Power Rankings: Tennessee shakes things up, Virginia stays in Top 10
Admiral Schofield was on fire and knocked down six 3-pointers, including the game winner to help Tennessee to victory. (1:17)
Had Grant Williams not fouled out late against Kansas in late November, Tennessee might still be unbeaten.
When he was disqualified against the Jayhawks, the Volunteers struggled to score down the stretch and lost in overtime. And Sunday against unbeaten Gonzaga, Williams fouled out once again, this time with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining. This time around, Admiral Schofield was there to make sure Tennessee didn’t let another chance at a marquee win slip through its hands. He scored Tennessee’s last 11 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute, to help the Volunteers hand Gonzaga its first loss of the season, 76-73.
So what happens now with the power rankings?
Kansas has a more comfortable handle on the No. 1 spot, as another high-level win for Gonzaga could have pushed the Jayhawks down to No. 2.
Michigan also has to slot in somewhere among the top teams. But we also have Gonzaga, who beat Duke on a neutral court; Duke, who might be the best team in the country; and Tennessee, who beat Gonzaga on a neutral court.
For now, Duke moves up to No. 2 because, put simply, the Blue Devils are awesome and every metric loves them. Gonzaga stays ahead of Tennessee despite the head-to-head loss because wins over Duke, Creighton, Arizona and Washington are better than wins over Gonzaga and Louisville. And the predictive-based metrics like the Zags better, too.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (8-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Villanova (noon ET Saturday, ESPN)
The Jayhawks have needed second-half comebacks against inferior competition far too often this season, something that could hurt them in upcoming tilts against Villanova and at Arizona. They’ll be without Udoka Azubuike and also have to figure out what’s going on with Lagerald Vick; he has totaled five points in the past two games after playing like an All-American in November.
2. Duke Blue Devils (9-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: None
The Blue Devils get to put their feet up this week and won’t play again until Dec. 18. RJ Barrett is playing at a Player of the Year level so far this season, hitting the 30-point mark twice already and scoring fewer than 20 points just once. His usage is among the national leaders, and he has been efficient through one month.
3. Michigan Wolverines (10-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: vs. Western Michigan (2 p.m. ET Saturday, Big Ten Network)
The Wolverines’ defense is starting to show some cracks, having their two worst performances of the season last week against Northwestern and South Carolina. The Gamecocks were the first team all season to score more than one point per possession against Michigan, and the Wolverines allowed both opponents last week to shoot 50 percent or better on their 2-pointers.
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: at North Carolina (7 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN2)
Gonzaga dropped its first game of the season on Sunday, letting Admiral Schofield dominate down the stretch for Tennessee. The Bulldogs had played with fire a couple of times in recent weeks, needing a big second-half comeback to beat Creighton and then beating Washington in the final second.
5. Tennessee Volunteers (7-1)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: at Memphis (noon ET Saturday, ESPN2)
The individual showdown between Rui Hachimura and Grant Williams was overshadowed by the Admiral Schofield Show. Tennessee’s senior big man was unstoppable down the stretch, scoring 25 of his 30 points after halftime.
6. Nevada Wolf Pack (10-0)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. South Dakota State (9 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN+)
There are maybe three games the rest of the season the Wolf Pack will be favored by single digits, and their chances of going unbeaten are up to 12.6 percent, according to KenPom.com projections. Don’t overlook Saturday’s home tilt against South Dakota State. Mike Daum is the star, but sophomore guard David Jenkins is next in the Jackrabbits’ All-American pipeline.
7. Virginia Cavaliers (9-0)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: None
The Cavaliers are still unbeaten, but four of their past five wins have been by eight points or fewer. It’s not the worst thing in the world, as Tony Bennett’s team is one of the toughest to beat late in games. One thing to watch, though: Freshman guard Kihei Clark will have surgery this week to repair a broken bone in his wrist.
8. Auburn Tigers (8-1)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: vs. UAB in Birmingham (7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, CBS Sports Network)
Bryce Brown put on a show for Auburn on Saturday, scoring 34 points and burying six 3-pointers. He and backcourt partner Jared Harper combined for 54 points — the second time this season the two guards have combined for more than 50 points in a game.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-0)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Northwestern State (7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday), vs. Abilene Christian (7 p.m. ET Saturday)
Before we can get to the potential showdown between an unbeaten Texas Tech team and Duke on Dec. 20, the Red Raiders still have to get through this week’s home games. Chris Beard will make sure his team isn’t caught looking ahead to the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden.
10. Florida State Seminoles (8-1)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: None
Another solid win away from home for the Seminoles, as they knocked off UConn in New Jersey. They’ve now defeated Florida, LSU, Purdue and UConn — and Phil Cofer seems close to returning from the right foot injury that has kept him out the entire season.
11. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. Washington in Atlantic City (7 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPNU)
Saturday’s contest against Washington is a sneaky one to watch on what should be a loaded slate of games. Will we see Matisse Thybulle guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker? Thybulle is one of the nation’s elite defensive players, while Alexander-Walker has been the Hokies’ star through the first month-plus of the season.
12. Michigan State Spartans (8-2)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: vs. Green Bay (5 p.m. ET Sunday, Big Ten Network)
The Spartans are beginning to win in different ways. They put on a clinic offensively against Iowa on Monday, then turned around on Saturday against Florida and grinded out a four-point win on the road. Xavier Tillman has really blossomed over the past two weeks, averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his past four games.
13. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: vs. Gonzaga (7 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN2)
It’s still tough to get a read on how good the Tar Heels really are, as their best win is on a neutral court over UCLA, and they were obliterated by Michigan in their toughest game of the season. UNC’s next two games should give us some insight: home against Gonzaga, and a neutral-court game in Chicago against Kentucky.
14. Wisconsin Badgers (7-1)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: vs. Savannah State (8 p.m. ET Thursday, Big Ten Network)
Ethan Happ went for 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against Marquette on Saturday, but the Badgers still lost in the in-state rivalry game. After eight games in 17 days, though, things cool down for Wisconsin. They have only two games in the next three weeks, home dates with Savannah State and Grambling State.
15. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: vs. Bucknell (noon ET Saturday, Big Ten Network)
Chris Holtmann’s team makes its first appearance in the rankings, mostly on the strength of its overall resume. The Buckeyes own road wins at Cincinnati and Creighton, as well as 20-point home win over Minnesota. The lone defeat came against Syracuse. The Buckeyes are one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranking in the top 20 nationally in both 2-point and 3-point percentage defense.
16. Buffalo Bulls (9-0)
Previous ranking: 15
This week: vs. Southern Illinois (2 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN+)
Very likely the nation’s best mid-major team, Buffalo will get to prove its worth over the next two weeks. It starts at home on Saturday against Southern Illinois, but then the Bulls head on the road to face both Syracuse and Marquette. If Nate Oats’ team can eke out either of those road wins, it will really move the needle in terms of a potential at-large profile.
Dropped out: Arizona State (No. 16)