Power Rankings: Auburn, Kansas losses are Tennessee’s No. 1 gain

It’s been two weeks since the last edition of the Power Rankings, and we were all set to unveil a dramatically-changed top five with a Kansas vs. Auburn debate for the top spot. But then the chaos of Tuesday and Wednesday happened, and it was back to the drawing board.

After looking at résumés, metrics, head-to-head results and everything in between, the new No. 1 in the Power Rankings was clear: Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Vols have won each of their first eight games by at least 15 points, including blowouts away from home over Louisville, Virginia and Baylor. They have one of the elite defenses in the country yet again, and somehow Barnes struck gold in the transfer portal — again — replacing Dalton Knecht with Chaz Lanier and not missing a beat.

The Auburn Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks don’t go too far from the top of the rankings after Wednesday’s losses, although the Tigers losing a close one to Duke reflects a bit better than Kansas falling by 13 at Creighton — which will remain ranked. Iowa State finally got a marquee win by beating Marquette, while Gonzaga rounds out the top five as it enters a stretch during which it will face Kentucky and UConn.

Previous editions: Preseason | Nov. 14 | Nov. 21

Previous ranking: 12

Chaz Lanier had one of the best early-November performances a few weeks ago against Louisville, scoring 19 points and announcing himself as a surefire impact transfer. Over the past four games, though, he’s taken his game to an entirely different level. The North Florida transfer is averaging 23.8 points over that stretch, shooting nearly 47% from 3-point range. He scored at least 25 points against Virginia, Baylor and Syracuse.

Next seven days: vs. Miami at the Jimmy V Classic in New York (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: 3

Auburn’s loss to Duke ruins the Tigers’ chances at taking over the No. 1 spot in the AP poll next week, but it shouldn’t change the long-term projection for their season. Johni Broome was still terrific — although Maliq Brown did have some success against him defensively. Tahaad Pettiford is emerging as one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country. Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara made shots. But Bruce Pearl didn’t get much of anything offensively from Denver Jones and Chaney Johnson, who average double figures in scoring. In Durham, they combined for five points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Next seven days: vs. Richmond (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 5

In a game with several dynamic guards, Keshon Gilbert was the best player on the floor in the Cyclones’ win win over Marquette on Wednesday. Gilbert had 24 points and seven assists — the third time in four games in which he’s scored at least 23 points. He emerged as one of the more underrated point guards in the country last season after transferring from UNLV in the spring of 2023, but the “underrated” label is gone. Gilbert is now simply one of the best guards in college basketball.

Next seven days: vs. Jackson State (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 1

That Kansas lost at Creighton wasn’t a complete shock. That the Jayhawks never led and was barely within striking distance for the final 10 minutes of the game? That certainly raised some eyebrows. Dajuan Harris Jr., one of the best passers and defenders in the country, shot 21 times. Hunter Dickinson, the All-American big man, shot four times. Those are numbers that need to be flipped. Kansas was also without Rylan Griffen, who had the flu. His shot-making was clearly missed.

Next seven days: at Missouri (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 2

It’s very early, so there are some sample-size caveats to take into consideration, but Gonzaga is currently shooting just 35.4% from 3 — which would be the lowest percentage for a Zags team since Mark Few took over in Spokane in 1999. Thus far, it’s been balanced out by a dominant interior group. Gonzaga scores 42.75 paint points per game, per CBB Analytics, which would rank third among power-conference teams. Sophomore Braden Huff scoring in double figures in seven of eight games off the bench has been a boost.

Next seven days: vs. Kentucky in Seattle (Dec. 7)

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Previous ranking: 11

Isaiah Evans‘ breakout first half against Auburn on Wednesday came truly out of nowhere. Though he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, Evans hadn’t played much during his first month at Duke — zero minutes against Kansas, Arizona and Kentucky. His first seven collegiate games featured totals of 29 points and 44 minutes. But Jon Scheyer desperately needed some shot-making after Auburn jumped out to an early lead — and that’s where Evans excels. He hit six 3-pointers in 11 minutes, jumpstarting Duke’s huge win.

Next seven days: at Louisville (Dec. 8), vs. Incarnate Word (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: 7

Marquette suffered its first loss of the season on Wednesday, falling at Iowa State. A quick turnaround to face in-state rival Wisconsin on Saturday won’t be easy, and it will be made more difficult if Chase Ross is out. The junior guard played just 10 minutes against the Cyclones before suffering an ankle injury and missing the rest of the game. Ross entered Wednesday averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 44% from 3-point range.

