College basketball power rankings: Kentucky takes a tumble

5. Week 3 College Basketball Power Rankings – Creighton Bluejays (LW: 8)

• Record: 4-0
• Last Week: Won 94-65 vs. Holy Cross, Won 80-51 vs. UC Riverside
• This Week: Vs. No. 21 Texas Tech 11/21 in Maui Invitational

Last week was a great one for Creighton which demolished two mid-majors in buy games to build some confidence heading into Maui. The field is loaded but the Bluejays are the favorites to win the tournament thanks to their explosive offense, which would set them up as a big threat to make a deep March run.

4. Week 3 College Basketball Power Rankings – Gonzaga Bulldogs (LW: 2)

• Record: 3-1
• Last Week: Lost 93-74 at No. 11 Texas, Won 88-72 vs. No. 4 Kentucky
• This Week: Vs. Portland State 11/25 in Phil Knight Legacy Tournament

The Bulldogs are very talented but struggled with consistency early although Sunday’s blowout win over Kentucky was a promising response to getting crushed in Austin against the Longhorns. The Phil Knight Legacy Tournament will be another interesting test for Gonzaga, which has Purdue and West Virginia in its half of the bracket and could square off with Duke in the title game on Sunday if the chalk holds.

3. Week 3 College Basketball Power Rankings – Kansas Jayhawks (LW: 7)

• Record: 4-0
• Last Week: Won 69-64 vs. No. 7 Duke, Won 82-76 vs. Southern Utah
• This Week: Vs. N.C. State 11/23 in Battle 4 Atlantis

The win over Duke in the Champions Classic was a hard-fought and emotional game so we’ll give Kansas a break for having a bit of a letdown against Southern Utah two days later. This week sees the Jayhawks participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they will look to win the title over a field that includes Tennessee, Dayton, BYU and Wisconsin among others.

2. Week 3 College Basketball Power Rankings – North Carolina Tar Heels (LW: 3)

• Record: 4-0
• Last Week: Won 72-66 vs. Gardner-Webb, Won 80-64 vs. James Madison
• This Week: Vs. Portland 11/24 in Phil Knight Invitational

North Carolina continued to play down to its competition early in the week and barely scraped by Gardner-Webb before their most complete effort of the season in an easy victory over James Madison on Sunday. The Phil Knight Invitational will bring a stacked field for the Tar Heels, who will have to contend with the likes of Alabama, Michigan State, UCONN and Villanova to win the tournament.

1. Week 3 College Basketball Power Rankings – Houston Cougars (LW: 1)

• Record: 5-0
• Last Week: Won 83-45 vs. Oral Roberts, Won 83-48 vs. Texas Southern, Won 66-56 at Oregon
• This Week: Vs. Kent State 11/26

The Cougars continued to state their claim as the nation’s best team by winning both of their buy games with ease before grinding out a tough road win at Oregon on Sunday night. True road games are never easy to win so the fact that Houston toppled a team with Top 25 talent that desperately needed a win showcases how dangerous Kelvin Sampson’s squad can be in March.