Some movement in the top 10 thanks to losses by Marquette and Florida, but the top three remain unchanged.
Georgetown and Baylor enter the top 10.
New additions to this week's Top 25: Saint Mary's.
Here are this week's Power Rankings:
Editor's note: Team blurbs written by Myron Medcalf
Overall | Voters 1-6 | Voters 7-12 | Voters 13-16 || College Basketball Power Rankings - Week 13 | |||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | PTS | COMMENT | |
| 1 | -- Last Week: 1 | 375 | Vanderbilt gave the Wildcats another battle Saturday, but Kentucky's next-level athleticism and defense carried it to an 83-74 victory. It was Kentucky's 20th consecutive win. As Selection Sunday approaches, the Wildcats are the clear favorites to win it all. | ||
| 2 | -- Last Week: 2 | 359 | The Orange have locked up the Big East title and a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. It hasn't been easy. Syracuse has won four of its last nine games by three points or less, including a 71-69 win at UConn Saturday. | ||
| 3 | -- Last Week: 3 | 340 | Kansas beat Missouri in an 87-86 overtime classic Saturday. To win the national championship, Bill Self's Jayhawks will need the kind of resilience they possessed against the Tigers as they overcame a 19-point deficit. | ||
| 4 | 1 Last Week: 5 | 327 | This is the way it's supposed to be. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils will meet for the ACC regular-season title Saturday. Since suffering a 90-57 loss at Florida State on Jan. 14, the only blemish for the Tar Heels has been their Feb. 8 home loss against Duke (Google Austin Rivers and The Shot). Revenge could come Saturday, but it will have to come in Durham. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | 312 | Like the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils will be fighting for both the ACC title and a possible No. 1 seed when they face North Carolina at home. Should be another classic matchup between the two rivals, who staged a "game of the year" candidate in their first meeting. | ||
| 6 | 2 Last Week: 4 | 296 | The Spartans had a chance to lock up the Big Ten title outright with a win over Indiana on Tuesday. But Draymond Green (29 points) seemed to be the only Spartan who recognized that. If Ohio State beats Michigan State on Sunday and Michigan wins its last two games, then all three teams will finish in a tie for first place. | ||
| 7 | -- Last Week: 7 | 293 | The Tigers were on the wrong end of a great game against Kansas. They had a 19-point lead early in the second half, and then they squandered it when the 3s stopped connecting and Kansas stormed back. No excuses for blowing that lead, especially with a possible No. 1 seed on the line. | ||
| 8 | -- Last Week: 8 | 288 | The Buckeyes gave up a double-digit lead in the second half Tuesday against Northwestern, a bubble team searching for its first-ever NCAA tournament bid. But Jared Sullinger saved the day in the final seconds. After scoring just 17 points in his previous two games, Sullinger recorded 22 points and 18 rebounds against Northwestern as Ohio State gets ready to face Michigan State for a stake in the Big Ten title Sunday. | ||
| 9 | 3 Last Week: 12 | 255 | Some assumed the Hoyas would not be able to maintain this success over the course of the season. But John Thompson III's team has finished strong, winning four of its past five games. And the Hoyas held Notre Dame to just 41 points in a 59-41 victory Monday. | ||
| 10 | 2 Last Week: 12 | 239 | The Bears have won three straight as they prepare to close out the regular season at Iowa State on Saturday. They haven't been the Big 12 contender they appeared to be entering the season. But as long as they don't have to play Kansas or Missouri in the NCAA tournament (four of their five losses), the Bears could be a dangerous squad with their athleticism and size. | ||
| 11 | 3 Last Week: 14 | 233 | The Shockers won the NIT last season; this season, they'll be dangerous in the NCAA tournament. They're ranked eighth in Ken Pomeroy's ratings after finishing the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. | ||
