Men’s college basketball Power Rankings: Duke rises to No. 1

For a team with the cachet of Duke, it’s a testament to the strength of this season’s contenders that it took this long for the Blue Devils to rise to No. 1 in the AP poll and these Power Rankings.

But there was zero debate about their ascension this week, particularly after they looked so impressive in their win over Michigan in Washington D.C. on Saturday night. They looked every bit like the nation’s best defensive team, keeping the Wolverines off the offensive glass and out of transition. And while the Blue Devils don’t look as explosive on the offensive end as some of the other top teams, they sandwiched that Michigan win with two games against Syracuse and Notre Dame in which they scored 201 total points.

(Of course, it helps that they have National Player of the Year favorite Cameron Boozer leading the way.)

The question now becomes: Can any team pass Duke — or do the Blue Devils have the inside track to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament?

They have three games to go: vs. Virginia, at NC State and vs. North Carolina. Three top-30-caliber opponents; three chances to improve their 1-seed profile. They are first in the NET, third in average résumé metrics and second in average predictive metrics. And they are tied with Arizona with 12 Quadrant 1 wins.

The Blue Devils would have to lose in order to lose their position, and with less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, they have the edge moving forward.

Previous ranking: 2

Jon Scheyer isn’t getting enough credit for the coaching job he’s done this season, with limited buzz for National Coach of the Year honors. Sure, it’s Duke, and he has the best player in the country headlining the No. 1 recruiting class. But the Blue Devils are the No. 1 team with just two losses all season, with both coming in the final seconds. They were picked outside the top five in the preseason. They aren’t nearly as talented as last year’s roster yet are on track to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday — something last year’s team didn’t accomplish.

Scheyer also became the first head coach in ACC history with multiple 40-point road wins against ACC opponents when Duke beat Notre Dame by 44 on Tuesday.

Next seven days: vs. Virginia (Feb. 28), at NC State (March 2)

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Previous ranking: 3

Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries might not put up the stats of some of the other elite guards around the country, but there are very few players Tommy Lloyd would rather have late in games than the two backcourt stars. Bradley is one of the most clutch players in the country, while Burries’ late-game performance against Baylor was one of the more impressive stretches we’ve seen from any freshman guard this season. The two players combined for 26 points and seven assists in the second half against the Bears, finishing with 49 points and 10 assists. That came after Bradley went for 17 points against Houston and Burries hit a slew of clutch free throws.

Next seven days: vs. Kansas (Feb. 28), vs. Iowa State (March 2)

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Previous ranking: 1

While most of the focus has been on the frontcourt, the Wolverines’ guards are starting to look like the catalyst for their success moving forward. Take the past three games, for example. Against Purdue, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason combined for 43 points and seven 3s. Against Duke, the three guards totaled only 17 points and two 3-pointers. And against Minnesota on Tuesday, the trio went for 41 points and 11 3-pointers. It’s easy to deduce which game Michigan lost of those three. Dusty May needs his guards to play well — and make shots.

Next seven days: at Illinois (Feb. 27)

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Previous ranking: 6

If UConn’s uneven performances during most of Big East play — close wins over inferior teams, a home loss to Creighton — had anyone questioning the Huskies’ national championship credentials, those concerns were likely assuaged Wednesday. They had an all-time dominant performance against St. John’s, beating the Red Storm by 32 in the biggest victory in series history. It also came on the heels of a double-digit win at Villanova over the weekend.

Tarris Reed Jr. was the best player on the floor in both games, particularly against St. John’s, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, six blocks and two steals. According to ESPN Research, he became just the third UConn player in the past 30 seasons to post over 20 points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks against a ranked opponent.

Next seven days: vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 28)

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Previous ranking: 4

While Killyan Toure has emerged as the breakout freshman for the Cyclones, TJ Otzelberger is beginning to get consistent production from another first-year player. Jamarion Batemon was generating significant buzz in the offseason, but his role fluctuated during the first couple months of the season. Over the past four games, though, he has hit double figures three times while making multiple 3-pointers in three of the games. He had 11 points and three 3s against Kansas, 14 points in a loss to BYU and 13 points in Tuesday’s win over Utah.

Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech (Feb. 28), at Arizona (March 2)

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Previous ranking: 8

Florida’s winning streak was at risk in Austin on Wednesday, with Texas taking a three-point lead with 7:27 remaining — but the Longhorns didn’t make another shot.

Alex Condon again led the way for the Gators: He finished with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and four blocks, going 10-for-12 from the field. That performance came after going for 24 points, four rebounds and six assists on 9-for-13 shooting in a win over Ole Miss over the weekend. That followed a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against South Carolina last week. Before this three-game stretch, Condon had scored 20 points just four times all season.

Next seven days: vs. Arkansas (Feb. 28), vs. Mississippi State (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 9

While Purdue’s loss to Michigan came in its highest profile game of the month, impacting perceptions of the Boilermakers’ ceiling, the team is playing some of its best offensive basketball over the past couple weeks. On Feb. 1, the Boilermakers scored 1.45 points per possession against Maryland. On Feb. 14, they scored 1.35 points per possession against Iowa. And on Friday against Indiana, they scored 1.47 points per possession. Against the Hoosiers, Purdue shot 70% on 2s, 56% on 3s and had 24 assists on 33 made shots. It was remarkably efficient offense.

Next seven days: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 26), at Ohio State (March 1), at Northwestern (March 4)

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Previous ranking: 5

Houston is in the midst of its first three-game losing streak in nine seasons, and while its defense — specifically its inability to force turnovers against Iowa State and Arizona — is partially to blame, the Cougars’ shotmakers are becoming an issue. Since the Cougars don’t have a reliable inside scorer in the mold of what J’Wan Roberts had been for the previous three seasons, there’s more pressure on Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan to carry the offense. Flemings is shooting just 34.7% over his past five games; Sharp is shooting 21.9% during the losing streak; and Uzan is averaging 9.3 points on 38.5% in his past six games.

Next seven days: vs. Colorado (Feb. 28), vs. Baylor (March 4)

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Previous ranking: 7

Illinois has lost three of its past five games, with all three coming in overtime. Only one of the Illini’s six losses this season has come by more than four points. The problem hasn’t been their offense; it’s a defense that allowed at least 1.19 points per possession in each of their three losses this month. Over that recent five-game stretch, their defense is ranked No. 60 in adjusted efficiency at advanced analytics site BartTorvik, with teams shooting better than 36% from 3 over that span. In their six losses, opponents have made an average of 11.5 3s.

Next seven days: vs. Michigan (Feb. 27), vs. Oregon (March 3)

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CBB Analytics, shooting nearly 57% from inside the arc.

Next seven days: at Arizona (Feb. 28), at Arizona State (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 11

Since returning from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, Graham Ike has been playing some of the best basketball of his college career. In his eight games since returning, Ike is averaging 23.9 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 58.5% from the field and 37.9% from 3-point range. He made three 3-pointers twice during that span, which is notable given he made six total 3s in his first 78 college games. The Zags also avenged their lone WCC loss this season with a 41-point win over Portland on Wednesday, when Ike had 19 points, eight boards and a career-high seven steals.

Next seven days: vs. Portland (Feb. 25), at Saint Mary’s (Feb. 28)

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Previous ranking: 13

Nebraska has righted the ship over the past two games, beating Penn State and Maryland after losing four of its previous six. There are a couple headlines for the recent stretch. One, the Cornhuskers have tightened things defensively. They allowed at least 1.05 points per possession three times in a four-game stretch between Jan. 27 and Feb. 10. They haven’t allowed any opponent to score more than 0.96 since then, with their past four opponents averaging 57.8 points. The other is Pryce Sandfort, who had 33 points against Penn State and is averaging 20.8 points and shooting 42.4% from 3 in his past 12 games.

