Men: Houston surges into the top tier

Are we ready to put Houston in the elite tier of college basketball this season?

Auburn and Duke have been staples at the top of our Power Rankings for several weeks, with Iowa State in the mix. And while Tennessee has faded, Alabama and its ultratalented roster is moving up. But Houston also belongs in this discussion.

The Cougars lost three games in November and fell dramatically in the standings, clocking in as low as No. 17 in the Associated Press poll. And because of their schedule, they didn't play any opponent that would move the needle -- until Saturday at Kansas, when they surged back from down six points in the final seconds of both regulation and overtime to come out of Allen Fieldhouse with a win, which they followed up with a comfortable victory at West Virginia on Wednesday.

Houston's metrics have maintained a spot in the upper class of teams this season. Even after the three losses, the Cougars didn't fall below No. 5 at KenPom. Now they're No. 1, ahead of both Auburn and Duke. And BartTorvik has them atop his rankings, too.

Sure, the win at Kansas is really the only marquee victory Houston has so far this season, but a 13-game winning streak with 11 double-digit wins over that stretch earns Kelvin Sampson's team a place in the top tier of the sport.

1. Auburn Tigers (19-1)

Previous ranking: 1

After entering last weekend as a game-time decision, Johni Broome has played 66 minutes in two games and looks like he never missed any time.

Broome had 16 points, 13 boards and 4 blocks off the bench against Tennessee on Saturday, then put up 26 points (20 in the second half), 16 rebounds and 3 blocks in Wednesday's win over LSU -- his ninth 20-10 game this season, tied for the most in Division I. He also became the first Division I player to post multiple games with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds, according to ESPN Research.

Next seven days: at Ole Miss (Feb. 1), vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 4)

2. Duke Blue Devils (18-2)

Previous ranking: 2

Duke wrapped its January slate with a win over NC State on Monday, and Cooper Flagg had yet another dominant outing with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Flagg was unguardable in the second half, going for 23 of his 28 points after the break. In the Blue Devils' seven January games, Flagg averaged 25.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists, shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range. He has overtaken Auburn's Johni Broome as the favorite for National Player of the Year, while Duke has established itself as a national title favorite. Not a bad month.

Next seven days: vs. North Carolina (Feb. 1), at Syracuse (Feb. 5)

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (18-3)

Previous ranking: 4

It wasn't entirely clear what Alabama would get out of Chris Youngblood this season. The co-AAC Player of the Year at South Florida in 2023-24, Youngblood missed the first month of this season because of an ankle injury. After coming off the bench for the past six weeks, Nate Oats inserted him into the starting lineup before the LSU game last weekend. In his two games as a starter, Youngblood has totaled 36 points and seven rebounds, highlighted by Wednesday's performance against Mississippi State: 23 points while shooting 7-for-10 from 3 and hitting a couple of clutch 3s late before icing the game from the free throw line.

Next seven days: vs. Georgia (Feb. 1)

4. Iowa State Cyclones (17-3)

Previous ranking: 3

Iowa State was one free throw (or 60 feet) from knocking off Arizona in Tuscon on Monday despite not playing anything close to its best game of the season. Curtis Jones really struggled, while the team overall shot 29.2% from 3 in the Cyclones' second-worst offensive performance of the season, ahead of only their loss at West Virginia. Three-point shooting was also at the heart of that defeat, as the Cyclones made just one of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc.

Next week's trip to Lawrence to face Kansas provides another massive test.

Next seven days: vs. Kansas State (Feb. 1), at Kansas (Feb. 3)

5. Florida Gators (18-2)

Previous ranking: 5

Florida is about to put its national championship credentials to the test, with road trips to Tennessee and Auburn on the docket over the next two weekends and a home date against a hot Vanderbilt team in between.

The key for the Gators comes on the defense end. In the loss to Kentucky, they gave up 106 points at a clip of 1.48 points per possession. Against Missouri, they surrendered 83 points and 1.21 points per possession. Whether they can get out and run against the Vols or Tigers will be worth monitoring, too. In their wins, the Gators lead the country with 19.3 fast-break points per game, per CBB Analytics, scoring 16.8 points off turnovers. In their losses, that mark falls to 9.0 fast-break points and 5.0 points off turnovers.