| 12 | 3 Last Week: 9 | 220 | Wednesday's 72-61 loss to Cincinnati snapped Marquette's five-game winning streak. Bad news for Marquette, good news for the viewing public that didn't have to endure another Fred Astaire impersonation from coach Buzz Williams. | ||
| 13 | 5 Last Week: 18 | 193 | On Sunday, Bo Ryan's team made a statement with a 63-60 win at Ohio State. And then Wisconsin scored 16 points in the first half of a victory over Minnesota on Tuesday. The Badgers can defend, but will they have the offense to make some serious noise in March? | ||
| 14 | 3 Last Week: 11 | 171 | John Beilein's squad can grab a share of the Big Ten title if it wins its final two games (at Illinois and Penn State) and if Michigan State loses to Ohio State on Sunday. That's why he's a candidate for Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Wolverines' weekend loss to Purdue was their first of the season in Ann Arbor. | ||
| 15 | 3 Last Week: 18 | 169 | The Racers are the favorites, obviously, to win the Ohio Valley tournament. And with Isaiah Canaan (19.4 ppg) leading the way, Murray State has the potential to contend in the field of 68. They've won five in a row. | ||
| 16 | 6 Last Week: 22 | 165 | The Hoosiers stopped Michigan State from seizing the Big Ten title and also made a statement about their postseason potential with a 70-55 win over the Spartans in Bloomington on Tuesday. The Hoosiers have defeated three top-five teams this season in Bloomington (Kentucky, Ohio State and Michigan State). | ||
| 17 | 7 Last Week: 10 | 110 | Who are the Gators? Seriously. They haven't looked like an elite team since a Feb. 4 win over Vandy. Since then, they've lost four of seven. | ||
| 18 | 6 Last Week: 24 | 105 | The Commodores challenged Kentucky for the second time in recent weeks in an 83-74 loss Saturday. They followed that with Tuesday's 10-point win over Florida on senior night. They have veterans, shooters and versatility. Vanderbilt is surging at the perfect time (four wins in past five games). | ||
| 19 | 1 Last Week: 20 | 94 | The Owls have won two of their past three games in overtime, including Wednesday's 90-88 victory over UMass. The win gave the Owls the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament. If they defeat Fordham on Saturday, they'll win the Atlantic 10 regular-season crown. | ||
| 20 | 5 Last Week: 15 | 79 | Rick Pitino's squad has endured a variety of injuries this season. But the Cardinals have still managed to be one of the best defensive teams in the country (ranked eighth in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency ratings). Still, they've lost three of five games. | ||
| 21 | 5 Last Week: NR | 71 | It's no longer Gonzaga's league. Saint Mary's won the West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 14-2 record. Matthew Dellavedova (15.4 ppg) and Rob Jones (14.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg) have both made strong cases for WCC Player of the Year honors. | ||
| 22 | 6 Last Week: 16 | 67 | Back-to-back losses to St. John's and Georgetown followed a nine-game winning streak for the Fighting Irish. Two stats stand out from those games: Notre Dame went 4-of-31 from the 3-point line against St. John's and registered just 41 points against the Hoyas. | ||
| 23 | 7 Last Week: 16 | 50 | The Seminoles have fallen out of ACC title contention with consecutive losses to Duke and Miami. The typically stubborn defense that's carried the Seminoles this season was absent in those losses. They gave up 152 points combined. | ||
| 24 | 1 Last Week: 23 | 46 | The Runnin' Rebels don't control their fate in the Mountain West. They entered the week locked in a three-way tie for first with San Diego State and New Mexico. But a 66-59 loss at Colorado State on Wednesday might have knocked them out of the race. | ||
| 25 | -- Last Week: 25 | 37 | The Bulldogs did not win the WCC regular-season title. But they've been the best team in the league in recent weeks. They can prove it with a WCC tournament championship. | ||
| Others receiving votes: San Diego State (30), Kansas State (23), New Mexico (21), Memphis (21), Creighton (20), Virginia (17), Iowa State (11), Drexel (8), California (5), Washington (5), Alabama (4), Saint Louis (3), Long Beach State (2), Cincinnati (2) | |||||
 
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