Next seven days: vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 7)

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Previous ranking: 10

Kentucky suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling at Clemson in the Wildcats’ first true road game under Mark Pope. The Wildcats really struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter, hitting three of their first six 3-point attempts and then just four the rest of the game. They made just one over a 19-and-a-half-minute stretch in the second half. Over the past three games, UK is shooting 22-for-82 from behind the arc — that’s just 26.8% — after shooting 42.3% in its first five games.

Next seven days: vs. Gonzaga in Seattle (Dec. 7), vs. Colgate (Dec. 11)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Through one month, Oregon looks like the early surprise team of the 2024-25 season. The Ducks won the Players Era Festival by beating Texas A&M, San Diego State and Alabama, then began Big Ten play with a road win at USC. Jackson Shelstad is one of the best second-half players in the country, and he showed that again against the Trojans, scoring 21 of his 24 points after halftime. Dana Altman surrounded Shelstad with veteran shot-makers and the emergence of Nate Bittle down low has been huge.

Next seven days: vs. UCLA (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 8

Purdue surged late against Ole Miss last week in the Rady Children’s Invitational championship game, going on a 10-0 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a lead in the final minute and then getting the victory on Myles Colvin‘s game-winning putback. Matt Painter will be hopeful that Colvin’s performance — 20 points, 3-for-5 from 3-point range — is a sign of things to come for the sophomore guard. He moved Colvin into the starting lineup for the past three games, and Colvin has responded with double figures in two of those instances.

MYLES COLVIN GETS THE BUCKET TO PUT PURDUE AHEAD!!!! 0.5 seconds left on the clock!! @BoilerBall 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bcglg8yeJO

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 30, 2024

Next seven days: at Penn State (Dec. 5), vs. Maryland (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 9

The loss of Latrell Wrightsell Jr. to a season-ending Achilles injury will impact the Crimson Tide due to his experience and shooting ability, but Nate Oats has readymade reinforcements. Chris Youngblood, last season’s co-AAC Player of the Year, should return from injury soon, while Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette burned his redshirt to come off the bench against North Carolina on Wednesday and make two 3-pointers. Alabama is loaded with talent, and that remains the case even without Wrightsell Jr.

Next seven days: None

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Previous ranking: 22

The Gators haven’t played any projected NCAA tournament teams yet this season. Nonetheless, they’re absolutely pummeling teams — which does have some predictive value. No opponent has stayed within double digits, with the Gators’ closest win coming by 13 points — on the road at Florida State. We expected Florida to take a slight step back offensively, but the Gators are top five nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and have scored at least 1.11 points per possession in all nine games.

Next seven days: None

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Previous ranking: 19

Even though Wisconsin suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday against Michigan, John Tonje continued his torrid start to the season, finishing with 18 points and three 3s. He’s been among the best transfers — and players, period — in the country so far, highlighted by his 41-point performance against Arizona and his 33 points against Pitt. He’s averaging 22.3 points and 5.1 rebounds, shooting a career-best 44.2% from beyond the arc.

Next seven days: at Marquette (Dec. 7), at Illinois (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: 24

The lone blemish on Ole Miss’ ledger through one month of the season is the aforementioned two-point loss to Purdue on a neutral court — in a game the Rebels were leading by seven deep into the second half. The surprise for me has been the play of Jaylen Murray. The former Saint Peter’s transfer was overshadowed entering the season by the addition of several transfers and the return of All-SEC guard Matthew Murrell, but Murray leads the team in scoring (14.0 PPG) and assists (4.5 APG) and is shooting better than 46% from 3.

Next seven days: vs. Lindenwood (Dec. 7)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Memphis bounced back from its loss in the Maui Invitational title game with a 10-point win over Louisiana Tech, a game in which PJ Haggerty continued his fantastic first month of the campaign. The Tulsa transfer was one of the best freshmen in the country last season, and he’s been even better this year. He entered Wednesday’s game averaging 22.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists — and then went for 23 points, five boards and six assists against the Bulldogs.

Next seven days: vs. Arkansas State (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

San Diego State might have seen the biggest change in outside perception from its time at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Aztecs blew out Creighton in the opening game of the event and closed it out with an overtime victory over Houston. Brian Dutcher’s team then blew out Fresno State on Wednesday, where Magoon Gwath went for 25 points and 10 boards. Miles Byrd has been the talk of the Aztecs for the first few weeks, but Gwath — a 7-foot freshman — offers tantalizing upside in the frontcourt.

