Power Rankings: Unbeaten Vanderbilt, Nebraska crack top 10

23 hours ago 11

Jeff BorzelloJan 8, 2026, 09:00 AM ET
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Before the men's college basketball season tipped off, Nebraska was picked 14th in the preseason Big Ten media poll and Vanderbilt was picked 11th in the SEC edition.

Three months later, those teams are not only clearly ahead of those predictions, they're No. 10 and 11 in the AP Top 25.

Following marquee wins over the past week -- Nebraska over Michigan State, Vanderbilt over Alabama -- the unbeaten Cornhuskers and Commodores have also vaulted into the top 10 of our Power Rankings.

Vanderbilt has had metrics on its side for weeks. The Commodores are in the top five at KenPom and rank inside the top 10 in six of the seven metrics on the NCAA team sheets. What they were missing was a marquee win, with their strongest victories heading into this week coming against Saint Mary's, SMU and UCF -- and they got it against the Crimson Tide.

Nebraska doesn't have the same efficiency metrics as Vanderbilt, but the Cornhuskers own a slew of impressive wins, including a road victory at Illinois and a home win over Michigan State.

Vanderbilt and Nebraska are two of the six remaining unbeatens in college basketball, own the best Quad 1 records in the country (both 5-0) and have clearly done enough to warrant their rises. Now let's dive into the rest of our updated top 25.

1. Arizona Wildcats (15-0)

Previous ranking: 1

We highlighted how freshman Brayden Burries has added a new dimension to the Arizona offense in the Dec. 18 edition of these rankings -- and he hasn't cooled off with Big 12 play underway. After averaging 7.8 points through his first five games, Buries put up 17.9 points and shot 55.9% in his final eight nonconference games. The star guard went for 17 points and 11 rebounds in last Saturday's conference opener, then notched a career-high 28 points against Kansas State on 12-for-16 shooting to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists Wednesday.

Next seven days: at TCU (Jan. 10), vs. Arizona State (Jan. 14)

2. Michigan Wolverines (14-0)

Previous ranking: 2

For the first time in almost two months, Michigan finally had to sweat -- and it was against arguably the worst team in the Big Ten. The Wolverines led Penn State by 15 midway through the second half but made just three shots in the final 10:40. They survived a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer from Freddie Dilione V to escape with the 74-72 win. Michigan's margins of victory in its previous 10 games: 25, 40, 30, 40, 41, 28, 18, 52, 41, 30. They were bound to get tested this season, and in some ways coach Dusty May might be happy his team finally came down to earth.

Next seven days: vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 10), at Washington (Jan. 14)

3. Iowa State Cyclones (15-0)

Previous ranking: 3

Joshua Jefferson's National Player of the Year push hasn't slowed down since Big 12 play began. He opened conference play with a triple-double against West Virginia on Friday: 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, throwing in 5 combined blocks and steals for good measure. And on the road at Baylor on Wednesday, he finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists while racking up 3 steals. There's a strong case to be made that Jefferson has the best chance of any returnee to win the Wooden Award. He is second in the KenPom Player of the Year standings and ranks in the top three of win shares and box plus/minus.

Next seven days: vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 10), at Kansas (Jan. 13)

4. UConn Huskies (15-1)

Previous ranking: 4

When Silas Demary Jr. committed to UConn last spring, he was considered one of the most sought-after guards in the transfer portal and an important addition for the Huskies. He had shown flashes over the first two months of the season -- including a 21-point performance against BYU -- but there was also a six-game stretch during which he averaged only 4.8 points. Down 13 in the second half to Providence on Wednesday, Demary turned in his best game since arriving in Storrs. He finished with 23 points, 15 assists and 5 steals, with 18 points, 7 assists and 5 steals coming after halftime. Demary was a spark on the defensive end and made several key shots to key the comeback. Per ESPN Research, he's just the third Division I player over the past 30 seasons with 20 points, 15 assists and 5 steals in a game.

Next seven days: vs. DePaul (Jan. 10), at Seton Hall (Jan. 13)

5. Duke Blue Devils (14-1)

Previous ranking: 5

Caleb Foster is coming off arguably the best game of his Duke career and has been at his most consistent recently, since arriving in Durham. He opened ACC play with 12 points and 4 assists against Georgia Tech, then followed it up with 13 points and 6 rebounds against Florida State. He made three 3s in each. In the game against Louisville, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans carried the Blue Devils in the first half, but coach Jon Scheyer needed a third option in the second half -- and Foster stepped up. He had 16 of his 20 points after halftime, shooting 7-for-8 from the floor.

