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College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 12

By Nathaniel Reeves

Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here’s how the top 25 teams in the nation stack up heading into college basketball Week 12.

With Selection Sunday quickly approaching, a few teams around the nation have separated themselves in major conference races around college basketball.

The biggest national development in Week 11 came from Arizona, as Allonzo Trier returned from a lengthy suspension in Saturday’s win over UCLA. With Trier at four strength, the Wildcats are suddenly in the conversation as a Final Four threat and stand out as the favorite in the Pac-12.

Elsewhere, Kansas is in further control of the Big 12 after West Virginia lost twice over the course of the week. Kentucky also asserted its dominance of the SEC with a comfortable win over South Carolina, while Gonzaga rolled past Santa Clara and Portland to remain the nation’s lone undefeated team.

There isn’t much separation between the nation’s best teams, as Villanova, Kansas and Gonzaga all have an argument for the No. 1 spot in the rankings. With blue bloods like Kentucky and North Carolina lurking just behind, we could be in for a thrilling NCAA Tournament.

Here’s how the top 25 teams in the nation shake out in the Week 12 college basketball power rankings.

25. Duke Blue Devils 

While this Duke team has much more upside than a typical fringe top 25 team, there are real concerns that could keep the Blue Devils from going far in March even if all their players get healthy.

Duke snapped a two-game losing streak with a 70-58 win over a decent Miami team on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. However, the Blue Devils couldn’t generate any momentum from the victory, as they suffered their first home loss to NC State since 1995 with a 84-82 defeat to drop to 3-3 in ACC play.

Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum have been excellent for the most part, but several other key players have battled injury troubles and inconsistent performances. Grayson Allen shot 1-of-9 from beyond the arc against the Wolfpack, while Duke is clearly missing the interior defensive presence of senior Amile Jefferson.

Unless Harry Giles can suddenly take over, the Blue Devils are going to be a step behind the top tier of the ACC, particularly until Jefferson and Mike Krzyzewski return. While there’s hope for the Blue Devils to gel before March, the defense isn’t Final Four caliber as things stand.

Duke still stands at 15-5 on the season despite all the injury issues. The Blue Devils need a win at Wake Forest on Saturday before a tough matchup in South Bend against Notre Dame two days later.