Next seven days: at USC (Feb. 28), at UCLA (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 12

Michigan State has bounced back after a 1-3 stretch between the end of January and early February, blowing out UCLA and then coming back down the stretch to beat Ohio State on Sunday. Carson Cooper’s return to form could be key for Tom Izzo. After failing to score in double figures in any of the aforementioned four-game stretch, Cooper had 12 points and seven boards against UCLA before finishing with a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds on 7-for-10 shooting in the win over Ohio State. He is averaging 11.1 points in Michigan State’s wins this season, compared to just 6.8 in its losses.

Next seven days: at Purdue (Feb. 26), at Indiana (March 1)

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Previous ranking: 14

Texas Tech had its first two full games without JT Toppin this week, and the Red Raiders dispatched Kansas State and Cincinnati with relative ease. While Christian Anderson was already one of the highest-usage guards in the country before Toppin’s injury, Tech is going to go as far as its All-American point guard can carry it. In the two games since Toppin’s injury, Anderson is averaging 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists, while shooting 59.3% from the field and 42.9% from 3. A date with Iowa State’s elite perimeter defenders is up next.

Next seven days: at Iowa State (Feb. 28), vs. TCU (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 15

Virginia has a chance to move into first place in the ACC and gain the inside track to a conference regular-season title with a win at Duke on Saturday at noon. The Cavaliers, picked fifth in the league’s preseason poll, won their ninth game in a row Tuesday with a 29-point blowout of NC State. Ryan Odom will need Jacari White to continue his hot perimeter shooting against the Blue Devils. After not scoring in double figures since mid-December, White has hit that threshold three times in the past five games, including 15 points against the Wolfpack. He’s now shooting 57.1% from 3 over his past five games.

Next seven days: at Duke (Feb. 28), vs. Wake Forest (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 17

Nate Oats’ team is starting to hit its stride, winning seven games in a row while scoring at least 89 points in each and reaching the 100-point mark in three of them. The schedule stiffens to end the season, with road games at Tennessee and Georgia followed by a rivalry game against Auburn in the finale. The Tide made 16 3-pointers in the first half of Wednesday’s win against Mississippi State, scoring 63 points before halftime — and they did it without Labaron Philon Jr. Freshman Amari Allen had the best offensive game of his career, finishing with 23 points and going 6-for-7 from 3.

Next seven days: at Tennessee (Feb. 28), at Georgia (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 18

Billy Richmond has been one of the biggest late-season breakout stars of the 2025-26 campaign. He had a couple of spot starts in November and January but had otherwise been exclusively a bench player for the first season and a half of his career. John Calipari thrust Richmond into the starting lineup when Karter Knox suffered an injury, and he has emerged as the team’s most reliable scorer not named Darius Acuff Jr. Richmond has scored at least 20 points in four straight games, doing almost all of his damage in transition and inside the arc. He’s averaging 22.3 points and 3.3 assists over that span, while also logging eight steals and five blocks. With Acuff struggling for the early part of Wednesday’s win over Texas A&M, Richmond stepped up with 23 points on 13 shots.

Next seven days: at Florida (Feb. 28), vs. Texas (March 4)

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Previous ranking: 20

A road win at Vanderbilt on Saturday vaulted the Vols over the Commodores in the rankings, but Tennessee followed it with a four-point road loss at Missouri. One thing to monitor is the performance of the Vols’ top three scorers. Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament struggled in the second half of the loss to Mizzou, combining to shoot 5-for-19 from the field and 1-for-7 from 3. Ament is 8-for-27 in his past two games. Then there’s J.P. Estrella, who missed two games with a foot injury but returned against Mizzou to play only six minutes. Rick Barnes hopes Estrella returns to full strength soon.

Next seven days: vs. Alabama (Feb. 28), at South Carolina (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 19

Vanderbilt snapped its two-game losing streak with a win over Georgia on Wednesday, but the most positive development of the past week for the Commodores is arguably the return of Duke Miles. The senior guard had missed seven straight games after undergoing knee surgery but returned against Tennessee over the weekend. He has come off the bench in each of his two games back, but still totaled 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and zero turnovers. He also shot 5-for-11 from 3 in the two games.