Next seven days: vs. SMU (Jan. 10), at California (Jan. 14)

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Duke Blue Devils vs. Louisville Cardinals: Game Highlights

6. Purdue Boilermakers (14-1)

Previous ranking: 7

Looking back, the blowout loss to Iowa State on Dec. 6 might have been a wakeup call for Purdue. The Boilermakers have barely been tested since then, winning their next five games (four against high-major competition) by an average of 26.6 points. They then comfortably handled Washington on Wednesday, with the final margin of eight not indicative of their dominance -- they led by as many as 23 points in the second half. Braden Smith was the most aggressive he has been on the offensive end in several weeks, finishing with 23 points, his most since scoring 29 against Alabama on Nov. 13.

Next seven days: vs. Penn State (Jan. 10), vs. Iowa (Jan. 14)

7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-0)

Previous ranking: 12

When Fred Hoiberg was at Iowa State, he was considered one of the best offensive coaches in the country. His final four offenses in Ames ranked in the top 25 nationally, including the 2013 and 2014 teams, which were inside the top 10 at KenPom. He hasn't had the same success at that end of the floor in Lincoln, but there has been a fascinating flip: The Cornhuskers' defense has ranked ahead of their offense in five of his seven seasons at the helm. That's the case this season, too. The Cornhuskers have a top-20 defense and recently held Michigan State to 0.87 points per possession. Only five of their 15 opponents have surpassed 1 point per possession.

Next seven days: at Indiana (Jan. 10), vs. Oregon (Jan. 13)

8. Vanderbilt Commodores (15-0)

Previous ranking: 13

There's no more questioning Vanderbilt's legitimacy after Wednesday's 96-90 win over Alabama. Tyler Tanner has cemented himself as one of the country's elite point guards and is playing like a legitimate All-American. He finished with 29 points, 7 assists and 4 steals against the Crimson Tide. He received plenty of help, too -- especially in the first half -- with Duke Miles adding 17 of his 19 points before halftime to go with 5 steals before he fouled out. With Tanner and Miles creating problems for opponents at both ends of the floor, the Commodores aren't slowing down.

Next seven days: vs. LSU (Jan. 10), at Texas (Jan. 14)

9. Gonzaga Bulldogs (16-1)

Previous ranking: 6

Since we last updated the rankings, Mark Few has made another change to his starting lineup: He went back to Braeden Smith at point guard and moved Mario Saint-Supery to the bench. Smith started the first four games of the season before Saint-Supery took over for the following nine. And now Smith has started the most recent four, all in WCC play. From an analytical perspective, Hoop Explorer has Gonzaga slightly better offensively with Smith on the floor and slightly better defensively with Saint-Supery in the game. There's not a massive difference in which player starts or comes off the bench, however; Few has used the backup point guard for more minutes than the starter six times this season.

Next seven days: vs. Santa Clara (Jan. 8)

10. Houston Cougars (14-1)

Previous ranking: 12

Despite a string of close wins since Christmas -- by 9 points over Middle Tennessee, by 7 points at Cincinnati, by 4 points over Texas Tech, while trailing well into the second half in the latter two contests -- Houston is now 14-1, and looking more like a Kelvin Sampson defense. The Cougars held Cincinnati and Tech to below 1 point per possession, and have forced 48 turnovers in their past three games, with all three opponents coughing it up on at least 21% of their possessions. In Houston's previous nine games, only four opponents turned it over on more than 18% of their possessions.

Next seven days: at Baylor (Jan. 10), vs. West Virginia (Jan. 13)

11. BYU Cougars (14-1)

Previous ranking: 10

We might not see a better example of Kevin Young's big three model than in BYU's 104-76 win over Arizona State on Wednesday. Richie Saunders scored 31 points and made six 3s; Rob Wright had 27 points and 4 assists; and AJ Dybantsa finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Those were career-high point totals for Saunders and Wright. The three stars combined to take 41 of BYU's 61 shots and scored 81 of the team's 104 points. It was even more noticeable in the first half, when the trio scored 39 of the team's 45 points and made 14 of its 16 field goals.

Next seven days: at Utah (Jan. 10), vs. TCU (Jan. 14)

12. Michigan State Spartans (13-2)

Previous ranking: 8

Jaxon Kohler's development as a face-up threat has been fairly remarkable. He attempted five 3-pointers combined as a freshman and sophomore -- and didn't make any of them. Last season, he averaged about one make every two games, but more than 76% of his field-goal attempts were from inside the arc. Through 15 games this season, Kohler is a ridiculous 53.7% from 3, making nearly two per game. He went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc against Nebraska, and 3-for-3 against USC. Even crazier, 12 of his 25 3-point misses came in the first five games of the season. Over his past 10 games, Kohler is making 3s at a 64% clip.

