College Basketball Power Rankings: Purdue is Team to Beat

The college basketball season is officially underway, and while we are still sorting out the national landscape, sports bettors always have an eye on the NCAA Tournament and some valuable bets to make in the Futures market.

Every week here at BetSided we will be power ranking the top 25

Here's how things stand after the first few weeks of action. All odds listed are via WynnBET.

Tier 1: The Elite

1. Purdue (+800)

The Boilermakers have been dominant this season, including a win over top 10 foe Villanova on a neutral floor.

This is arguably the most dynamic team Matt Painter has ever assembled in West Lafayette, with future lottery pick Jaden Ivey at guard, 7'4" Zach Edey down low and veteran forward Trevion Williams acting as a swiss army knife.

2. Gonzaga (+400)

The Zags were knocked off by Duke on a neutral floor, pushing them off the No. 1 spot, but this team is still the favorite to cut down the nets by oddsmakers, and it's fair to see why.

Drew Timme will be in the mix all season for the Wooden Award and Chet Holmgren has been a monster on the defensive end as a freshman, posting a block rate of 14.1% already.

Mark Few's team is still No. 1 by KenPom standards, so don't be alarmed if you are a Zags backer.

3. Duke (+800)

Wait? Duke beat Gonzaga on a neutral floor in impressive fashion and Kentucky on opening night? Shouldn't they be No. 1?

Maybe, but I'm holding off before investing in Duke title bets just yet. This is still a relatively young roster that needs to prove they can find reliable outside shooting (180th nationally). While the early returns for freshman Paolo Banchero and Trevor Keels, I need a bigger sample size before I rank them ahead of Purdue and Gonzaga.

Tier 2: Jockeying for Position

4. Villanova (+1200)

You can group this tier in any order, but I still like what I've seen from Jay Wright's bunch so far. The team loss a heartbreaker on the road to UCLA earlier this season and led for a majority of the second half against Purdue on a neutral floor.

The team is third in Ken Pom's offensive efficiency metric and has Brandon Slater patrolling the top of the extended matchup zone. With Collin Gillespie looking healthy, Nova is primed for a deep March run.

5. Baylor (+2500)

This team is still elite, even after losing several key contributors to last season's team. The Bears went the Bahamas and controlled all three opponents, including Michigan State in a sweep of the board and look primed to be in the mix for another Big 12 Championship.

The team is sixth in KenPom's offensive efficiency metric and fifth on defense, turning opponents over at a top three rate.


James Akinjo looks great as the lead ball handler for the Bears and the likes of LJ Cryer and Jeremy Sochan have stepped into the rotation well. Don't sleep on Scott Drew's team.

6. Kansas (+1200)

The Jayhawks lost at the buzzer to Dayton over Feast Week, but don't let that fool you, this is a lingering threat in the Big 12.

Ochai Agbaji is playing the best ball of his four year career for Bill Self, posting a 41% three-point percentage on career high usage.


With a big man David McCormack down, KU will always be in the mix for a top seed, but the roster needs to integrate Remy Martin in at point guard, which is still a concern.

7. Texas (+2000)

After losing early to Gonzaga on the road, people have jumped off Chris Beard's team, but we are waiting for the right time to pounce on them in the Futures market.

The Longhorns are 17th in offensive efficiency and 24th on defense, per KenPom, despite ranking in the bottom third in minutes continuity.

It's going to take some time to get the likes of Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Tre Mitchell and the rest of the transfers to gel, but Beard is one of the best tacticians in the sport. Trust him.

8. Arizona (+2500)

Former Gonzaga associate head coach Tommy Lloyd has hit the ground running in his first season with the Wildcats, lifting the team to No. 16 in KenPom's overall rating and scoring an 18-point win over Michigan a week-and-a-half ago.

Zona plays fast, top 20 in tempo, and moves the ball better than any team in the country, assisting on nearly 75% of buckets.


On the other end, the team has incredible length all over, shutting down the rim for opponents, holding them to below 36% on two-point attempts so far this season, which is second best in the nation.

This is a complete roster to keep an eye on in the PAC-12.

9. UCLA (+1500)

UCLA was put in their place last week against Gonzaga, losing 83-63 in a game they never competed in. While the roster has sharp shooters like Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez, the team's lack of athleticism was on display against the Zags.

Transfer big man Myles Johnson stood no chance against the likes of Holmgren and Timme; the team is eagerly awaiting the return of Cody Riley.


UCLA is still elite, but overrated from last year's Final Four run, and we are still waiting for the market to correct itself.

Tier 3: Flashes

10. Kentucky (+2000)

11. Florida (+5000)

Florida has outperformed expectations a ton thus far, beating Florida State and Ohio State already this season, posting elite defensive marks. The Futures market may be late to adjust to Mike White's team early on.

12. Connecticut (+4000)

13. Auburn (+5000)

Connecticut and Auburn played in one of the wildest games of the year, and I left very excited about Auburn's future this season as they await the return of key contributor Allen Flannigan despite the loss.

14. Houston (+3000)

15. Tennessee (+3000)

Tennessee has a freshman ball handler in Kennedy Chandler which has improved the team's offense quite a bit, up to No. 32 in KenPom's offensive efficiency after finishing last season No. 85. However, the team got blown out by Villanova earlier this season.

Tier 4: Ranked, but How High?

16. BYU (+10000)

BYU has notched two impressive PAC 12 wins already, beating Oregon and Utah handedly already and have a strong lead ball handler in Alex Barcello, who has the eighth best offensive rating in the country.

17. Arkansas (+4000)

Arkansas has all the makings of another Elite Eight run with the 30th best offense and 23rd best defense, per KenPom. The team has a ton of length to clean the glass on both ends, but needs to round into form from the perimeter, shooting below 30% from beyond the arc.

18. Michigan (+2000)

Michigan had lofty expectations after bringing in the No. 1 recruiting class and returning several key contributors from last year's Elite Eight team, but have stumbled out of the gate, losing at home to Seton Hall and losing by 18 to Arizona.

While I expect Juwan Howard to get his team going as Big Ten play heats up, they need to be dropped due to the slow start.

19. Ohio State (+5000)

20. LSU (+5000)

21. Alabama (+3000)

22. Memphis (+2000)

Memphis' flaws were on full display against Iowa State last weekend, losing 78-59. The team is bottom ten in turnover rate and play a bit too frenetic for their own good. While the team has a ton of talent like freshman stars Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates, it may take some time to gel.

23. St. Bonaventure (+7500)

24. Texas Tech (+6000)

25. Loyola Chicago (+20000)