College basketball rankings: Auburn, Duke at the top; Gonzaga falls out of top 25

If you wait until March for the madness, you’re missing out on the beauty of January chaos. As we hit the thick of winter, I liken it to the dog days of baseball. Some of the best teams in men’s college basketball are going to suffer defeat, and during at least one week, we see a combination of dramatic finishes and eyebrow-raising final scores that make you question what we’ve been watching all season long. 

This past week, I have been giving many teams the Monopoly “get out of jail free” card that we always hoped we’d receive when playing the famous board game. In total, 18 of my top 25 from last week lost. 

We saw it in Minneapolis on Thursday night when Dawson Garcia hit a 3-pointer from the logo as time expired to give Minnesota a shocking 84-81 win over a ranked Michigan team: 

In Milwaukee, a Marquette team that was previously 10-0 at home on the season was shocked by a Xavier squad that entered with an 0-7 record in Quadrant 1 games:

In Morgantown, the top-10 giant killers of West Virginia notched their victory of that sort in Year 1 of the Darian DeVries era with a stunning 64-57 win over No. 2 Iowa State behind Javon Small’s 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals:

And in Nashville, a Tennessee team that drubbed a previously ranked Georgia squad by 18 on Wednesday went to Vanderbilt and fell short, 76-75, for only the second loss of the season suffered by the Vols. Meanwhile, Mark Byington earned his first signature win in Year 1 at the helm, a massive victory that puts the Commodores in my Field of 68 projected field at the moment.

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In the midst of the upsets and madness, Auburn and Duke remained unscathed. The Tigers forged on without Johni Broome and followed up a dominant win over Mississippi State with a 70-68 victory at Georgia on Saturday. When Tahaad Pettiford is cooking from beyond the arc, the freshman shifts the Tigers into a different gear. One of the best first-year players in the sport, the 6-foot-1 guard tallied 24 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point territory, while tough shotmakers Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly each had 13 points. To not have Broome and still win the rebounding battle over Georgia (39-38) was impressive, as was a 22-point blowout over Mississippi State in which Chaney Johnson had 17 points and eight rebounds and Baker-Mazara scored 20. 

Meanwhile, for the Blue Devils, Cooper Flagg sure loves Saturday games. Three of his past five games have fallen on Saturday, and he has scored at least 24 points in all three of them — going for 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in the Blue Devils’ 88-63 win at Boston College on Saturday night. Coming off a scoreless showing against Miami (Fla.), junior lead guard Tyrese Proctor scored 20 points in the victory. Freshman Isaiah Evans, who had 18 in the win over Auburn on Dec. 4, buried four triples and posted 16 on Saturday night in New England. With their past two wins coming by a combined 60 points, the Blue Devils have leaped to No. 1 in the KenPom rankings. 

That said, let’s get to our Top 25!

1. Auburn (17-1)

Duke might be first in one analytics model, but the Tigers aren’t moving from the king’s chair for me. Their backcourt unit is the best in the country, in my opinion, and it showed how well-coached they are that Bruce Pearl could navigate this past week without Broome and go 2-0. In the two wins, Baker-Mazara was 6-of-11 from distance and continues to add a steady senior presence. The Tigers have a midweek bye before hosting Tennessee on Saturday (8: 30 p.m. ET) in one of the sport’s biggest games of the season to date. 

2. Duke (16-2)

The Blue Devils have the nation’s longest active winning streak at 12 games after Saturday’s blowout at Conte Forum and are 5-0 on the road — their best start in away games since the 2018-19 season when they won their first seven road contests. The winning streak is the longest for the program since the 2014-15 season, when the program last won the national championship. This team defends at a high level and has the best player in the sport. When Proctor brings his A-game, Duke is extremely difficult to beat. 

