Michigan entered the top three, while Southern California jumped to 21 after both teams won the Players Era Festival and Maui Invitational, respectively. Here is Andy Katz’s power 37 after the fourth week of college basketball.
Power Rankings for Dec. 1
T1. Purdue (Prev. T1): The Boilermakers continue to cruise and this time they got Daniel Jacobsen dominating in the post. T1 Arizona (Prev. T1): Brayden Burries is finding his rhythm as a freshman dropping 20 against Denver last week. 3. Michigan (Prev. 7): The Wolverines were sensational in the Players Era event, crushing every opponent, including Gonzaga by 40. 4. Duke (Prev. 4): The Blue Devils came back to beat Arkansas and remain undefeated. 5. UConn (Prev. 5): The Huskies won at Storrs South at Madison Square Garden with a solid win over Illinois. 6. Michigan State (Prev. 9): Jeremy Fears Jr., is looking like a first team All-American guard next to fellow Big Ten guard Braden Smith. 7. Alabama (Prev. 6): The Crimson Tide did lose to Gonzaga, but then smacked UNLV and Maryland in Las Vegas. 8. Louisville (Prev. 8): The Cardinals continue to roll, but their schedule is going to get extremely difficult in the coming weeks. 9. Iowa State (Prev. 19): The Cyclones went 3-0 in Las Vegas, including a win over St. John’s and are looking the part of a Big 12 title contender again. 10. Kansas (Prev. 33): The Jayhawks are back where they belong after going 3-0 in Las Vegas, including beating Tennessee in game three. 11. Tennessee (Prev. 16): The Vols took down Houston in Las Vegas, but then were stunned by Kansas. 12. Houston (Prev. 3): The Cougars got leap frogged this week, but that is likely to be temporary. 13. BYU (Prev. 12): The Cougars got a win over Dayton to claim the ESPN Events Invitational title in Orlando and are going to be a consistent top 20 team.
2025 Players Era Festival: Michigan steam rolls the competition in Las Vegas
14. Indiana (Prev. 17): The undefeated Hoosiers will get tested this week against rival Louisville. 15. Gonzaga (Prev. 15): The Zags beat Alabama and then Maryland before getting blitzed by Michigan. Let’s give them a mulligan and not drop them. That game seemed more about Michigan than Gonzaga. 16. North Carolina (Prev. 14): The Tar Heels played in a high-level game against Michigan State in Fort Myers, but fell short. More tests will continue this week. 17. Vanderbilt (Prev. NR): The Commodores won the Battle 4 Atlantis with convincing wins over VCU and Saint Mary’s to remain unbeaten. 18. Auburn (Prev. 27): The Tigers got trounced by Michigan in Las Vegas after beating Oregon and St. John’s in the same event. 19. Illinois (Prev. 11): The Illini dropped their contest to UConn at MSG and will get another shot at a high-profile win against Tennessee in Nashville. 20. Missouri (Prev. 23): Missouri is getting no love. They are 8-0 and will finally get on the national stage against Kansas in Kansas City. 21. Southern California (Prev. NR): The Trojans won the Maui Invitational and when healthy should be a real threat to finish in the top six in the Big Ten. 22. TCU (Prev. NR): Coach Jamie Dixon turned the Horned Frogs season around with wins over Florida and Wisconsin to win a tournament in San Diego. 23. Florida (Prev. 10): The Gators need something positive outside the state of Florida, but their next opponent is Duke. 24. Kentucky (Prev. 32): The Wildcats have a monster week ahead with games against North Carolina and Gonzaga. 25. Nebraska (Prev. 25): The Cornhuskers remain undefeated and one of the surprising early-season stories. 26. Arkansas (Prev. 24): The Hogs had a chance for a signature win, but let it slip against Duke in Chicago. 27. Iowa (Prev. 36): The Hawkeyes won the Acrisure Classic behind Bennett Stirtz’s 29 points against Ole Miss and 13 against Grand Canyon. 28. Texas Tech (Prev. 31): The Red Raiders will get a barometer on the season versus LSU, Arkansas and Duke upcoming this month. 29. St. John’s (Prev. 13): The Red Storm went 1-2 in Las Vegas, but the goods are still there to be a top 25 team again. 30. Arizona State (Prev. NR): Coach Bobby Hurley has the Sun Devils heading in the right direction. I love the backcourt of Moe Odum and Anthony “Piggy” Johnson. The Sun Devils beat Texas and Washington State before falling late to Southern Cal in the Maui Invitational title game.
2025 Maui Invitational bracket: Southern California takes home the hardware
31. Texas (Prev. NR): The Longhorns had an impressive win over NC State and left Maui 2-1 after losing the opener to Arizona State. 32. Butler (Prev. 26): The Bulldogs are taking care of business, but get a suddenly hot Eastern Michigan this week before Boise State comes to Indy. 33. Ohio State (Prev. 20): The Buckeyes lost at the buzzer to Pitt. We will know if that was an anomaly with the upcoming games against Northwestern on the road and vs. Illinois. 34. Baylor (Prev. 34): The Bears got clipped by St. John’s, but did leave Las Vegas with two wins by beating Creighton and San Diego State. 35. Oklahoma State (Prev. NR): The Cowboys are quietly 7-0 after a late win over Northwestern on Thanksgiving in Chicago. Jaylen Curry has been a great pickup from UMass for Steve Lutz. 36. Utah State (Prev. 29): The Aggies are the only undefeated team in the Mountain West remaining. 37. Clemson (Prev. NR): Clemson has responded well after the Georgetown loss, beating West Virginia and Georgia.
Dropped out: UCLA (18), Georgetown (21), NC State (22), Wisconsin (30), Oregon (35), Santa Clara (37).
On the verge: Seton Hall, Dayton, VCU, Saint Mary’s, SMU
Andy Katz is an NCAA.com correspondent. Katz worked at ESPN for 18 years as a college basketball reporter, host and anchor. He’s covered every Final Four since 1992, and the sport since 1986 as a freshman at Wisconsin. He is a former president of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Katz can also be seen covering college basketball on Big Ten Network during the regular season. Follow him on Twitter at @theandykatz.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
