Another week, another wave of changes across CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish’s Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings. Parrish had plenty to consider, with a whirlwind of upsets this past week.
Most recently, North Carolina and Ohio State respectively pulled off upsets against UCLA and Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Accordingly, Kentucky saw the biggest drop in Parrish’s rankings, falling five spots.
With so much to cover, let’s dive into Parrish’s latest Top 25 and 1 rankings.
Previous Ranking: 1
Tennessee hasn’t given Parrish a reason to doubt it this season. Thus, the Volunteers are No. 1 again this week. It was a slow week for Tennessee, only playing one game against Western Carolina and walking away with a comfortable 84-36 win.
In the victory, Chaz Lanier continued to impress, tallying a game-high 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Lanier transferred to Tennessee this offseason from North Florida and has done an excellent job of filling the hole that Dalton Knecht left this offseason.
Previous Ranking: 2
Auburn’s résumé is aging like a fine win but Parrish isn’t ready to give it the crown. Unlike Tennessee, the Tigers have a loss this season, falling 84-78 to Duke on Dec. 4. Alas, few teams have as many quality wins as Auburn.
Auburn added to its jaw-dropping résumé on Saturday with an 87-69 blowout win over No. 16 Purdue. Auburn looked like a well-oiled machine against the Boilermakers, notching 24 assists on its 36 made field goals.
Previous Ranking: 3
Iowa State enjoyed a well-earned break this past week after rattling off six straight wins. Most recently, the Cyclones handily defeated a subpar Omaha squad after downing Iowa 89-80 only two days earlier.
In the win over Iowa, Curtis Jones led the way off the bench, scoring a game-high 23 points. It was a comeback win for the Cyclones, who trailed Iowa by 13 points at one point in the showdown. On Dec. 30, Iowa State will kick off its grueling conference schedule.
Previous Ranking: 5
Duke improved one spot in Parrish’s rankings this week, thanks to a dominant 82-56 performance against Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Blue Devils were relentless in the victory, with four of their starters scoring double figures.
However, nobody scored more than freshman Kon Kneuppel, who dropped 18 points and five assists while shooting 4-8 from 3-point range. Duke has now defeated two ACC foes and Auburn in its last five games alone.
Previous Ranking: 6
Alabama was Parrish’s third and final SEC team in his Top 5 this week. The Crimson Tide only played one game this past week but it was a close one. On Wednesday, Alabama escaped a showdown against North Dakota with a 97-90 victory.
The game was closer than expected, with the Crimson Tide trailing 38-35 at halftime. Nonetheless, Alabama’s veteran talent shined in the end, with Mark Sears and Grant Nelson combining for 46 points in the win.
Previous Ranking: 7
The Jayhawks have fallen a bit since the beginning of the year but they’re still a legitimate contender for the national title. Following back-to-back losses last week, Kansas bounced back with a 75-60 win over NC State.
Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo gave the Wolfpack headaches all game, combining for 47 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. With the win, Kansas is 8-2 on the season while maintaining its perfect record at home.
Previous Ranking: 8
Florida is quietly shaping up to be one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC entering conference play. After securing wins over North Carolina and North Florida this week, the Gators’ record improved to 12-0.
Perhaps Florida’s best attribute is its depth. The team boasts four players averaging double-digit point totals, highlighted by Walter Clayton Jr., who’s averaging 17.6 points per game on 36.1% shooting from downtown.
Previous Ranking: 9
Following a stunning loss against Dayton last weekend, Marquette picked up back-to-back wins this past week. The Golden Eagles had to fight for each win, particularly their 72-70 triumph over Xavier on Saturday.
Marquette star Kam Jones collected 20 points and eight assists against the Musketeers. It was nothing new for Jones, who’s scored 20 points in seven separate contests this season and is averaging the 14th-most points per game in the country.
Previous Ranking: 4
Kentucky was Parrish’s biggest loser this week, suffering a stifling 85-65 beatdown at the hands of Ohio State on Saturday. Kentucky’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm in the loss, shooting a poor 29.8% from the field and even worse 18.2% from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats’ bench failed to provide a spark for the team, only adding 10 points total in the loss. Kentucky will have 10 days between the loss and its next game to recompose itself.
Previous Ranking: 10
Michigan State retained its No. 10 spot in the rankings this week following wins over Oakland and Florida Atlantic. After beginning their season with a 5-2 record, the Spartans have won five straight games.
In Michigan State’s convincing 86-69 victory over FAU, Coen Carr recorded career-highs of 17 points and eight rebounds. Carr’s standout performance was far from quiet, highlighted by several highlight dunks.
11. Ole Miss
12. Oregon (+1)
13. Mississippi State (+4)
14. Texas A&M
15. Maryland (+1)
16. UCLA (-4)
17. Purdue (-2)
18. Illinois
19. UConn (+1)
20. Gonzaga (+1)
21. San Diego State (+1)
22. Houston (+1)
23. Oklahoma (+1)
24. Georgia (+1)
25. Baylor (+1)
26. North Carolina (Previously unranked)
