College basketball rankings: Penn State cracks top 10 in AP poll, Power 36
The rankings are easy — through the top 10.
The rest of the Power 36 is fluid with no team safe from week to week.
Get ready for the chaos — it's coming in just a few weeks.
1. Baylor (1): If the Bears beat Kansas this weekend they can likely lock up the No. 1 overall seed.
2. Gonzaga (2): The Zags continue to get everyone’s best shot and yet keep plowing through the improved WCC.
3. San Diego State (3): 26 and counting and no sign of losing on the horizon.
TRACKING PERFECTION: San Diego State is the last undefeated team in the country
4. Kansas (4): The Jayhawks were our team of the week for a superb defensive effort last week.
5. Dayton (6): Obi Toppin was our national player of the week after disposing of their top rival Rhode Island in the A-10.
6. Duke (7): Tre Jones is quietly having an all-American type season.
7. Maryland (8): The Terps are playing their best basketball at the right time. The finish at Michigan State was a championship ending.
8. Kentucky (12): The Wildcats are now in the pole position to win the SEC.
9. Penn State (13): The Nittany Lions are one of the top two contenders to win the Big Ten. Let that sink in.
10. Florida State (10): The Seminoles are once again a sleeper to go deep in March.
11. Oregon (27): The Ducks had an impressive home sweep of Colorado and Utah and are back in position to potentially win the Pac-12.
12. Creighton (21): The Bluejays are one of the top offensive teams in the country when they are making 3s. Buy stock now.
13. Auburn (9): The Tigers had been playing with fire and finally got burned on the road in the SEC at Missouri.
Missouri upsets Auburn, 85-73
14. Louisville (5): The Cardinals had a brutal week, losing to Georgia Tech and Clemson.
15. Michigan (20): The Wolverines have won three in a row and Isaiah Livers is back to being an offensive force.
16. Colorado (14): The Buffaloes got the split they needed in Oregon by besting the Beavers on the second game of the trip.
17. Seton Hall (11): The Pirates have had a rough go in the Big East this past week. But they should ultimately be fine.
18. Villanova (32): The Wildcats righted themselves in the Big East with the win over Marquette.
19. BYU (24): If you want to check out a team that will be a good watch in March and entertain, lock in on the Cougars.
20. Arizona State (33): The Sun Devils are tied for first in the loss column in the Pac-12. Full stop.
21. Arizona (NR): The Wildcats swept through the Bay Area in impressive fashion to join the Sun Devils, Buffaloes and Ducks in quite a conference race.
HOW FAR CAN THEY GO?: We're tracking San Diego State's toughest games ahead
22. Marquette (16): The Golden Eagles are still a viable threat in the Big East.
23. Iowa (25): The Hawkeyes came through with a tremendously important road win Sunday at Minnesota, a strong indicator that this team has resiliency.
Iowa defeats Minnesota, 58-55
24. Ohio State (NR): The Buckeyes are back playing at a high level at the right time.
25. Wisconsin (29): The Badgers pulled off another road win, albeit at Nebraska, to show that their shooting can travel.
26. Michigan State (26): The Spartans were on the verge of their most important win of the season before Maryland got scorching hot.
27. LSU (15): The Tigers have come down to earth a bit, but don’t sleep on this squad down the stretch.
28. Houston (18): The Cougars have quite a stretch coming up with Tulsa, at Memphis and Cincinnati in the next three.
29. Cincinnati (NR): The Bearcats have received little attention this season. That should change in March.
30. Rutgers (28): The Scarlet Knights must have a breakthrough on the road to be viable in March.
31. Rhode Island (17): I may have been too high on the Rams. But their loss to Dayton just shows how good the Flyers are, not necessarily a poor reflection on the Rams.
32. Georgetown (NR): I’m not sure there was a more impressive win than the Hoyas beating Butler without its top two scorers, leaving them with essentially one bench player.
33. UCLA (NR): The hottest team in the Pac-12 just may be the Bruins. No one is going to want to face this team in the league tournament.
34. Butler (30): The Bulldogs were depleted as well as the Hoyas but this team, once healthy, will still be a major factor in the Big East.
35. Loyola-Chicago (NR): The Ramblers took down league favorite Northern Iowa and now trail the Panthers by one game with four to play.
36. Northern Iowa (22): The Panthers lost in overtime to the Ramblers but should deserve serious consideration for an at-large even if they don’t win the league.
Team of the Week
Kansas: The Jayhawks have won 10 in a row and last week had one of their most impressive of victories the season, not just in this streak. Kansas throttled West Virginia in Morgantown, limiting the Mountaineers to just 49 points. Then, at home, the Jayhawks crushed Oklahoma by 17. If Kansas can take care of Iowa State then it sets up a showdown at Baylor on Saturday for essentially a piece of the Big 12 title. This Kansas team has always been able to score but its defense this season is as much of a reason why Kansas can win/will be one of the favorites to win the national title.
Player of the week
Obi Toppin, So., F, Dayton: The national player of the year candidate had another stellar week, silencing the Flyers' top competition in the A-10 in Rhode Island, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 boards in the 81-67 win. Then, on the road at UMass, Toppin scored 19 and grabbed seven boards in the win. Toppin has been as consistent as any other player in the nation. He has been extremely reliable and, arguably, the most valuable player to any title contender.
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