Auburn leaps Tennessee for top spot in men's basketball Power 37 rankings

Well, it’s been quite a first two months of the season. The games have been entertaining with plenty of buzzer-beaters and tremendous performances. 

Just take this past week: 

1. Bruce Thornton scores 30 for Ohio State to upset Kentucky at Madison Square Garden.
2. Donovan Dent drops 40 on VCU as New Mexico wins at the Pit.
3. Jeremiah Fears scores 30 for Oklahoma, including a game-winning four-point play to beat Michigan in Charlotte. 
4. Treysen Eaglestaff scores 40 for North Dakota in a 97-90 loss in Grand Forks to Alabama. 
5. Northwestern’s Brooks Barnhizer scores 21 points, grabs 17 boards and has six assists, four steals and three blocks after he had 10/10/3/3/3 in a win over Georgia Tech to be the only player to post 20 plus points, 10 plus rebounds, three plus assists, three plus steals and three plus blocks twice in a season. 
6. Kasparas Jakucionis delivers a turn-around NBA-fade Sunday for Illinois to beat Missouri in the final possession. 
7. Bennett Stirtz buries a 3-pointer in OT for Drake to remain undefeated by taking down Kansas State in Manhattan. 
8. Zuby Ejiofor converted a second-shot tip-in at the buzzer for St. John’s to win at Providence. 

And we’re not even at conference season yet!

A few other thoughts:

• Ben McCollum can take his best players and beat your best players even if they weren’t highly rated. He brought with him four D2 players from Northwest Missouri State where he had won four D2 titles and has Drake undefeated. The win over Kansas State was yet another example in this NIL-era that building a roster isn’t about the financial part of the portal but rather the right pieces who can work well together. 
• McCollum is a national coach of the year candidate. The favorites will be Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Rick Barnes (Tennessee) and TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State), but McCollum may be right there with them. Oklahoma’s Porter Moser and Florida’s Todd Golden, two of the four undefeated teams remaining, also deserve mention.
• Don’t look know now, but the UC San Diego Tritons could be the team to beat in the Big West. 
• I love that Missouri is back playing Kansas and the Illinois-Missouri game is relevant again. Kansas State lost to Wichita State and the Shockers would love to play it every year. Let’s hope Kansas State keeps doing it as well. Playing at least one in-state, non-conference rivalry game is good for the fan bases in an era where more out-of-market teams come into your building in these bloated conferences. Wildcat fans would likely enjoy going against Wichita State more so than UCF. 
• The CBS Sports Classic delivered on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The Classic is contracted through 2026, but the matchups are now more limited since Ohio State and UCLA are in the same conference. Ohio State beat Kentucky, and North Carolina beat UCLA, so next year, having Ohio State-North Carolina and UCLA-Kentucky works. But in 2026, the Buckeyes and Bruins would then likely play a non-conference game against each other to ensure the Wildcats and Tar Heels can play in the event. Ohio State and UCLA would likely be a single play in the Big Ten in 2026-27 to accommodate for this event. 
• Based on scheduling, I expect Drake to be the last remaining unbeaten team, but not by much. Drake’s next toughest game will likely be at Bradley, Jan. 8.  
  • Oklahoma plays at Alabama, Jan. 4
  • Florida plays at Kentucky, Jan. 4
  • Tennessee plays at Florida, Jan. 7
• I can’t remember a power team falling so far from a Final Four run. Miami was in the 2023 Final Four, and finished 15-17 overall, 6-14 in the ACC last season.
  • Miami is 4-8 thus far, including losses to Charleston Southern and most recently at home to Mount Saint Mary’s in OT. 
• Princeton beat Rutgers for the second season in a row. I'm glad Steve Pikiell agreed to play the in-state game, but the Tigers have proven to be the worst team for an inexperienced, albeit talented team, to face — especially when Rutgers desperately needed a win. 
• I can’t say it enough: a packed Madison Square Garden is the best spot to watch college hoops. The atmosphere is simply fantastic, the sight lines all good and every single player and coach loves participating in games. 
  • In consecutive Saturdays, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, UConn’s Dan Hurley, Ohio State’s Jake Diebler, North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, Kentucky’s Mark Pope and UCLA’s Mick Cronin all had praise for MSG. The players all love it with UNC guards RJ Davis and Ian Jackson raving about what it’s like to play well in the Garden. And I love that Hubert Davis, a former Knick, brought his one-time teammate John Starks to speak to the team about what playing in the Garden means. Love it! 

RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | NET rankings

Power Rankings for Dec. 23:

