draft lottery choice– and why UConn still has the possible to make a 3rd straight Last 4 run.

  He completed 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 because 2007

  and, per Opta, he’s just

  the 3rd freshman in Division I in the previous 20 years to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 3-pointers in a roadway game.Next 7 days: at Seton Hall (Feb. 15), vs. Villanova( Feb. 18 ) Previous ranking: Unranked Clemson burglarize the leading 25 after back-to-back wins over Duke and North Carolina, handing the former its very first loss considering that before Thanksgiving and blowing out the later by 20 in a game that wasn’t even that close. Brad Brownell’s team has actually now won 8 of its past nine games, with the only loss can be found in three overtimes to Georgia Tech. The Tigers’ only other loss considering that mid-December was on the roadway at Louisville. Their metrics are regularly solid

  across the board, and they are now 9-4 versus Quadrants 1 and 2. It’s an extremely sound résumé.Next 7 days: at Florida State( Feb. 15) Previous ranking: 19 Rodney Rice has supplied a real boost offensively to the Terrapins in the previous number of weeks. In Maryland’s past 4 games, he averaged 19.0 points while shooting 52 %total and 52 %from 3-point range, on more than six 3-point attempts per game. He turned up big late in the roadway game at Indiana and has actually been shooting the ball with self-confidence from the boundary. The latter has actually been an essential part of his better kind; in Rice’s very first nine Huge 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 2 games, followed by a few weeks of some inconsistency, freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis appears to be back to his finest. In the Illini’s newest wins, over Minnesota and UCLA, he averaged 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists, going 5-for-12 from 3-point variety. Those two trips were likewise Illinois’ finest offensive

  efficiencies given that the Jan. 2

  roadway win at Oregon– and much of that has to do with 3-point shooting. Illinois made less than 30% of its threes in six straight games before the win over Minnesota. Versus the Golden Gophers and Bruins, however, it shot 20-for-44. Next seven days: vs. Michigan State( Feb. 15), at Wisconsin( Feb. 18 )Left: UCLA Bruins( No. 22 ), Mississippi State Bulldogs( No. 24), Saint Mary’s Gaels( No. 25).