Next seven days: at Tennessee (Feb. 1), vs. Vanderbilt (Feb. 4)

6. Houston Cougars (17-3)

Previous ranking: 8

Houston didn't play its best game against West Virginia on Wednesday -- the Mountaineers shot 57% from the field in the second half (47% for the game), attempted more free throws, had fewer turnovers and outscored the Cougars 9-2 in points off turnovers. And yet, Houston won by 14, holding West Virginia to 49 points.

Houston's floor is remarkably high. The Cougars don't need to play anything resembling a perfect game, and they can still roll to a win. On Wednesday, it was offensive rebounding, second-chance points and performance beyond the arc that were their keys to success -- they just have so many different ways to win.

Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech (Feb. 1), vs. Oklahoma State (Feb. 4)

7. Marquette Golden Eagles (18-3)

Previous ranking: 10

Marquette's quest for a Big East regular-season title -- what would be its second in three seasons -- will be heavily influenced by the next three games: vs. UConn on Saturday, followed by road trips to St. John's and Creighton next week.

The continued reemergence of Stevie Mitchell as a scorer would be a huge boost to the Golden Eagles' hopes. In Mitchell's past two games -- both wins over Villanova and Butler -- he has totaled 43 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals while making three 3s. He was a catalyst for Marquette's comeback against Butler, scoring 14 points in the second half.

Next seven days: vs. UConn (Feb. 1), at St. John's (Feb. 4)

8. Kentucky Wildcats (15-5)

Previous ranking: 7

After back-to-back losses, Kentucky bounced back with an incredibly impressive statement win on the road at Tennessee. The Wildcats have now knocked off six top-15 teams, with four of those six wins coming away from home. They did it Tuesday without starters Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr and still managed to score more points against Tennessee than any team has all season. Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams were both excellent, but Koby Brea (18 points, five 3s) and Ansley Almonor (12 points) had big shoes to fill -- and stepped up.

Next seven days: vs. Arkansas (Feb. 1), at Ole Miss (Feb. 4)

9. Tennessee Volunteers (17-4)

Previous ranking: 6

Tennessee dropped its second straight game and lost for the fourth time in seven games Tuesday, giving up a season-high 78 points to Kentucky in Knoxville. While the defensive performance was the Volunteers' second worst all season on a per-possession basis, much of the blame for the loss will fall on their offense.

Some of the stats are eye-popping: The Vols were 13-for-41 on uncontested shots, including 8-for-33 on uncontested 3-pointers. They were 7-for-16 on layups. And they made one fewer 3-pointer than Kentucky despite attempting 21 more 3s.

Next seven days: vs. Florida (Feb. 1), vs. Missouri (Feb. 5)

10. Michigan State Spartans (18-2)

Previous ranking: 12

There's a legitimate case to be made that Michigan State's two-game lead in the loss column for the Big Ten title stems partially from the Spartans' softer schedule to start conference play, but they've taken care of business in impressive fashion nonetheless, with only one game decided by a single possession. According to conference-only stats at KenPom, Michigan State ranks atop the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, offensive rebounding percentage, free throw rate, effective field goal percentage defense, 2-point and 3-point defense as well as blocked-shot percentage.

Next seven days: at USC (Feb. 1), at UCLA (Feb. 4)

11. Purdue Boilermakers (16-5)

Previous ranking: 13

Purdue has won eight of its past nine games since a blowout loss to Auburn just before Christmas.

Braden Smith has averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.8 steals in those nine games, making nearly 35% of his 3-point shots. He has tallied four double-doubles over that span, dishing out 14 assists on two occasions while mixing in a 34-point outing. He has risen to No. 4 in KenPom's Player of the Year standings, and it arguably won't be long before he passes No. 3 Hunter Dickinson, either. Smith is simply playing incredible basketball right now.

Next seven days: vs. Indiana (Jan. 31), at Iowa (Feb. 4)

12. Kansas Jayhawks (15-5)

Previous ranking: 9

Kansas suffered a brutal loss at home to Houston on Saturday, then needed a late surge to hold off UCF's upset attempt at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks welcomed KJ Adams Jr. back against UCF, but starting point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. was out because of an ankle injury -- it was the first missed game of Harris' career and the first time Bill Self didn't have Harris in the starting lineup since March 1, 2022, and just the second time since a 2021 NCAA tournament loss.

Rylan Griffen started in Harris' place, but it was Northern Illinois transfer David Coit who came off the bench to play a season-high 28 minutes and score 12 points on four 3s.

