Arizona and Michigan remained atop Andy Katz’s men’s basketball Power 37 this week, with little movement across the rest of the rankings.
Here are the latest rankings:
1. Arizona (1): Current team to beat in the Big 12.2. Michigan (2): The favorite to win the Big Ten.3. Iowa State (3): Coach T.J. Otzelberger continues to maximize his talent. 4. UConn (4): Coach Dan Hurley is back to being the top team in the Big East. 5. Gonzaga (5): The Zags may run the table in the final year of the WCC. 6. Purdue (6): The Boilermakers are still one of the favorites to get to Indy. 7. Duke (7): The Blue Devils are still trending as a No. 1 or 2 seed. 8. Michigan State (8): The Spartans will get an early-January Big Ten-test at Nebraska. 9. Kansas (9): Darryn Peterson isn’t 100 percent, but dismiss Kansas at your own peril. 10. Houston (10): The Cougars may be more of an offensive power than a year ago.
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11. Alabama (11): I’m very intrigued to watch this team to develop. It could be one of the most improving teams as the season progresses. 12. BYU (12): The Cougars have AJ Dybantsa and no one else does. That means they will be appointment viewing every game. 13. Vanderbilt (13): Duke Miles has to be in contention for SEC Player of the Year. 14. Nebraska (14): If coach Fred Hoiberg finishes in the top four in the Big Ten, then he has to be a National Coach of the Year candidate. 15. North Carolina (15): The Tar Heels are back to being a threat to go deep in March.
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16. Illinois (16): The Illini crushed rival Mizzou, and are poised to make a case for a top-four finish in the Big Ten. 17. Arkansas (18): Coach John Calipari will have the Hogs as an SEC title contender come March. 18. Texas Tech (19): It’s time to mention Christian Anderson in conversation for top-three point guards in the country. 19. Kentucky (20): The Wildcats getting healthy means they will be in the SEC title race.20. Tennessee (21): The Vols seem to be flying under the radar a bit too much after the loss to Illinois.
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21. Southern California (22): The Trojans will find out where they stand in the Big Ten with a three-game swing to Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota. 22. Virginia (23): Coach Ryan Odom has flipped the Cavs in one season back to being an ACC top-four team. 23. Louisville (24): The Cards will get tested big-time heading to the Bay Area to open the ACC.24. Miami (25): Coach Jai Lucas built an NCAA tournament bid roster in just a few months. 25. Villanova (27): Coach Kevin Willard has the Wildcats back to being an top-four Big East team potentially after a convincing road win at Seton Hall. 26. St. John’s (26): The Red Storm still have to prove they are a top-two Big East team in the coming weeks. 27. Seton Hall (17): I’m still high on the Pirates, but they were a bit stunned in the second half dealing with Villanova’s attack. 28. Georgia (28): Coach Mike White’s crew may be the SEC team that gets the least amount of love nationally.29. Iowa (29): The Hawkeyes will get a chance to prove themselves as a contender for a top-half Big Ten finish out of the gate by hosting UCLA. 30. Cal (30): Coach Mark Madsen has the Bears in position to be relevant in the ACC out of the gate in year two.
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31. TCU (31): The Horned Frogs have to take advantage of these home Big 12 games, beginning with Baylor in what will be a brutal league slog. 32. Florida (32): The Gators are finding their footing and likely won’t be down in this part of the rankings for long. 33. UCLA (33): A big test for the Bruins is coming at Iowa. 34. New Mexico (34): The Lobos can start out as a MWC favorite if they can win at Boise State and hold serve against Wyoming. 35. Tulsa (35): The Golden Hurricanes get their first American test at North Texas. 36. Miami (OH) (36): The Redhawks continue to be red-hot and undefeated. 37. Utah State (37): The Aggies are in the MWC chase for the long haul.
PAST P37 RANKINGS: PRESEASON | WK 2 | WK 3 | WK 4 | WK 5 | WK 6 | WK 7 | WK 8
Dropped out: NoneOn the verge: Baylor, Clemson, Oklahoma, Saint Mary’s.
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.