Next seven days: vs. San Diego (Dec. 7), vs. Cal Baptist (Dec. 11)

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Previous ranking: 6

In a vacuum, Houston sitting at 4-3 after seven games is shocking. But I don’t think it’s time to panic just yet. After all, the three losses were all to teams currently slotted ahead of the Cougars in the Power Rankings and came by a combined 13 points — with two of those games going to overtime. Statistically, nothing is dramatically off. But as Brian Rauf of Heat Check pointed out, Houston’s offense is predicated heavily on isolations and players putting stress on the defense — and right now, the shot-creators are struggling with consistency. Rauf noted they’re shooting 33.3% from mid-range after stops and 30.4% after scores. Neither of those numbers is good.

Next seven days: vs. Butler (Dec. 7), vs. Troy (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Porter Moser is among the early candidates for coach of the year, as the Sooners improved to 8-0 with a win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday. The Sooners were picked 15th in the SEC in the preseason, but they should enter league play, at worst, with a 12-1 record. Jeremiah Fears, who reclassified to the class of 2024 and committed to Oklahoma in July, has been one of the best freshmen in the country. He’s scored in double figures in every game so far, and went for 20-plus against both Providence and Arizona.

Next seven days: vs. Alcorn State (Dec. 7)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Clemson reached the Elite Eight last season, returned two all-league-caliber players and added two high-major starters — yet entered the season with surprisingly little buzz. One month in, however, it’s clear the Tigers are a top-four team in the ACC and should get back to the NCAA tournament. Ian Schieffelin is making a case as the nation’s top rebounder; he grabbed 20 boards against Kentucky and has at least 13 rebounds in four straight games.

Next seven days: at Miami (Dec. 7)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

How Dusty May would manage to get 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin to coexist was one of the biggest questions facing Michigan this season — and if their performance down the stretch against Wisconsin on Tuesday is any indication, the Wolverines have figured it out. The Badgers had absolutely no answer for the duo, with Wolf the ball-handler/playmaker forcing them into all sorts of issues, leaving Goldin either wide open or in single-coverage situations just feet from the rim. The two big men combined for 44 points, while Wolf added seven boards, five assists, five blocks and three steals to his 20 points.

Next seven days: vs. Iowa (Dec. 7), vs. Arkansas in New York (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Upcoming games against Texas Tech and Purdue should give us a good idea of where A&M will stack up in the SEC pecking order entering conference play. Either way, Buzz Williams will need Henry Coleman III to continue his current form. Coleman III dealt with injuries down the stretch of last season, but is back to playing his best basketball since well, around this time a year ago. He’s back in the starting lineup after the loss to Oregon, and is averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games since.

Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech in Fort Worth (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Lost in the headlines of all the marquee games on Wednesday was Mississippi State absolutely obliterating Pitt by 33 — enough for the Bulldogs to skyrocket into the top 15 nationally in KenPom and Bart Torvik’s metrics. The stars against the Panthers were Chris Jans’ bigs, KeShawn Murphy and Michael Nwoko. Murphy came off the bench to score 20 points, and he’s now hit double figures in five of his last six games. Nwoko had 18 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Next seven days: vs. Prairie View A&M (Dec. 8)

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Previous ranking: 15

Baylor suffered its third loss of the season on Wednesday, falling by four at UConn — but the Bears were shorthanded, and Scott Drew will have to hope none of the injuries linger. VJ Edgecombe missed the game with a hamstring issue, while Jeremy Roach left early in the second half to enter into concussion protocol. He didn’t return. Another concern is Baylor’s defense. In each of the Bears’ three losses, they’ve allowed at least 1.25 points per possession.

Next seven days: vs. Abilene Christian (Dec. 9), vs. Norfolk State (Dec. 11)

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Previous ranking: Unranked

Illinois’ level of competition is about to go up a few notches. The Illini head to Northwestern on Friday before returning home for games against Wisconsin and Tennessee. Their defense will certainly be put to the test. Thus far, the numbers look much-improved from a year ago. They rank first nationally in effective field-goal percentage defense, while ranking in the top-15 nationally in both 2-point and 3-point defense.

Next seven days: at Northwestern (Dec. 6), vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 10)

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Previous ranking: 14

After dealing with various injury issues to its three stars — Steven Ashworth (ankle), Ryan Kalkbrenner (lower body injury), Pop Isaacs (hip and illness) — Creighton looked fully healthy against No. 1 Kansas, and much more like a top-25 team than it did last week in Las Vegas. Isaacs was terrific, scoring 27 points and showing signs of being the Trey Alexander/Baylor Scheierman-type of player this team has been looking for on the perimeter.

Next seven days: vs. Nebraska (Dec. 7)

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Dropped out: UConn Huskies (No. 4), North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 13), St. John’s Red Storm (No. 16), Indiana Hoosiers (No. 17), Cincinnati Bearcats (No. 18), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 20), Arizona Wildcats (No. 21), Texas Tech Red Raiders (No. 23), Rutgers Scarlet Knights (No. 25)