Next seven days: at Baylor (Feb. 1), vs. Iowa State (Feb. 3)

13. Texas A&M Aggies (16-5)

Previous ranking: 11

From a rate standpoint, big man Pharrel Payne is putting up some of the best numbers in the SEC. He ranks ninth in offensive rebound rate and eighth in blocked shot rate, and he draws the most fouls per 40 minutes in the league. His per-40 stats are also terrific with 19.5 points and 10.6 rebounds, and he's shooting 66% from the field. With Solomon Washington out Tuesday because of injury, Payne got his first start since November, responding with 10 points and 11 rebounds in only 17 minutes. Meanwhile, Henry Coleman played his most minutes of the season, finishing with 14 points and six boards.

Next seven days: at South Carolina (Feb. 1)

14. Memphis Tigers (16-4)

Previous ranking: 18

Memphis will have to take better care of the ball if it wants to win games in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers rank No. 326 nationally in turnover percentage and last in the AAC in conference play. Opponents have scored at least 20 points off turnovers against them eight times this season, and the Tigerrs have coughed it up on at least 20% of their possessions nine times in the past 13 games.

It has been a focal point for Penny Hardaway and his team, with Hardaway saying after a closer-than-expected win over Wichita State -- a game in which the Tigers had 14 first-half turnovers -- that the turnover issues are "getting embarrassing right now."

Next seven days: at Tulane (Jan. 30), at Rice (Feb. 2), vs. Tulsa (Feb. 5)

15. St. John's Red Storm (18-3)

Previous ranking: 21

St. John's first-half performance against Georgetown on Tuesday was quite simply ridiculous. The Red Storm led by 30 with just under three minutes left in the half, with the Hoyas -- on their home court -- not reaching double-figures in points until 16 minutes were gone. St. John's limited Georgetown to less than 0.60 points per possession, which is the second-best Red Storm defensive effort in KenPom's database. The only better performance came back in 2005 against Maryland-Eastern Shore. St. John's has now won 13 of its past 14.

Next seven days: vs. Providence (Feb. 1), vs. Marquette (Feb. 4)

16. Illinois Fighting Illini (14-6)

Previous ranking: 14

Illinois has lost three of its past five games while struggling at both ends of the floor.

Offensively, the Illini's numbers have been horrific: They're shooting 40.4% from the field and 25.7% from 3-point range, ranking No. 329 and No. 363, respectively, per CBB Analytics. And their defense has been porous. They've allowed 95.8 points per 100 possessions over the course of the season; in the past five games, that number is up at 108.6 points per 100 possessions. Some of that can be attributed to the absence of Tomislav Ivisic, who is out because of mononucleosis.

Next seven days: at Nebraska (Jan. 30), vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2), at Rutgers (Feb. 5)

17. Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-5)

Previous ranking: 16

Josh Hubbard had a career night Wednesday, scoring 38 points against Alabama -- but it wasn't enough for the Bulldogs, who lost for the fourth time in six games. They've allowed at least 1.09 points per possession in five of those six games, scoring 0.93 points or less per possession in three of them.

Chris Jans desperately needs Hubbard's perimeter supporting cast to get on the same page. RJ Melendez has totaled six points after hitting double figures in five straight games. Claudell Harris is averaging 8.0 points over his past four games after hitting double figures in five straight. And Riley Kugel had just two points against Alabama after averaging 16.0 in his previous three games.

Next seven days: vs. Missouri (Feb. 1)

18. Louisville Cardinals (16-5)

Previous ranking: 22

Reyne Smith moved back into the starting lineup five games ago, with Noah Waterman dealing with a thumb injury. Over those five games, Smith is averaging 20.0 points and shooting 50% from 3-point range, highlighted by his showing against SMU last weekend: 30 points on 10 3-pointers. He has made at least three 3-pointers in each of his past five games, scoring 25 points and making seven 3s against Pitt earlier this month.

Coach Pat Kelsey's decision to go with the 6-foot-2 Smith instead of the 6-foot-11 Waterman was an interesting move, but the smaller lineup has performed at a high level at both ends of the floor.

