Men’s Power Rankings: Big news! Purdue is No

Jeff Borzello, ESPN

• Personnel WriterDec 18, 2023, 08:30 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting expert.
• Signed up with ESPN in 2014.
• Graduate of University of Delaware.After 2 weeks atop the rankings,

Arizona suffered its very first loss of the season at Purdue on Saturday. It means we need to change the No. 1 group for the fourth time this season, however it’s going to be a familiar one. Kansas opened at No. 1 before Purdue took over following Banquet Week. With Arizona’s loss, who rises in between the Jayhawks or Boilermakers?Kansas was No. 2 last week and all the Jayhawks did was rally for their first real road win at Indiana. Purdue was No.

3, but knocked off the No. 1 in outstanding fashion.As far as quality wins, the Jayhawks have triumphes over UConn, Tennessee and Kentucky, with their only loss beginning a neutral website by 14 to Marquette. Purdue, the only team in the nation with five Quadrant 1 wins, counters with wins over Arizona, Marquette, Tennessee, Gonzaga and Alabama. The Boilermakers’ one loss was available in overtime at Northwestern.From a metrics viewpoint, Purdue has the edge. The Boilermakers are No. 2 across the board in efficiency-based and résumé-based metrics, while Kansas is No. 10 at KenPom, No. 12 in the BPI, No. 16 in the NET.Matt Painter’s group has a Maui Invitational title– the exact same event in which Kansas completed third– and is coming off one of the best wins by any group this season. So, Purdue increases back to

the top.On to this week’s awards and rankings. play 0:31 No. 3 Purdue drains back-to-back threes as they knock off No. 1 Arizona Lance Jones and

Braden Smith tear down 2 long balls to assist

extend Purdue’s lead vs. Arizona. After giving that whole soliloquy above about Purdue’s

case for No. 1, it couldn’t be a mystery for Team of the Week, could it? The Boilermakers won this award coming out of Banquet Week, when they ran through an onslaught of Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette to win the Maui Invitational. They deserve it once again after knocking off No. 1 Arizona and rising to the top of the Power Rankings.They didn’t beat the Wildcats the way they have actually defeated the majority of their challengers over the past couple of seasons. Zach Edey ended with an impressive stat line– 22 points, nine boards, five helps– however it was backcourt mates Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer who carried the Boilermakers for the majority of the game. The sophomore guards combined for 53 points and 9 3-pointers, striking momentum-building shots throughout the first 25 minutes and then sealing the win with huge baskets late. The 2 guards have been reviled since the NCAA tournament loss to Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, however if they play like they did on Saturday– and actually, Smith has been doing it all season– they can lower the nets in April. play 0:17 Kevin Cross eradicate protector for and-1 Kevin Cross battle protector for and-1.

Cross has actually progressively enhanced in each of his four seasons at Tulane, going from 6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 helps in 2020-21 to 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.6 helps in this project. However the former Nebraska Cornhusker transfer put together a historical week, ending up being simply the second Division I player to have a 20-point triple-double in consecutive games given that helps became a widely kept stat in 1983-84. Another note via ESPN Stats & Information: Cross is just the third Division I men’s player given that 2007-08 with back-to-back triple-doubles. The 6-foot-8 forward begun with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists (and 6 steals, for great procedure) in a double-overtime win over Furman on

Thursday, then followed it with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 helps (and four blocks) in a win over Southern on Saturday. Cross missed just 4 shots from the field all week, shooting 13-for-17 inside the arc and 2-for-2 from 3. Editor’s Picks 2 Associated On

one side of this match was a 9-0

Baylor team ranked 6th in the country, looking for another win heading into Wednesday’s showdown with Duke at Madison Square Garden. On the other side was a 4-5 Michigan State group in disarray, sustaining”what’s incorrect with Sparty?”columns and concerns about Tom Izzo.Two hours later on: Michigan State 88, Baylor 64– and it wasn’t that close.The Spartans led

by as lots of as 30 points in the second half, and Baylor required five points in the last 35 seconds to get the margin to 24. It was the program’s biggest margin of success vs. a leading 10 group. Michigan State led by 15 within 9 minutes, 25 within 16 minutes and 30 late in the first half. Tyson Walker’s 25 points paced the Spartans. The emphasize

of Chicago State’s previous week consists of two wins, one of which came by ranked Northwestern. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

