ESPN
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...l-power-rankings-big-12-depth-downright-scary
1. Villanova Wildcats
Record: 16-1
Last week: 1
For the first time in a few weeks, No. 1 stays the same. Villanova established its credentials as the clear Big East favorite with a 24-point home win over Xavier and then struggled before beating St. John's on the road. Sixth man extraordinaire
Donte DiVincenzo has now scored double figures in eight consecutive games.
2. Purdue Boilermakers
Record: 17-2
Last week: 3
Is this the new Big Ten favorite? The Boilermakers have won 13 in a row since losing two in the Bahamas, and thanks to Michigan State's struggles the past two weekends, sit atop the league standings with Ohio State. Aside from the Michigan State game, Purdue's remaining road games are all against likely bottom-half Big Ten teams.
3. Virginia Cavaliers
Record: 16-1
Last week: 5
Virginia is now 5-0 in the ACC after handling Syracuse and NC State at home, but four of the Cavaliers' first five league games have been at home. Now, they head on the road for five of their next seven.
Isaiah Wilkins continues to cement himself as one of the best defenders in the country, holding
Omer Yurtseven to six points one week after limiting
Luke Maye to the same.
4. Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 14-2
Last week: 7
Strong bounce-back week for Lon Kruger's team, knocking off Texas Tech and TCU after the loss at West Virginia. We've talked in the past about
Trae Youngneeding help in big games;
Christian James had 15 points against Tech, while
Brady Manek went for 22 against TCU.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
Record: 15-2
Last week: 2
We're not going to dock the Mountaineers too much for losing their first game since Nov. 10 -- on the road, by one point, against a top-10 team. One big positive was
Esa Ahmad's performance in his first game back from suspension, going for 18 points and six rebounds. Keep an eye on any ramifications from the court-rush incident, though.
6. Duke Blue Devils
Record: 15-2
Last week: 8
Not going to say Duke solved its defensive issues, since the showings came against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, but Duke played some of its best defense all season last week, holding both teams to 0.91 points per possession or fewer. We'll see if that's an aberration Monday, when Duke travels to Miami.
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Record: 15-2
Last week: 6
A road loss at Oklahoma was erased by a home win over West Virginia, so the Red Raiders basically stay the same.
Brandone Francis had perhaps the best game of his longer-than-it-seems college career, scoring 17 points. Francis was an ESPN 100 prospect in the class of 2014 but has had two redshirt seasons since then.
8. Wichita State Shockers
Record: 15-2
Last week: 11
Wichita State is 6-0 with
Markis McDuffie on the court, and he seems to be getting healthier every week. McDuffie has hit double figures in four consecutive games, and he has played at least 20 minutes in three straight. This might be Wichita's toughest week of the AAC season, with a home tilt against SMU and a trip to Houston.
9. Xavier Musketeers
Record: 16-3
Last week: 10
Xavier snapped a two-game losing streak, including a 24-point loss at Xavier, with a 22-point home win over Creighton. The Musketeers badly needed
Trevon Bluiett to snap out of his shooting slump, and he obliged, going for 24 points, including five 3-pointers. Maybe J.P. Macura is next? He has averaged just 8.0 points in his past three games.
10. Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 14-3
Last week: 12
Kansas breaks into the top 10 again after three straight wins, although the three have come by a combined 10 points. All eyes were on
Silvio De Sousa on Saturday against Kansas State, as the freshman was dressed for the first time. He played just four minutes. Bill Self will need his physicality this season.
11. Michigan State Spartans
Record: 16-3
Last week: 4
What is going on with the Spartans? Since winning 14 consecutive games, Michigan State has lost by 16 at Ohio State and barely escaped Rutgers at home in overtime, and then lost by 10 at home to Michigan. The Spartans are turning over the ball at a high clip, and while they're still the best 2-point defense in the country, teams are getting more open 3s.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 14-4
Last week: 14
After losing three of five, North Carolina obliterated Boston College and then won by one at Notre Dame. The Tar Heels have a plethora of solid wins, with the Fighting Irish now joining a hit list that includes Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan and Arkansas. That outweighs the home loss to Wofford in terms of their profile.
13. Auburn Tigers
Record: 16-1
Last week: 17
After a tumultuous fall, no one thought the Tigers would be in this position. Bruce Pearl has Auburn as the best team in the SEC and on a 14-game winning streak. They continue to pass tests, coming back to win at Mississippi State over the weekend. The résumé is impressive, too: an RPI of 6 and eight Group 1 and Group 2 wins.
14. Arizona Wildcats
Record: 14-4
Last week: 15
Arizona is back as the highest-ranked Pac-12 team for the first time since the Bahamas debacle after sweeping the Oregon schools at home. It will be interesting to see if Sean Miller goes away from his
Deandre Ayton-
Dusan Ristic, two-big-man lineup the rest of the season; Ristic played just 15 minutes against Oregon due to foul trouble.