Next seven days: at Kentucky (Feb. 28), at Ole Miss (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 21

Carolina is 3-1 without Caleb Wilson, with back-to-back wins since getting Henri Veesaar back from his two-game absence. While the return of Veesaar — and the 30-point performance from Seth Trimble against Louisville — have been the headliners, it’s worth highlighting how productive Zayden High has been since Wilson got hurt. High was barely part of the rotation for the first 24 games, seeing double-figure minutes just twice, and that was in early November. But in his past four games, High is averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, bringing an edge the Tar Heels have lacked at times.

Next seven days: vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 28), vs. Clemson (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 16

The Red Storm’s defeat at UConn on Wednesday was as eye-opening a loss as any team in college basketball has suffered this season. It wasn’t just the final 32-point margin — although it was Rick Pitino’s second-largest loss as the coach of a ranked team. It was the way it happened. The Red Storm were awful offensively. They shot 2-for-28 from the field in the second half. Their final basket came with 17:28 remaining, missing their last 24 shots from the field. According to ESPN Research, the 24 straight misses was the longest game-ending streak by a Division I team in at least the past eight seasons.

Next seven days: vs. Villanova (Feb. 28), vs. Georgetown (March 3)

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Previous ranking: 22

Louisville is likely to end the regular season without beating a ranked opponent. The Cardinals’ best wins have come at home against NC State, SMU and Kentucky, plus a neutral site win over Indiana. They have six Quadrant 1 wins, but they’re 0-6 in Quadrant 1A contests. In those Quadrant 1A games, Louisville is No. 62 in the country in adjusted efficiency margin at BartTorvik. Two big statistical gaps stand out when comparing wins and losses. In wins, the Cardinals shoot 39.3% from 3 and just 28.8% in losses. They also attempt more than 23 free throws per game in wins and fewer than 16 in losses.

Next seven days: at Clemson (Feb. 28), vs. Syracuse (March 3)

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Previous ranking: Not ranked

Three days after BYU’s biggest win of the season — a 10-point victory over Iowa State — the Cougars suffered a surprising 13-point loss at home to UCF, in a game they trailed by as many as 36 points in the second half. From a body-of-work résumé perspective, BYU still has the profile of a 6-seed or a Top 25 team. The Cougars are top 25 in six of seven team sheet metrics, with 12 wins over Quadrant 1 and 2 opponents. The marquee win over Iowa State adds serious heft to a group of wins that already included Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami and Clemson. But they’re 3-6 in their past nine games and a 1-2 record without Richie Saunders (including a blowout home loss to UCF) leaves them at risk of tumbling further.

Next seven days: at West Virginia (Feb. 28), at Cincinnati (March 3)

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Previous ranking: Not ranked

It’s fitting Saint Mary’s finds its way into the rankings just before the final Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s matchup as conference foes (the Zags leave the WCC for the Pac-12 this summer). The Gaels could still earn a share of the regular-season title with a win Saturday, which would be their fourth WCC title in a row. They’ve also beaten Gonzaga at least once in each of the past four seasons — though they lost the first game this season, 73-65. Saint Mary’s enters the weekend with momentum, winner of seven in a row after Wednesday’s 19-point victory over Santa Clara. Mikey Lewis has been playing his best basketball since the opening weeks, averaging 16.2 points over his last six games.

Next seven days: vs. Gonzaga (Feb. 28)

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Previous ranking: 25

After that stretch of games in the middle of conference play when the RedHawks were barely escaping with wins, they’re leaving absolutely zero doubt over the past several games. They’ve won their past five games by an average of 13 points, leading by at least 20 points in four of those five games. Forward Almar Atlason, an Iceland native and one of the best reserves in the MAC, might be returning to his early-season form, too. Atlason hit double figures in 10 of his first 13 games this season, then did it just once over his next 10. But he’s hit that mark in four of his past five games, giving Travis Steele another player who can stretch it from beyond the arc.

Next seven days: at Western Michigan (Feb. 27), vs. Toledo (March 3)

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Dropped out: Saint Louis Billikens (No. 23), Utah State Aggies (No. 24)