When Gillion took control of Chicago State in July 2021, the Cougars were amongst the worst programs in college basketball. They had gone 0-9 in 2020-21 before suspending the season due to COVID-19 and had not won a conference game considering that 2018 (they remained in the WAC before delegating play as an independent program in 2022-23). What Gillion has actually done because getting the task, nevertheless, is relatively exceptional and was topped off this week with perhaps the greatest win in school history.On Wednesday, Chicago State entered into Northwestern– where top-ranked Purdue lost this season– and knocked off the No. 25 Wildcats 75-73. It was the Cougars ‘very first win over a ranked challenger after losing their previous 39 attempts. In those beats, just one was by single digits. The 39 losses came over an average of 38.4 points, according to ESPN Statistics & Info. Yet, Gillion led the Cougars into Evanston and came out with a win.If that’s all Chicago State did this past week, Gillion still may have gotten this award. But the Cougars followed it with a 63-62 win at Valparaiso, coming back from down nine in the final 4 minutes to dominate on a Wesley Cardet Jr. layup with 2.8 seconds left. Cardet, by the way, amounted to 58 points in this week’s two wins.Three teams with questions UCLA Bruins: The Bruins’ loss to Ohio State on Saturday dropped them to 5-4 and suggests their résumé will be reasonably barren getting in Pac-12 play. Their finest triumph is a one-point home win over UC Riverside and they haven’t beat anybody ranked inside the leading 250 at KenPom.

Notre Dame Combating Irish: Very little was anticipated of the Fighting Irish in Micah Shrewsberry’s very first season at the helm, given it was a total lineup overhaul. However Saturday’s overtime loss at home to Georgetown– in among the few remaining games where they’ll be favored– drops them to 4-6.

USC Trojans: UCLA isn’t the only Los Angeles group in trouble. The Trojans dropped their third straight game on Sunday, decreasing double-digits to Auburn in the first 10 minutes and tracking by as many as 23 points. USC, which was picked second in the Pac-12 preseason poll, is 5-5 and needs to win plenty in league play.Power Rankings play 0:16 Lance Jones and Braden

Smith tear down two long balls to help extend Purdue’s lead vs. Arizona.Braden Smith crosses half court and immediately steps into his shot to flush the triple. 1. Purdue Boilermakers(10-1)Previous ranking: 3 Today: vs. Jacksonville( Thursday )Perhaps lost in the headlines
about Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith– and the typical play from Zach Edey–

was Lance Jones ‘impact against Arizona on Saturday. He struck a vital 3 from the right wing with 4:54 left that pressed Purdue’s result in 7 when Arizona’s zone was flummoxing the Boilermakers. He also had 4 points in the final 25 seconds to ice the success and dispensed four assists to take heat off Smith. play 0:19 Kevin McCullar Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. buckets seal a Kansas win Kevin McCullar Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. assist cap off a 75-71 Kansas win with two combined pails vs. Indiana. 2. Kansas Jayhawks (10-1 )Previous ranking: 2 This week: vs. Yale(Friday)

Kevin McCullar Jr.’s transformation from top-level two-way player to legitimate go-to guy on a

national championship contender has been among the larger storylines of the 2023-24 season. He’s nearly doubled his four-year profession average in scoring, shooting a profession best from the field and 3-point line– and was the driver in Kansas’ return versus Indiana with 13 second-half points. play 0:19 Donovan Clingan gets the and-1 to succumb to UConn Donovan Clingan gets the and-1 to fall for UConn.

3. UConn Huskies (10-1 )Previous ranking: 5 This week

: at Seton Hall Pirates(Wednesday), vs. St. John’s(Saturday)UConn concluded its nonconference schedule with a persuading 76-63 win over Gonzaga in

Seattle on Friday. It was Donovan Clingan’s finest efficiency of the season versus a high quality opponent, as he was just dominant on the interior, finishing with 21 points, eight boards, 3 helps and 2 blocks. And led by Clingan, the Huskies are shooting a nation-leading 64%from inside the arc. 4. Arizona Wildcats(8-1)Previous ranking: 1 Today: vs. Alabama in Phoenix( Wednesday), vs. Florida Atlantic in Las Vegas(Saturday)Arizona showed some character after getting typed the mouth for the very first time this season, fighting back from a 15-point deficit in the very first half to take Purdue almost to the wire. And it was a positive that Caleb Love(29 points)and Keshad Johnson( 24 points)continued their strong starts. The big issue came on the defensive end, as the Wildcats merely weren’t able to successfully safeguard the border in their man-to-man defense. Purdue scored 1.20 points per possession, without a doubt the most Arizona has actually allowed this season. 5. Houston Cougars(11-0

