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College basketball power rankings: The blessing and curse of the Big 12

By Mike Phillips

LAWRENCE, KS - JANUARY 31: Joseph Yesufu #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives against Keyontae Johnson #11 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 31, 2023 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - JANUARY 31: Joseph Yesufu #1 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives against Keyontae Johnson #11 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 31, 2023 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Noah Gurley, Alabama Crimson Tide
F Noah Gurley, Alabama Crimson Tide. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images) /

5. Week 14 College Basketball Power Rankings – Arizona Wildcats

  • Previously: 8th
  • Record: 21-3 (10-3 In Pac-12)
  • Last Week: Won 91-76 Vs. Oregon, Won 84-52 Vs. Oregon State
  • This Week: At Cal 2/9, At Stanford 2/11

Avenging an earlier loss to Oregon made Week 13 satisfying for Arizona, which swept the Oregon schools at home to keep pace with UCLA in the Pac-12. This week’s trip to Cal and Stanford is sweepable for the Wildcats, who have rounded into form nicely after a mid-season hiccup.

4. Week 14 College Basketball Power Rankings – Tennessee Volunteers

  • Previously: 3rd
  • Record: 19-4 (8-2 In SEC)
  • Last Week: Lost 67-54 At Florida, Won 46-43 Vs. No. 25 Auburn
  • This Week: At Vanderbilt 2/8, Vs. Missouri 2/11

The Volunteers did fall into the trap and lost at Florida but relied on their historically rugged defense to pick up an ugly victory over No. 25 Auburn over the weekend. Saturday’s home tilt with Missouri is the more difficult game on Tennessee’s schedule this week but 2-0 should be doable in this stretch.

3. Week 14 College Basketball Power Rankings – Purdue Boilermakers

  • Previously: 1st
  • Record: 22-2 (11-2 In Big Ten)
  • Last Week: Won 80-60 Vs. Penn State, Lost 79-74 At No. 21 Indiana
  • This Week: Vs. Iowa 2/9, At Northwestern 2/12

We’re not going to punish the Boilermakers too badly for Saturday’s loss at Indiana since the Hoosiers are a quality team with the bigs to keep pace with Zach Edey down low. Finishing the regular season strong will be tough for Purdue since they are the best chance for a resume-leading win for the conference’s bubble teams, making road trips like Sunday’s visit to Northwestern particularly dangerous.

2. Week 14 College Basketball Power Rankings – Alabama Crimson Tide

  • Previously: 4th
  • Record: 20-3 (10-0 In SEC)
  • Last Week: Won 101-44 Vs. Vanderbilt, Won 79-69 At LSU
  • This Week: Vs. Florida 2/8, At No. 25 Auburn 2/11

Seeing Alabama bounce back from a shocking 93-69 loss at Oklahoma with a 57-point rout of Vanderbilt at home was a very nice sign for Nate Oats’ team, which has been basically dominating its opponents outside of the no-show in Norman. Saturday’s visit to in-state rival Auburn should be a lot of fun since the Tigers are slipping a big and will look to upset the Crimson Tide to stabilize their season.

1. Week 14 College Basketball Power Rankings – Houston Cougars

  • Previously: 2nd
  • Record: 22-2 (10-1 In American)
  • Last Week: Won 70-61 At Wichita State, Won 81-65 At Temple
  • This Week: Vs. Tulsa 2/8

Getting swept by Temple would have sent the Cougars tumbling down these rankings so it was good to see Houston complete a perfect week to climb back into the top spot. Kelvin Sampson’s team may not have the type of resume of Alabama or Purdue but few teams in the country can beat the Cougars when they are executing their game plan.

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