Next seven days: vs. Northwestern (Jan. 8), vs. Indiana (Jan. 13)

13. Arkansas Razorbacks (12-3)

Previous ranking: 16

There aren't many guards in the country -- freshman or otherwise -- playing better than Darius Acuff Jr. He has scored at least 20 points in five of his past six games, finishing with 26 points and 9 assists in Wednesday's win over Ole Miss, with 20 points and 6 assists coming in the second half. Acuff has been at his best in big games, averaging 21.7 points and 6.7 assists in the six games Arkansas has played against ranked teams, including his 29-point performance against Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Tennessee in Saturday's win.

Next seven days: at Auburn (Jan. 10), vs. South Carolina (Jan. 14)

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Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Ole Miss Rebels: Game Highlights

14. North Carolina Tar Heels (13-2)

Previous ranking: 11

North Carolina's seven-game winning streak was snapped Saturday, when it went to SMU and gave up 97 points -- the Mustangs scored 58 points in the second half -- in a 14-point loss. The Tar Heels' two losses this season have come in their two worst defensive performances by far: allowing 1.22 points per possession to Michigan State in November, and 1.40 to SMU last weekend. The common factor in those games was facing high-level opposing point guards that were just too quick and too athletic for UNC's backcourt to consistently keep out of the lane. Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. had 19 points and 7 assists; SMU's Boopie Miller went for 27 points and 12 assists.

Next seven days: vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 10), at Stanford (Jan. 14)

15. Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3)

Previous ranking: 15

Zvonimir Ivisic's minutes have fluctuated at both Arkansas and Illinois. But, despite starting only four games, he's having the most efficient season of his college career, making a case as one of the premier defensive players in the sport. He's third nationally in block percentage and in the top 35 in defensive rebounding percentage -- good for first in the Big Ten through three conference games. He has blocked 11 shots in just 53 minutes over his past three games. He's also had more games with three or more blocks (seven) than games with more than one foul (four).

Next seven days: vs. Rutgers (Jan. 8), at Iowa (Jan. 11), at Northwestern (Jan. 14)

16. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-4)

Previous ranking: 14

When Labaron Philon Jr. went to the sideline with 16:06 left in Wednesday's loss at Vanderbilt, the Commodores led by one point and Philon had 18 points in 20 minutes. The All-American guard never returned to the game, though, going into the locker room then coming back to the Crimson Tide's bench. Nate Oats' offense simply doesn't have the same dynamism without Philon on the floor, given his ability to get his own shot and consistently make contested shots against a set defense. Nate Oats said after the game that Philon was dealing with "full-body cramps" and had to get an IV.

Next seven days: vs. Texas (Jan. 10), at Mississippi State (Jan. 13)

17. Kansas Jayhawks (11-4)

Previous ranking: 19

With just a few minutes to go Tuesday against TCU, it looked like the wheels could come off for Kansas' season. The Jayhawks were coming off a loss to UCF on Saturday, they were down 15 at home to the Horned Frogs with five minutes left, and Darryn Peterson had subbed himself out of the game after appearing to tweak his lingering hamstring injury. But Kansas erased a 9-point lead in the final minute to send the game to overtime on three Peterson free throws with 1.7 seconds left -- then won it in the extra period with Peterson on the bench. The star freshman still finished with 32 points in 32 minutes, and Bill Self could end up looking back at Tuesday as a key momentum changer for the season.

Next seven days: at West Virginia (Jan. 10), vs. Iowa State (Jan. 13)

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TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks: Game Highlights

18. Texas Tech Red Raiders (11-4)

Previous ranking: 18

Tech let a potentially massive win slip through its hands Tuesday night, falling by 4 points at Houston after leading by 6 late in the game. But it was another impressive performance for freshman guard Jaylen Petty, who moved into the starting lineup after Christmas and has been one of Grant McCasland's most consistent players since. As a starter, he's averaging 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists and shooting 61.5% from the field and 52.4% from 3; coming off the bench, he was averaging 7.2 points and shooting 31.6% overall and 34.5% from 3.

Next seven days: at Colorado (Jan. 10), vs. Utah (Jan. 14)

19. Tennessee Volunteers (11-4)

Previous ranking: 20

After struggling to make shots against Arkansas on Saturday, Ja'Kobi Gillespie bounced back in a major way against Texas on Tuesday, finishing within 34 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals on 12-of-20 shooting, including 5-for-8 from 3. He helped the Vols overcome a quiet night offensively from Nate Ament, and also highlighted the difference in Gillespie's production in his team's wins and losses. In Tennessee's 11 wins, he's averaging 20.9 points, shooting 60.9% from 2 and 41.6% from 3. In Tennessee's four losses, he's averaging 12.5 points, shooting 40.5% from 2 and 20.7% from 3.

