The CBS Sports College Basketball Power Rankings has a major makeover this week with several teams you probably wrote off a month ago rocketing up into the top 10.
That shakeup starts with Kansas, which started the season 11-5 overall, 1-2 in Big 12 play and out of the rankings. The Jayhawks since then have reeled off six consecutive wins — three vs. top-13 opponents — and are up to No. 6 in this week’s Power Rankings. They are finding their groove with March approaching, and Darryn Peterson’s ability — and availability! — is a huge part of that.
Florida’s recent surge is also instrumental to this week’s big shakeup, as the Gators beat Alabama 100-77 on Sunday to emphatically state their case as the SEC’s best. They are now tied for first in the SEC standings and have won 11 of their last 13 games. What once seemed improbable — Florida being a top-10 team after a 5-4 start — is now a reality.
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At the top, though, there is little change — and that of course starts with Arizona. The Big 12’s best remains No. 1 with a bullet thanks to a perfect 22-0 record. They are the best of the sport, and also the best of the best by league this week. Of the 20 ranked teams, the Big 12 has five, which is more than the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big East.
Here they are broken down by conference:
- Big 12: 5
- Big Ten: 4
- SEC: 4
- ACC: 3
- Big East: 2
There’s plenty of other surprises in this week’s rankings — Illinois is way up, Nebraska is way down, for example — but I don’t want to provide any more spoilers. Let’s get to the rankings.
College Basketball Power Rankings
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