College Basketball Power Rankings: Auburn Remains Top Powerhouse After Eclipsing Alabama

The college basketball slate was one of the best of the season on Saturday, with the first 1 vs. 2 conference game since 2016 when Alabama hosted Auburn. There were a plethora of other top-25 showdowns, with Houston outlasting Arizona, Wisconsin upsetting Purdue, and Mississippi State completed their season sweep of Ole Miss.

The SEC has remained one of the best conferences in basketball all year, and proves it again with five teams in our top 10 power rankings this week. Auburn continues to roll, almost untouchable by their foes, only losing to the second and third best teams on this list. Will they be able to go the distance? Let's break it all down.

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College Basketball Power Rankings - December 9th

1. Auburn Tigers (23-2)

The Auburn Tigers can't stop winning, and no one really stacks up against them. The Florida Gators pulling the upset as a 9-point underdog a week ago was their only conference loss of the year, and snapped their 16-game win streak. Most teams don't even hold a candle to the Tigers, with their No. 1 offense and top-10 defense. They don't turn the ball over, and they are stacked with veteran stars like Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara. They will take on Arkansas and Georgia this week, and both should be wins.

2. Duke Blue Devils (22-3)

The Duke Blue Devils leap over the Gators here, even with Florida at No. 2 in the poll. The Gators may play faster and score a ton of points, but they aren't as efficient as the Blue Devils. Duke is top-4 in both offense and defense. The only real knock on Duke is that Cooper Flagg leads them in every stat category, followed by fellow freshman Kon Knueppel. The lack of experience may be a problem later, but as of right now, they have the best chance to outlast Auburn from a talent perspective, already doing it once.

3. Florida Gators (22-3)

The Florida Gators have been the only team outside of Duke to take down the Auburn Tigers, the clear team to beat. Their offense simply couldn't be stopped last week on the road, scoring 90 against Auburn in the upset. Their offense has carried them all year, led by Walter Clayton Jr. But will the defense be good enough to shut down the opposition in the NCAA Tournament? At their high tempo, similar to Alabama, things can get sloppy fast.

4. Houston Cougars (21-4)

Houston is ... However, they seem to be missing a true superstar like they had with Jamal Shead last year. He carried them through many tough games, and while LJ Cryer and Emanual Sharp have tried to pick up the slack, they may find an issue looking for clutch points in March Madness. They are nearly flawless in Big 12 play regardless, only losing by a point against Texas Tech, and earning a massive 2OT victory against Kansas. They will be tested again with Iowa State coming to town this weekend, so watch that for a huge conference clash.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (21-4)

Alabama is in the fifth spot here, coming off a loss against Auburn at home this weekend. They were 1.5-point favorites, but were simply outplayed by the top-ranked Tigers. Shooting only 19% from three isn't going to get it done against top teams, and they fell by nine points at the end of the day. Mark Sears and Grant Nelson have shown the ability to lead this team deep in the tournament a year ago, so don't count out the Tide despite their turnover issues and sometimes inconsistent play.

Will the Crimson Tide compete for a SEC title? Check out the latest odds

6. Tennessee Volunteers (21-5)

The Tennessee Volunteers dropped a second game to the Kentucky Wildcats last week, dropping them down a peg out of the top 5. They were swept by their neighborly rival, even with the Wildcats missing several stars due to injury. Tennessee has failed to come up big in a few SEC showdowns this year, and their slow tempo has been blamed for the inability to make comebacks. They have a big chance to prove themselves against top-10 Texas A&M on Saturday.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (20-5)

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are going to rise higher than their No. 9 ranking in the AP Poll here. The Red Raiders have won nine of their last 10 games, including a wins over Houston and Arizona. They have the 6th-most efficient offense in the country, which has carried them through many of these wins, although lapsing a bit on defense. Their only true area of concern is the lack of getting to the free throw line. TTU has two relatively easy games this week against TCU and West Virginia, but may be looking ahead to next Monday's rematch with the Houston Cougars.

8. Iowa State Cyclones (20-5)

The Iowa State Cyclones have bounced back nicely since their early February collapse. The Cyclones had been looking nearly flawless for most of the first three months, with their only loss to the top-ranked Auburn Tigers by one point back in November. That all came crashing down at the end of January, losing three straight games to Arizona, Kansas, and Kansas State. They have rebounded in the two weeks since, winning three games in a row, all by double digits. They should have a cakewalk against Colorado during the week, before locking in against Houston on Saturday for arguably the biggest Big 12 battle of the season.

9. St. John's Red Storm (22-4)

The St. John's Red Storm are the best squad in the Big East, and it's not particularly close. They are also one of the best second half teams in the country, proving it with repeated 2H comebacks against powerful opponents. While Rick Pitino wants to avoid going down early in the future, their resolve and toughness could take them a long way in March. They have the No. 3 overall defense, but lack a bit in the offensive department. Outside of a last-second loss to Villanova last week, the Johnnies had won 11 straight Big East games, including a comeback against Creighton on Sunday. They will be tested again this Saturday against an up and down UConn team.

10. Texas A&M Aggies (20-5)

Texas A&M is going to sit in the 10th spot here, although they might not even be good enough for that They are No. 7 in the AP Poll, but the numbers aren't adding up with their metrics. They have won seven of their last eight games in the stacked SEC, but a lot of them were near escapes against inferior opponents. They haven't been as dominant as a top-10 team should be in their wins, and their 44th-ranked offense backs that up. Shooting only 31% from three and the 290th most efficient 2-point offense is not going to get it done against the top SEC squads, and it may rear it's ugly head this week. Games against No. 21 Mississippi State and No. 6 Tennessee may expose this team. They have great veteran leadership in Wade Taylor IV and Henry Coleman III, but they are lacking in too many important categories.

Can St. John's or Texas A&M make a run at the National Championship despite weaker offenses? Check out their latest odds here

Just Outside the Top 10

11. Wisconsin Badgers (20-5)

12. Michigan Wolverines (20-5)

13. Purdue Boilermakers (19-7)

14. Arizona Wildcats (17-8)

15. Missouri Tigers (19-6)

Can one of these climbing squads move into the Top 10 this week? See their upcoming matchup odds here

Biggest Losers

Kansas Jayhawks (17-8)

Kansas struggled last year compared to their typical dominance, and it's gotten even worse this year. They just collapsed down the stretch against lowly Utah on Saturday night, recording their 8th loss of the season. They are on track to turn in Bill Self's worst season in over 20 years at the helm, despite veterans like Dajuan Harris and Hunter Dickinson leading the team. They don't have a typical superstar carrying the team, and are running out of road to turn this around. Another test at BYU on Tuesday night, where they will be +2.5 underdogs and hungry to prove themselves. But the season outlook isn't great for these Jayhawks right now.

Illinois Fighting Illini (17-9)

Illinois has now failed in the late stages of games they should win on multiple occasions. A few weeks ago it was a road collapse against Rutgers, and Saturday night was a disaster against Michigan State. They led 65-64 with 8 minutes left, and proceeded not to score a single point for the remainder of the game. They gave up a 15-0 run to end it, at home no less, and drop their ninth game of the season. They have played themselves out of the top 25, despite rocking the 13th-most efficient metrics in the country. This team is well-suited to win in March, unlike Kansas, but they have a lot to figure out.