Next seven days: at Georgia Tech (Feb. 1), at Boston College (Feb. 5)

19. Missouri Tigers (16-4)

Previous ranking: 25

After missing five games because of a neck injury, Caleb Grill took a couple games to knock the rust off -- and has since emerged as one of the best sixth men in the SEC, if not the country. He has hit double figures in five of his past six games, averaging 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds over that span, shooting 48.8% from 3-point range. Grill had 22 points and five 3-pointers in last weekend's win over Ole Miss after going for 22 points and six 3-pointers in a win Jan. 14 at Florida.

Most importantly, Missouri is 5-1 in those six games.

Next seven days: at Mississippi State (Feb. 1), at Tennessee (Feb. 5)

20. Arizona Wildcats (14-6)

Previous ranking: unranked

Arizona has quietly been playing some of the best basketball in the country over the past six weeks. Between losing to UCLA on Dec. 14 and Monday's thrilling overtime win over Iowa State, Arizona had the ninth-best adjusted efficiency margin in the sport.

The Wildcats were in need of a marquee win for their résumé, and beating the third-ranked Cyclones certainly qualified. Caleb Love was obviously the big story, but coach Tommy Lloyd once again had some less-heralded players come up big. Carter Bryant hit four 3s, and Tobe Awaka had one of the best games of his career, finishing with 17 points and 12 boards.

Next seven days: at Arizona State (Feb. 1), at BYU (Feb. 4)

21. Oregon Ducks (16-4)

Previous ranking: 15

Oregon stays in the rankings because of the strength of its overall body of work -- the Ducks have the second-most Quadrant 1 wins in the country, sitting at 8-2 in those games. But they haven't looked the part in a few weeks, going 4-3 in January, including a 32-point home loss to Illinois and a road defeat at Minnesota.

According to BartTorvik.com, Oregon's adjusted efficiency margin this month is down at No. 72 nationally. In Big Ten games, the Ducks rank 13th in offensive efficiency at KenPom and 11th in defensive efficiency.

Next seven days: at UCLA (Jan. 30), vs. Nebraska (Feb. 2), at Michigan (Feb. 5)

22. Texas Tech Raiders (16-4)

Previous ranking: 23

Texas Tech has risen quickly up the rankings over the past few weeks, especially in the efficiency-based metrics, but the Red Raiders are about to be put to the test. They head to Houston this weekend before hosting Baylor, then hit the road again for a rematch with Arizona.

Grant McCasland will hope to have Darrion Williams back for those games, as the versatile forward has been bothered by an ankle injury. Without Williams, Tech went bigger with Federiko Federiko in the lineup.

Next seven days: at Houston (Feb. 1), vs. Baylor (Feb. 4)

23. Ole Miss Rebels (16-5)

Previous ranking: 19

Ole Miss snapped its three-game losing streak Wednesday night, surviving two late shots from Tre Johnson to beat Texas. The Rebels now get two enormous résumé-boosting opportunities, with Auburn and Kentucky coming to Oxford for their next two games.

Jaemyn Brakefield continued his stellar offensive play against the Longhorns, finishing with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench. Brakefield has now hit double-figures in six straight games, averaging 15.2 points over that span.

Next seven days: vs. Auburn (Feb. 1), vs. Kentucky (Feb. 4)

24. Wisconsin Badgers (16-5)

Previous ranking: 24

Wisconsin has now lost two of its past three games after winning seven straight between mid-December and mid-January.

The Badgers have also lost to arguably the four best Big Ten teams they've faced: Michigan, Maryland, Illinois and UCLA. There has been a stark contrast on the defensive end when Wisconsin faces high-level competition: In Quadrant 1 games, the Badgers rank No. 321 in defensive efficiency at CBB Analytics, compared to No. 86 across the full season. They're No. 316 in opponent paint points per game in Quad 1 games, too, but No. 63 across the entire season.

Next seven days: at Northwestern (Feb. 1), vs. Indiana (Feb. 4)

25. Vanderbilt Commodores (16-4)

Previous ranking: unranked

Vanderbilt makes its first appearance in the rankings after beating its second top-10 opponent in as many weeks. The Commodores held on to beat Tennessee on Jan. 18, suffered a road loss at Alabama, then knocked off Kentucky this past weekend.

This marks the continuation of what has been a remarkable first season in Nashville for Mark Byington. Vandy was picked 16th in the preseason SEC poll, yet the Commodores are ranked for the first time since December 2015 and are trending toward their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017.

Next seven days: at Oklahoma (Feb. 1), at Florida (Feb. 4)

Dropped out: Michigan Wolverines (No. 17), UConn Huskies (No. 20)