| College Basketball Power Rankings - Week 12 | |||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | PTS | COMMENT | |
| 1 | 1 Last Week: 2 | 250 | The Jayhawks return to the top spot after rolling off five straight wins since their loss to Tennessee. The only remaining unbeaten team in Big 12 play hits the road for the next two games, beginning with a visit to Kansas State on Saturday. | ||
| 2 | 3 Last Week: 5 | 235 | Syracuse trailed Georgetown 14-0 at home on Monday night, but the Orange turned the tables on the Hoyas in a 17-point win, their 20th of the season. A visit to DePaul is next. | ||
| 3 | 1 Last Week: 4 | 229 | The Wildcats trail Syracuse in the rankings but sit atop the Big East standings as the only unbeaten team in league play. The going gets considerably tougher in February, as Villanova follows up a game against Seton Hall with road games against Georgetown and West Virginia. | ||
| 4 | 3 Last Week: 1 | 225 | No team has spent a great deal of time in the No. 1 spot lately and Kentucky was no exception, as the Wildcats couldn't overcome Devan Downey and South Carolina on the road Tuesday night. The Wildcats host Vanderbilt on Saturday. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | 205 | Kalin Lucas' jumper with 3.5 seconds left pushed Michigan State past Michigan to give the Spartans their best conference start in school history. They host Northwestern on Saturday. | ||
| 6 | 3 Last Week: 3 | 195 | Texas avoided tripling its recent skid, using a second-half burst to push past Texas Tech behind Damion James' 28 points and 13 rebounds. The Longhorns host Baylor on Saturday. | ||
| 7 | 3 Last Week: 10 | 188 | The Blue Devils have followed up a loss to NC State with consecutive double-digit wins over Clemson and Florida State. They dip out of conference play with a visit to Georgetown in the nation's capital on Saturday. | ||
| 8 | 5 Last Week: 13 | 171 | Upcoming home games against Louisville and Pitt give West Virginia a chance to create some separation in the Big East standings. The Mountaineers might need the breathing room, as their Big East schedule is decidedly backloaded. | ||
| 9 | 2 Last Week: 11 | 165 | During the Zags' eight-game winning streak, they've hit over 80 points seven times. They aim to keep their unbeaten start in WCC play intact with a visit to Santa Clara tonight. | ||
| 10 | 5 Last Week: 15 | 159 | When JaJuan Johnson is aggressive, it's a good sign for the Boilermakers. In four January victories, Johnson has posted 21.5 ppg. In three losses this month, he's averaging 6 per game. The Boilermakers host Wisconsin tonight. | ||
| 11 | 4 Last Week: 7 | 156 | Kansas State got a much-needed win on the road against Baylor heading into Saturday's "GameDay" matchup at home with Kansas. Jacob Pullen broke out of a recent slump with 25 points against the Bears. | ||
| 12 | 3 Last Week: 9 | 128 | The Hoyas missed a golden opportunity for a big road win after giving up a big lead to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. They'll hope for a big nonconference win against Duke on Saturday. | ||
| 13 | 1 Last Week: 14 | 119 | The Cougars owned the nation's longest winning streak after Kentucky fell to South Carolina. But the Cougars' streak fell shortly after, as they couldn't overcome New Mexico on the road. | ||
| 13 | 11 Last Week: 24 | 115 | This week's big mover earned its 10th straight win -- and third SEC road win in four tries -- at Tennessee. The road doesn't get any easier, as the Commodores visit Lexington on Saturday. | ||
| 15 | 3 Last Week: 18 | 107 | Keeping pace with Michigan State in the Big Ten standings is getting more difficult with every Spartans win. The Badgers will try to stay close in second place with a visit to Purdue tonight. | ||
| 16 | 4 Last Week: 12 | 94 | It was a forgettable week for Pitt, after losses against Georgetown and Seton Hall. The Panthers can get back on track in the Big East with a visit from St. John's tonight followed by a visit to South Florida Sunday. | ||
| 17 | 9 Last Week: 8 | 79 | The Vols had won 10 straight at home. They also had won four straight over Vandy in Knoxville. Both streaks ended abruptly Wednesday night as Tennessee dropped its second straight SEC game. The Vols will try to get back on track against Florida on Sunday. | ||
| 18 | 2 Last Week: 16 | 71 | A loss to Charlotte sent Temple to its first A-10 loss and created a three-way tie atop the league standings. The Owls have a two-game homestand coming up beginning with La Salle on Saturday. | ||
| 19 | -- Last Week: 19 | 62 | The Buckeyes are 5-2 since Evan Turner's return. After winning only its second Big Ten road game at Iowa Wednesday, OSU has a chance to move up in the standings when it begins a three-game homestand versus Minnesota Saturday. | ||
| 20 | 2 Last Week: 22 | 58 | The Bulldogs are rolling through the Horizon League and visit Green Bay on Friday night (ESPNU, 9 ET). Before chalking it up as another conference win, remember that Butler lost on the road to the Phoenix last season. | ||
| 21 | 4 Last Week: 25 | 40 | The Rebels have won two straight SEC games since losing to Tennessee in OT. Ole Miss can climb the league standings with upcoming games against Auburn and Arkansas. | ||
| 22 | 4 Last Week: NR | 39 | Lobos coach Steve Alford said his team has its swagger back. Winning against the nation's best certainly helps. After beating BYU Wednesday, New Mexico improved to 4-0 against ranked opponents this season. | ||
| 23 | 3 Last Week: NR | 34 | With two straight ACC wins over North Carolina and Virginia, the Demon Deacons have become a player in the conference race. A win at Georgia Tech on Thursday night would solidify that even more. | ||
| 24 | 7 Last Week: 17 | 31 | Wins over Duke, North Carolina and Clemson are positive for a team that won just two league games last season. If the Yellow Jackets want to challenge in the ACC, they'll have to beat the likes of Wake Forest, whom they'll face tonight. | ||
| 25 | 1 Last Week: NR | 25 | The ACC's surprise leader has won four straight, including three straight league games. The Terrapins hit the road for upcoming league games against Clemson and Florida State. | ||
| Others receiving votes: UAB (22), Northern Iowa (18), Oklahoma State (11), Mississippi State (10), Missouri (5), Baylor (5), UConn (5), Siena (2) | |||||
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