1. Auburn (Prev. 2, 11-1): I made the switch even though Tennessee didn’t lose. I’ve seen Auburn in person and watched most of the games, and they are the best team in the country. 
2. Tennessee (Prev. 1, 11-0): The Vols will be right with Auburn for the SEC title. 
3. Iowa State (Prev. 3, 10-1): The Cyclones continue to roll. 
4. Duke (Prev. 5,10-2): Cooper Flagg turned 18 last Saturday and he’s already one of the five best players this season. 
5. Florida (Prev. 7, 12-0): The Gators picked up another resume win by beating North Carolina in a de-facto home game for the Tar Heels in Charlotte. 
6. Alabama (Prev. 6, 10-2): The Tide had a legit scare in Grand Forks, but survived Grant Nelson’s homecoming. 
7. Oklahoma (Prev. 17, 12-0): the Sooners came back to beat Michigan in Charlotte to remain undefeated. 
8. UConn (Prev. 8, 10-3): The Huskies won games without a healthy Samson Johnson, a good sign going forward. 
9. Marquette (Prev. 9, 11-2): The Golden Eagles have flirted with disaster a few times, but still find ways to win late. 
10. Kansas (Prev. 11, 9-2): The Jayhawks appear to have settled down and are ready for the Big 12 title chase. 
11. Texas A&M (Prev. 14, 10-2): This is no hyperbole in saying this is Buzz Williams’ best team. 
12. Oregon (Prev. 12, 11-1): The Ducks are a second from being undefeated. 
13. Maryland (Prev. 24, 10-2): The Terps will be top 10 if they can get through a restart Big Ten season in the Northwest. 
14. Kentucky (Prev. 4, 10-2): Had to drop the Wildcats after losing by 20 to Ohio State at MSG. 
15. UCLA (Prev. 10, 10-2): Brutal late-game collapse against North Carolina that could help this crew learn how to finish a game later in the season. 
16. Mississippi State (Prev. 30, 11-1): Time to give the Bulldogs their due with the road win at Memphis. 
17. Memphis (Prev. 13, 9-3): The Tigers dropped a home game against Mississippi State. 
18. Arkansas (Prev. 18, 10-2): The softer schedule is over, but the Hogs aren’t going anywhere. 
19. Michigan State (Prev. 16, 10-2): The Spartans no longer plod. This team is a highlight reel. 
20. Illinois (Prev. 21, 8-3): The win over Missouri was filled with energy, passion and big-time plays. 
21. Gonzaga (Prev. 22, 9-3): The Bulldogs need a quality win, and UCLA is the next one that fits that criteria on the schedule. 
22. Clemson (Prev. 15, 10-3): The Tigers got off to a 2-0 start in the ACC. 
23. Ole Miss (Prev. 20, 11-1): Sean Pedulla has been a huge pickup for the Rebels. 
24. Cincinnati (Prev. 36, 10-1): Tremendous win over Dayton that will have shelf life. 
25. San Diego State (Prev. 29, 8-2): The Aztecs obliterated Cal and re-established themselves this month as the team to beat in the Mountain West. 
26. Michigan (Prev. 19, 9-3): Wolverines couldn’t close out Oklahoma and that loss may sting for some time. 
27. Missouri (Prev. 25, 10-2): The Tigers played well and nearly had a shot to beat Illinois in a classic Bargain’ Rights game. 
28. Baylor (Prev. 27, 7-3): There’s no question a healthy Baylor team would be much higher. 
29. Wisconsin (Prev. 28, 10-3): The Badgers have bounced back from a tough three-game slide. 
30. Purdue (Prev. 23, 8-4): Quicker teams with length in the post are a problem for these Boilers. 
31. St. John’s (Prev. NR, 10-2): The Red Storm seem to have that special something late that will help them challenge for a top three Big East finish. 
32. Georgia (Prev. 31, 11-1): Mike White has quietly built an NCAA tournament bound team. 
33. Penn State (Prev. 33, 10-2): The Nittany Lions remain one of the more entertaining teams. 
34. Drake (Prev. 34, 11-0): Bennett Stirtz saves the undefeated season with the game-winner at Kansas State. 
35. West Virginia (Prev. 35, 9-2): The Mountaineers aren’t healthy, and they still are playing like an NCAA-bound team. 
36. Houston (Prev. NR, 8-3): I know I’m an outlier not having the beloved Cougars higher, but they still need to produce a win against the field. That will come in the Big 12. 
37. Dayton (Prev. 26, 10-3): No shame in losing a game to surging Cincinnati. 

Dropped out: Utah State (37), Rutgers (32).
Under consideration: South Carolina, Texas, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Colorado, BYU, Pitt, St. Bonaventure, UC San Diego, SMU, Boise State. 

COOPER FLAGG: The freshman phenom who only now can vote

March Madness National Player of the Week

Bruce Thornton, Ohio State: The junior guard dropped 30 in a 20-point win over Kentucky — a stunner of a W at Madison Square Garden. Earlier in the week, Thornton scored 14 and dished out six assists in a win over Valparaiso. Ohio State got blasted by Auburn last Saturday, and Maryland earlier in the month. They were in desperate need of a big-time, resume win. Thornton said he was ready to fill the leadership vacuum when the Buckeyes met. Thornton delivered.

March Madness National Team of the Week

Oklahoma: The Sooners enter the holidays 12-0 and will begin the SEC at 13-0 pending a complete collapse against Prairie View A&M. Oklahoma got to this position with an epic comeback against Michigan in Charlotte. The Sooners came back for most of the game and then passed Michigan on a Jeremiah Fears four-point play with 11.5 seconds remaining. The freshman guard finished with 30. Oklahoma now has this win to go with a Battle 4 Atlantis title. Porter Moser has built a team ready to compete in the loaded SEC at the right time. 

March Madness top games of the week (light holiday schedule)

UCLA vs. Gonzaga, Los Angeles, Saturday (Dec. 28): The Zags have failed to close out in a few of their marquee games. UCLA gave away the Kentucky game in New York. 

Ole Miss at Memphis, Saturday (Dec. 28): The Tigers will attempt to get a split with the two Mississippi SEC schools after losing to Mississippi State at home. The Bulldogs are looking for another quality road win. 

Utah State at San Diego State, Saturday (Dec. 28): The Aztecs have risen to be the team to beat again in the Mountain West. This is a chance for the Aggies to alter the race in week one in January. 

New Mexico at Colorado State, Saturday (Dec. 28): The Lobos should be one of the top three teams in the Mountain West. Beating the Rams on the road would send that message to the rest of the league. 

Indiana State at Ohio State, Sunday (Dec. 29): The Buckeyes turned their season around, but before they jump back into the Big Ten, they’ve got to beat one of the three best teams in the Valley.