Fansided

College basketball power rankings: Top 10 shaken up after some big losses

By Mike Phillips

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 08: Alex Fudge #3 of the LSU Tigers rebounds the ball over Santiago Vescovi #25 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of a NCAA basketball game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 08, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU Tigers won the game 79-67. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 08: Alex Fudge #3 of the LSU Tigers rebounds the ball over Santiago Vescovi #25 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of a NCAA basketball game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 08, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU Tigers won the game 79-67. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 08: Tari Eason #13 of the LSU Tigers reacts after his team defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 79 -67 during an NCAA basketball game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 08, 2022, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 08: Tari Eason #13 of the LSU Tigers reacts after his team defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 79 -67 during an NCAA basketball game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on January 08, 2022, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

10. Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: Arizona Wildcats (HM)

  • Record: 12-1 (2-0 in Pac-12)
  • Last Week: Won 95-79 vs. Washington, Matchup at Arizona State postponed
  • This Week: Vs. Colorado 1/13, Vs. Utah 1/15

The Wildcats came out of their layoff with a dominant home win against Washington before losing yet another league game when Arizona State went into a COVID pause. Assuming this week’s matchups are played, Arizona should be in line for a 2-0 week.

9. Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: LSU Tigers (NR)

  • Record: 14-1 (2-1 in SEC)
  • Last Week: Won 65-60 vs. No. 16 Kentucky, Won 79-67 vs. No. 18 Tennessee
  • This Week: At Florida 1/12, Vs. Arkansas 1/15

Any concerns about how good LSU is were erased with a two-game sweep of Kentucky and Tennessee at home on the strength of the Tigers’ smothering defense. The SEC is relentless, however, and a road trip against Florida combined with a home date against Arkansas means that LSU will need to maintain that intensity if they want to duplicate that feat this week.

8. Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: Michigan State Spartans (8)

  • Record: 13-2 (4-0 in Big Ten)
  • Last Week: Won 79-67 vs. Nebraska, Matchup at Michigan postponed
  • This Week: Vs. Minnesota 1/12, Vs. Northwestern 1/15

The loss of the Michigan game was a bummer for the Spartans, who can’t really move up by just taking care of Nebraska at home. Michigan State welcomes two challenging teams to East Lansing this week in Minnesota and Northwestern but it is worth mentioning that the Spartans have already picked up road wins against both opponents this season.

7. Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: Duke Blue Devils (4)

  • Record: 12-2 (2-1 in ACC)
  • Last Week: Won 69-57 vs. Georgia Tech, lost 76-74 vs. Miami
  • This Week: At Wake Forest 1/12, Vs. NC State 1/15

Losing by a bucket at home to a red-hot Miami team isn’t great but that effort combined with Duke’s sluggish performance against Georgia Tech leads to this drop. The Blue Devils have a dangerous road game on Wednesday at Wake Forest, one of the few teams in the ACC that has a legitimate shot to make a case for an at-large bid.

6. Week 10 College Basketball Rankings: Kansas Jayhawks (5)

  • Record: 12-2 (1-1 in Big 12)
  • Last Week: Won 74-63 at Oklahoma State, Lost 75-67 at No. 25 Texas Tech
  • This Week: Vs. Iowa State 1/11, Vs. West Virginia 1/15

Winning on the road in the Big 12 isn’t easy but losing by eight to a short-handed Texas Tech team is a disappointing result for the Jayhawks. A tough-two game homestand is on tap for Kansas with Iowa State and West Virginia coming to Allen Fieldhouse.