)Previous ranking: 4 Today: vs. Texas State(Thursday)Houston just keeps winning, hanging on to beat Texas

A&M despite blowing a 16-point second-half lead. The most significant news this previous week came after coach Kelvin Sampson revealed that sophomore Terrance Arceneaux would miss out on the remainder of the season with a torn right Achilles tendon. Arceneaux has played an essential role off the bench this season, and his absence will put more pressure on Temple transfer Damian Dunn to return to form and sophomore guard Emanuel Sharp to continue his breakout campaign. 6. Marquette Golden Eagles(9-2)Previous ranking: 7 Today: at Providence(Tuesday), vs. Georgetown( Friday)Marquette had a closer-than-expected win over St. Thomas (MN)on Thursday, but the Golden Eagles continue to establish an appealing weapon in 6-11 sophomore Ben Gold. The New Zealand native has actually played a bigger role this season, and he’s scored 8 points in two of his previous three games. He offers Shaka Smart another player who can step out and stretch a defense, as 37 of his 50 basket attempts are from behind the arc. play 3:22 Freshmen guide No. 14 Kentucky past No. 9 UNC The Wildcats’young skill shows up clutch versus the Tar Heels with 18 of their last 20 points scored by freshmen for the 87-83 top-15 win at home. 7. Kentucky Wildcats
(8-2)Previous ranking: 9 This week: at Louisville (Thursday)

Kentucky assistant Bruiser Flint sparked some concern when he stated before the North Carolina game that the Wildcats may need to change their up-tempo style with their big men getting healthy. Well, there was no sign of that against the Tar Heels, with Kentucky playing its second-fastest game of the season and trying its most threes considering that November. And John Calipari likely put an end to the dispute after the game, saying, “This is who we are.”

play 1:48 Tennessee holds back NC State to seal win in Hall of Popularity Series finale Josiah-Jordan James scores 23 and Zakai Ziegler chips in 20 as No. 12 Tennessee beats NC State in San Antonio.

8. Tennessee Volunteers(8-3) Previous ranking: 10 This week: vs. Tarleton State(Thursday)

Tennessee’s win over NC State on Saturday night wasn’t its finest efficiency, but it was a good indication the Volunteers had the ability to score 1.20 points per ownership with Dalton Knecht opting for just 2 points on 1-for-7 shooting. It was also a breakout efficiency for Zakai Zeigler, who finished with 20 points, eight assists and four takes. Zeigler was inserted back into the lineup 5 games back, and the Vols have actually gone 4-1 during that stretch, with Zeigler averaging 10.4 points, 6.4 assists and shooting 39.1% from 3 in that time.

play 1:48 Green Bay Phoenix vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Complete Highlights Green

Bay Phoenix vs. Oklahoma Sooners: full
highlights. 9. Oklahoma Sooners (10-0)

Previous ranking: 13 This week: vs. North Carolina in Charlotte( Wednesday )Oklahoma improved to 10-0 with a simple win over Green Bay on Saturday, however the Sooners will face their hardest test of the season on Wednesday against North Carolina in Charlotte. A win there, and Porter Moser’s group should go into Huge 12 play at 13-0. The game will likely boil down to OU’s defense. The Sooners rank in the leading 10 nationally in adjusted protective effectiveness, while the Tar Heels are in the top 10 on offense. Oklahoma needs to keep Carolina off the free toss line.

10. Baylor Bears (
9-1)Previous ranking: 6 Today: vs. Duke in New York City (Wednesday), vs. Mississippi Valley State (Friday)

Scott Drew will need to hope his team deals with the blowout loss to Michigan State as a wake-up call, as there’s a brief turnaround before the Bears go to New york city to face Duke. What went wrong for the Bears on Saturday? Let’s begin with the apparent. They shot just 31.6% from 3, the most affordable percentage in more than a month for the No. 1 shooting team in the country. They had their greatest turnover portion and least expensive offensive rebounding portion this season. It was their worst protective effort of the season. Michigan State shot 63.3% from the field and 66.7% from 3. Baylor will hope it’s just an abnormality.