Next seven days: at Florida (Jan. 10), vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 13)

20. Louisville Cardinals (11-4)

Previous ranking: 17

Mikel Brown Jr. missed his fifth straight game Tuesday, and Louisville is now 2-3 with its star point guard sidelined. Adrian Wooley has been solid as Brown's replacement from a scoring perspective, averaging 12.0 points as a starter, but the Cardinals have clearly been worse at both ends of the floor without Brown. Over those five games, their assist numbers are way down, and they've been held below 1 point per possession twice. Defensively, they've had two of their worst performances and allowed at least 80 points in all three losses in that stretch.

Next seven days: vs. Boston College (Jan. 10), vs. Virginia (Jan. 13)

21. Virginia Cavaliers (13-2)

Previous ranking: 21

It has been a season of ebbs and flows for San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas, who averaged 19.9 points for the Dons last season and was expected to be a big-time scorer upon his arrival in Charlottesville. That was the case early, as he reached double-figures in five of his first six games -- including with 24 points against Butler on Nov. 23 -- before averaging just 7.2 points over his next five. But he has broken out of his slump since ACC play began, averaging 19.7 points in three conference games, going for 26 against Virginia Tech on New Year's Eve and 20 against California on Wednesday.

Next seven days: vs. Stanford (Jan. 10), at Louisville (Jan. 13)

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California Golden Bears vs. Virginia Cavaliers: Game Highlights

22. Utah State Aggies (13-1)

Previous ranking: Unranked

It doesn't appear to be a vintage season for the second tier of conferences -- excluding the WCC's Gonzaga, of course -- but Utah State might be the best of that group. The Aggies improved to 13-1 with a 37-point road win at Air Force on Tuesday, and have already notched wins over notable mid-majors VCU, Illinois State and Colorado State. The Aggies' lone loss was to South Florida back in early December. We should know more about Jerrod Calhoun's team after upcoming games at Boise State and home against Nevada, but right now, it's producing at an incredibly efficient rate on offense. Former Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins Jr. has been a key performer.

Next seven days: at Boise State (Jan. 10), vs. Nevada (Jan. 14)

23. Georgia Bulldogs (13-2)

Previous ranking: 25

After beating Auburn in overtime Saturday, Georgia really struggled in the second half against Florida on Tuesday en route to a 15-point loss. Entering the week, the Bulldogs had been one of the elite offensive teams in the country, scoring 100-plus points on seven occasions. But they had just 77 against the Gators and were held below 1.07 points per possession for the first time this campaign (KenPom logged them at 0.99 points per possession). Georgia couldn't finish at the rim, shooting 11-for-28 on dunks and layups, and went 4-for-19 from 3.

Next seven days: at South Carolina (Jan. 10), vs. Ole Miss (Jan. 14)

24. Saint Louis Billikens (14-1)

Previous ranking: Unranked

Saint Louis landed a statement win Wednesday, going to VCU -- the Billikens' stiffest competition for the Atlantic 10 title -- and knocking off the Rams by nine. Saint Louis led by 14 before VCU came all the way back to take the lead, then the Billikens finished the game on a 10-0 run. It was Saint Louis' most impressive win of the season, and the Billikens' lone loss was by one point to Stanford in late November on a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left. Don't be surprised to see Josh Schertz's team go on a long winning run, either; it's likely to be heavily favored in every game until at least late February.

Next seven days: at La Salle (Jan. 10), vs. Fordham (Jan. 14)

25. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-3)

Previous ranking: Unranked

Iowa looked elite against UCLA this past Saturday, leading by as many as 24 points in the first half before winning by 13. Three days later, the Hawkeyes went to Minnesota and suffered a three-point defeat after missing three open 3s on the final possession. They could have used the momentum entering a difficult three-game stretch: vs. Illinois, at Purdue, at Indiana. The key could be Alvaro Folgueiras. The former Robert Morris transfer has played himself onto NBA draft boards and scored at least 13 points in four straight games entering Tuesday before going scoreless in 11 minutes against the Gophers.

Next seven days: vs. Illinois (Jan. 11), at Purdue (Jan. 14)

Dropped out: Kentucky Wildcats (No. 22), USC Trojans (No. 23), Florida Gators (No. 24)

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