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3. Iowa State (15-2)

No, I am not penalizing the Cyclones for a loss in a true road game at West Virginia. They were 1-of-17 from 3-point territory and only tallied four assists while committing 14 turnovers in the loss. Of course, the Mountaineers defense was disruptive and had much to do with that, but those numbers signal when it’s not your day, it’s not your day. Iowa State’s 17-point home win earlier in the week over Kansas is what keeps them in my top 3. You’ll see why next:

4. Alabama (15-3)

Sure, Alabama took a loss at home to Ole Miss this past week, but the response in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday with a 102-97 win over the Wildcats is enough cause for me to keep the Crimson Tide in my top five. What went wrong in the loss to the Rebels? Ole Miss held Mark Sears and Labaron Philon to 2-for-16 shooting from the floor, using their athleticism and length to turn the water off against the Alabama backcourt duo. On Saturday, Sears posted 24 points and nine assists, while Grant Nelson had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Oats’ team will likely be in my Final Four when I fill out my bracket. I trust their experience and scoring prowess. 

5. Houston (14-3)

Did you know that Kelvin Sampson is 20-1 in his last 21 games coached in the Big 12? That’s absolutely wild, especially when considering that one loss came at Kansas — where almost nobody wins. In other words, Houston has been unstoppable everywhere else. They beat UCF on Saturday, 69-68, on a J’Wan Roberts game-winner. 

Houston hosts Utah on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET) before visiting Kansas on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET). 

6. Florida (16-2)

I have the Gators at sixth even after a loss to Missouri, who joined my rankings this week, because they’re the strongest of the collection of Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky in the ratings — and both the Vols and Wildcats suffered weekend defeats. Sure, Florida lost at Rupp Arena, but that head-to-head win over Tennessee does matter. It was not as if I was discounting that last week, I just thought it was harsh to totally move the Vols from arguably the top spot to completely out of the top five. But Gator fans, I think Walter Clayton and Alijah Martin are one of the nation’s best duos and that you have a high-caliber team that can make it to the Final Four.

7. Tennessee (16-2)

While Chaz Lanier led four Vols in double-figures with 17 points on Saturday, the Tennessee star and All-American candidate had five turnovers in the loss at Vanderbilt. The offensive droughts can still be a theme for the Vols, and their bench is nothing to write home about beyond Jordan Gainey. He was quiet on Saturday, finishing 1-of-6 from the floor. The Vols host Mississippi State on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET) before visiting Auburn on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET), followed by hosting Kentucky and Florida the following week. Life in the SEC! 

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8. Kentucky (14-4)

The Wildcats did open the week by commanding Georgia, but Saturday’s loss marked the second time in the past two weeks that Kentucky has allowed at least 100 points. The defense has to get cleaned up or else this team’s ceiling will be very matchup-based in the NCAA Tournament. 

9. Michigan State (16-2)

In his 30th season at the helm, Tom Izzo has a 16-2 team that has won 11 straight games and is all alone at the top of the Big Ten at 7-0. Michigan State extended its remarkable winning streak, the program’s longest since the Spartans went to the Final Four in the 2018-19 season, with an 80-78 victory over Illinois. What makes this Spartans team so special? Their ability to generate pace and dribble penetration, with Tre Holloman delivering 17 points on Sunday and double-figure scoring performances from Frankie Fidler and Coen Carr. Their ability to settle into a game is also impressive, as MSU overcame a 20-10 deficit out of the gates and locked down the Illini on the perimeter, holding them to 5-of-24 from 3-point range. Izzo also notched his 350th career Big Ten victory, moving him three shy of Bob Knight’s all-time wins record in the conference. What a start to the year in East Lansing, and yes, the Breslin Center was unhinged on Sunday.

10. Marquette (15-3)

The Golden Eagles were off to their best start in Big East play since 2008-09, and they still have wins over Purdue, Georgia and Wisconsin — all of whom are ranked this week. What went wrong vs. Xavier? The Golden Eagles fell behind by as many as 19 in the second half, and it was just too much to overcome, giving Xavier its first win in the series in six meetings. If you limit Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell, you can beat Shaka Smart’s team. They were held to 7-for-24 shooting from the field. 

11. Purdue (15-4)
12. Kansas (13-4)
13. Texas A&M (14-4)
14. Mississippi State (15-3)
15. Illinois (13-5)
16. UConn (13-5)
17. Ole Miss (15-3)
18. Oregon (15-3)
19. Michigan (14-4)
20. St. John’s (16-3)
21. Wisconsin (15-3)
22. West Virginia (13-4)
23. Memphis (14-4)
24. Missouri (15-3)
25. Louisville (14-5)

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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