Three new teams climbed into the top five of the latest CBS Sports College Basketball power rankings, led by fast-rising St. John's and Texas Tech. The Red Storm and Red Raiders moved up nine and 10 spots to No. 4 and No. 5 this week. St. John's rise comes after a 70-64 statement win over Marquette on Tuesday that claims control of the Big East for the Red Storm and marks their 15th win in 16 outings.
Texas Tech's ascension was fueled by a huge 82-81 road overtime win over No. 6 Houston in Houston. The Red Raiders followed that up with a 73-59 home victory over Baylor to give them a 9-2 Big 12 record -- one off the leading pace set by Houston and Arizona -- and a 9-1 mark in the 2025 calendar year.
While the results have been similar, the paths the Red Raiders and Red Storm have taken to ascend their respective conference standings couldn't be more different. St. John's has boasted the most efficient defense in the sport since Jan. 1, per BartTorvik.com data (and the No. 167 offense in that span), while Texas Tech has struck more of a balance with the No. 10 offense and No. 17 defense.
"This is a very unique team," St. John's coach Rick Pitino said Tuesday. "This is a relentless defensive team. They defy statistical data almost every single game."
No Big East team shoots worse from 3-point range than St. John's. And only one Big 12 team, Houston, shoots it better from 3-point range than Texas Tech.
That's the beauty of basketball in a nutshell. There are different ways to win at the highest level. And while the contrast between the two is large, the results of late have largely been the same.
Let's get to this week's rankings with Duke and Auburn once leading the way and Kentucky and Iowa State -- consistent top-10 teams in this space most of the season -- dropping all the way out.
| 1 |  |
| Auburn unquestionably has the best resume in college basketball but I maintain that Duke -- the only team to beat Auburn this season -- has the best team. So Duke remains No. 1 this week. The Blue Devils would be 0.3-point favorites on a neutral court if they faced off today, per EvanMiya.com's wonderful matchup preview tool . Last week: No. 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| With 14 consecutive wins and a 21-1 overall record, Auburn is running away with the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament with a whopping 12 wins vs. Quad 1 opponents -- four more than anyone else -- while leading the sport in BartTorvik.com's all-important Wins Above Bubble metric. This team is a wagon. Last week: No. 2 | |
| 3 |  |
| No team has managed to keep pace with Auburn in the SEC other than cross-state rival Alabama, which defeated Georgia this week to improve to 8-1 in conference play. The Tide have won 13 of their last 14 games and are one off the Tigers' lead in the SEC regular season race. Last week: No. 7 | |
| 4 |  |
| Home wins this week over Providence and Georgetown pushed Rick Pitino's Red Storm to 11-1 in Big East play. They are 20-3 overall and are one of the hottest teams in college hoops with 15 wins in their last 16 games. Last week: No. 13 | |
| 5 |  |
| I bumped Texas Tech into the Power Rankings last week after a hot stretch and the Red Raiders rewarded my faith with wins over Houston and Baylor. Grant McCasland has something special brewing in Lubbock with a star-studded trio of Chance McMillian, JT Toppin and Darrion Williams leading the way. Last week: No. 15 | |
| 6 |  |
| Houston suffered its first loss since November this week with an 82-81 overtime defeat to red-hot Texas Tech. Tech has to move ahead of the Cougars as a result, but I'm not wavering in my belief of Kelvin Sampson's team. Last week: No. 3 | |
| 7 |  |
| A 20-point win over top-five Florida over the weekend helped Tennessee launch back into the top 10 this week. The Vols are back to No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency metrics after holding the Gators to 44 points, their fewest in a game in more than three decades. Last week:No. 11 | |
| 8 |  |
| Tennessee had a stinker against Florida earlier this season yet didn't drop terribly far in the power rankings, so I'm extending the same grace to Florida after its own stinker against Tennessee on the road Saturday. Florida managed a bounceback win over Vandy on Tuesday that should help establish some momentum with a trip to No. 1 Auburn on deck Saturday. Last week: No. 5 | |
| 9 |  |
| A close win over Indiana at home and a victory over a shorthanded Iowa team on the road is enough to keep Purdue in the top 10 again this week. Braden Smith has been Mr. Superman for the Boilermakers, and he has a chance to become Mr. March with the way he's carried them this season. Last week: No. 9 | |
| 10 |  |
| Two losses in two outings this week -- both on the road to USC and to UCLA, respectively -- docks the Spartans a good bit. But I've still got them in the top 10 and just behind Purdue in the Big East pecking order for now. Last week: No. 4 | |
| 11 |  |
| A 13-2 record since December has Arizona firmly in the mix to win the Big 12. It defeated Arizona State and BYU on the road this week to set up an epic home game in Tucson against Texas Tech on Saturday. Last week: No. 16 | |
| 12 |  |
| Maryland had the week off but has a tough road test awaiting it Thursday night vs. Ohio State. The Terrapins won the first meeting in College Park by 24 points. Last week: No. 14 | |
| 13 |  |
| It was a tough week for Marquette, which went from co-leading the Big East to two games off the pace of first after losses to St. John's and to UConn. Last week: No. 6 | |
| 14 |  |
| Some love is long overdue for Randy Bennett and Saint Mary's after the Gaels defeated Gonzaga on Saturday to improve to 10-0 in WCC play. They are 20-3 on the season and haven't lost since before Christmas. Last week: NR | |
| 15 |  |
| A 77-70 road loss to Georgia Tech snapped Louisville's win streak at 10 last weekend, but the Cardinals have done enough of late to warrant some grace in the power rankings. They are 10-2 in ACC play and coming off an 84-58 dismantling of Boston College. Last week: No. 12 | |
| 16 |  |
| UCLA has won six-straight -- three of which came against top-20 teams -- to shake off its early January funk. The win over Michigan State on Tuesday was its fifth over a ranked opponent this season. Last week: NR | |