play 0:45 UNLV upsets No. 8 Creighton 79-64 The 4-4 UNLV Rebels handle to distress No. 8 Creighton 79-64 Wednesday night. 11. Creighton Bluejays( 9-2)Previous ranking: 8 This week: vs.
Villanova (Wednesday
)It was a variety for Creighton

last week, which lost by 15 to UNLV and after that reversed to beat Alabama at home. The Bluejays ‘two losses of the season– both to Mountain West programs– have come by a combined 36 points, with 14-for-58 shooting from 3-point range. An excellent indication for Greg McDermott will be that, although they once again shot badly on Saturday, the Bluejays still handled to score 1.23 points per possession because they were aggressive at the rim and consistently got to the totally free throw line. 12. Illinois Fighting Illini(8-2 )Previous ranking: 16 This week: vs. Missouri in St. Louis(Friday)Brad Underwood’s group has actually been among the very best defensive groups in

the nation, ranking No. 13 nationally at KenPom in adjusted protective performance. It will be intriguing to see how they safeguard in Huge Ten play, however. Versus Illinois’three most difficult challengers– Marquette, Florida Atlantic, Tennessee– the Illini have permitted 1.13 points per ownership, compared to 0.80 points per ownership against other opponents.Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium short articles a year from top authors. – NFL’s 3 most disappointing teams are …” – 50 finest football hiring classes in ’24” – Rookie rankings: Who lags Wemby?”More ESPN+material “
13. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-3)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. Oklahoma in Charlotte (Wednesday)

After appearing like the most dominant force in college basketball not called Zach Edey for the very first 3 games, Armando Bacot has had a hard time for the majority of the past month. Over his past seven games, Bacot is averaging just 12.4 points on 45.8% shooting, numbers that are buoyed by a 22-point effort against Tennessee. But he had just 9 points (and 6 turnovers) versus Kentucky over the weekend, his third single-digit scoring effort in the past month. He did this simply twice last season.

14. Colorado State Rams
(10-1)Previous ranking: 15 This week: at Loyola

Marymount(Friday) After a hard three-week stretch that included five games versus groups ranked inside the top 100 in KenPom, Colorado State has entered its last stretch of nonconference have fun with two non-Division I challengers and a road trip to Loyola Marymount on Friday. The very first of these came Sunday, with Isaiah Stevens scoring 18 points to lead the Rams to a win over CSU Pueblo. One workers note: Sophomore Taviontae Jackson, who missed the very first 7 games with a hip injury, started his very first contest and responded with 13 points and 5 steals.

15. Florida Atlantic Owls(9-2)Previous ranking: In the waiting space Today: vs. Arizona in Las Vegas (Saturday)

FAU functioned against St. Bonaventure over the weekend, setting up a chance at a true statement win against Arizona. It will be without a doubt the Owls’ most challenging game till a journey to Memphis at the end of February. Dusty May did receive some positive news getting in that contest, as Nick Boyd, who began 35 games last season, worn against the Bonnies after missing the previous 7 contests with a leg injury. He came off the bench and contributed 7 points in 20 minutes.

play 1:49 Clemson Tigers vs. Memphis Tigers:

Complete Highlights Clemson Tigers vs. Memphis Tigers: full highlights.

16. Memphis Tigers( 8-2 )Previous ranking: Unranked This week: vs. Virginia (Tuesday), vs. Vanderbilt (Saturday)

Memphis has actually silently assembled a really outstanding résumé, with six wins over groups ranked inside the leading 100 at KenPom. The Tigers are riding a three-game winning streak, simply handed Clemson its very first loss and ought to be getting Kansas State transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin quickly. David Jones has been on a tear, scoring a minimum of 22 points in four straight games and dropping 36 points versus Arkansas previously this season.Dropped out: Gonzaga

Bulldogs (No. 12), Clemson Tigers (No. 14)In the waiting space

Clemson Tigers: The Tigers suffered their first loss on Saturday, falling by 2 at Memphis. Perhaps not coincidentally, it was also Joseph Girard III’s first below average performance in more than a month. It was his first single-digit scoring game given that the 2nd contest of the season, and he shot just 3-for-8 from the field. The Tigers must bounce back with two home games before ACC play though.

Gonzaga Bulldogs: The Zags fall out of the leading 16 after getting dropped by UConn in Seattle. Gonzaga has lost its 3 most difficult games and its best wins in the first six weeks are neutral-court victories over UCLA and USC, two teams we pointed out are having a hard time. Mark Few’s group has found it hard to score versus excellent challengers, installing fewer than one per belongings in each of the 3 losses.

Virginia Cavaliers: The Cavaliers hardly left against Northeastern on Saturday, needing to erase a double-digit second-half deficit. It was the offense that could not get it going, scoring just 56 points and being held listed below 1.00 point per possession for the 4th time in six games. An interesting journey to Memphis waits for on Tuesday.