College Basketball Power Rankings: Duke Overtakes Auburn in Final CBB Rankings Ahead of Tournament

Welp, it finally happened. Auburn has been dethroned after a multi-month reign as the No. 1 team in the country. They dropped two close games this week, while Duke continued to dominate everyone in their path. For that, the top spots will flip flop as we head into the conference tournaments.

There are several key things to watch this week, as Alabama and Florida potentially battle for the final 1-seed with an SEC Tournament rematch. Meanwhile, teams like Michigan and Missouri are collapsing under the late season pressure, is it too late to right the ship? We break all of that down and more in this final edition of college basketball power rankings.

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College Basketball Power Rankings - March 10th

1. Duke Blue Devils (28-3)

Cooper Flagg and Duke can't be stopped, plain and simple. ACC regular season champs with a nearly flawless 19-1 conference record. The only loss came to a powerful Clemson team on the road, and it still took a slip in the final moments for them to lose. Sure, they will be knocked for playing a weaker schedule, but you play the teams on the court in front of you, and Duke beat the majority of them by 20-30 points. No notes here, and they should roll to an ACC Tournament crown if they continue this play.

2. Auburn Tigers (27-4)

The Auburn Tigers are no longer sitting in No. 1 for the first time in two months, courtesy of back to back SEC losses to end the regular season. This team had looked untouchable for a large portion of the season, but those lofty expectations are coming down a peg to close out the year. A road loss to Texas A&M and a buzzer beater loss in OT to Alabama this week moved them down to No. 3 in the AP Poll, but I would still probably back this team against the rest of the field outside of Duke, so we'll keep them at No. 2 here.

3. Houston Cougars (27-4)

The Houston Cougars are guaranteed to grab the third No. 1 seed after finishing yet another winning week, and closing the Big 12 regular season at a similar 19-1 record to Duke. They played much harder opponents, but did what it took to win each time. Defense has led the way for Kelvin Sampson's team as it usually does, but some x-factor concerns have prevented pundits from projecting them to make the Final Four. They've been proving people wrong all season since our first power rankings back in November, when they had fallen all the way back to No. 17 in the AP Poll after a terrible showing in the Feast Week tournament. Unlike UConn, they rebounded and decided to win almost every game since then, and will be rewarded for their success now.

4. Florida Gators (27-4)

The Gators are in line for the final No. 1 seed, and have played themselves into that spot over the last few games. The way the SEC Tournament is set up with Florida at the two seed and Bama at the three, whoever wins that game and advances to the final game will probably steal the last one seed in March Madness. As of now, the Gators are certainly more deserving, proving it in their last head-to-head matchup on the road.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (24-7)

The Crimson Tide may have lost to Florida during the week and Tennessee at the buzzer last weekend, but they earned it all back and then some with an upset on the road against No. 1 Auburn. Mark Sears hit a silky floater as time expired in overtime to silence the crowd on The Plains. As noted above, they can still get a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can take down Florida in the SEC Tournament later this week. All eyes will be on that battle.

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

6. Michigan State Spartans (26-5)

The Spartans are on an absolute tear, dismantling every Big Ten opponent in their way. They won seven games in a row to end the regular season, claiming the Big Ten title by a wide margin in the process. Many of these wins down the stretch were against the conference powers in Maryland, Michigan, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The sky is the limit for the Spartans, who struggled in the first half of the season with a weak offense. Those concerns are seemingly gone now, so watch out for this red-hot two seed.

7. St. John's Red Storm (27-4)

The Red Storm are going to stay in the same spot, getting leapfrogged by the impressive Spartans. Not a knock on the Johnnies, who won another epic game against Marquette with a clutch overtime basket. They won the Big East with ease at 18-2, guided by Rick Pitino's old school tactics of toughness and resilience. Undefeated at home, six wins in a row, and on track to be a two seed, the Johnnies have the it-factor, which could carry them far in March. Their offense doesn't pass the metrics test still, but that's really the only knock against this unit.

8. Tennessee Volunteers (25-6)

Tennessee was flying high after taking out Bama last week, but fell back to earth after getting upset by Ole Miss on Wednesday. Everyone else above them kept winning, so naturally they have to bounce back further here from the No. 4 spot. Still a great team, and are built to make some noise in the SEC Tournament as well as likely grab the final 2-seed.

9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (24-7)

Texas Tech is standing still as well, beating up on weak Colorado and Arizona State teams in the last seven days. They play great on the road and have passed many tests, and are the only Big 12 team to beat Houston. The Red Raiders should be a solid two or three seed in the tournament, with the rebounding and three-pointers ready to carry them.

10. Maryland Terrapins (24-7)

Let's slot Maryland in here for the final spot in the top 10, earning their way with a road win over Michigan. Strong play over the last two months has netted them an 11-2 record down the stretch against a tough Big Ten. We'll see if that translates to success in March, but Julian Reese, Derik Queen, and the rest of the Terps mean business as of late.

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

Just Outside the Top 10

11. Clemson Tigers (26-5)

12. Iowa State Cyclones (23-8)

13. Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-8)

14. Louisville Cardinals (25-6)

15. Kentucky Wildcats (21-10)

Can one of these climbing squads make noise in the Conference Tournaments? See their upcoming matchup odds here

Biggest Losers

Missouri Tigers (21-10)

Mizzou is landing in pole position on the Biggest Losers list, dropping four of their last five games since defeating Alabama. The Tigers were favored by 4.5 on the road at Oklahoma, and 5.5 at home against Kentucky, losing both games by a combined 20 points. They also gave up a 16-3 run to end the game against Vanderbilt in their matchup last weekend. Dennis Gates' team is falling apart at the worst time, looking more like a six seed than a three these days. The defense has been atrocious over the last month, clocking in at 151st in the nation. They are going to have to dig deep in the SEC Tournament to turn their momentum, or this exciting season will be all for not.

Michigan Wolverines (22-9)

Is there anyone in college hoops crashing harder than Michigan right now? Maybe Mizzou, but it's a close race for Biggest Loser. In the month of February, the Wolverines were captain clutch, winning eight games by one or two possessions, never by more than four points. As soon as March hit, they were run over by a bus, losing all three games by a combined 43 points. They were against strong opponents like Maryland, Michigan State, and Illinois, but it is still unacceptable for a top tourney hopeful team. Dusty May's team needs to find their footing fast in the Big Ten Tournament or they will be a first round exit in March Madness.