College basketball rankings: Michigan State up to No. 7, Purdue cracks top 10

As we hit seven weeks before the NCAA Tournament bracket is unveiled to the world on Selection Sunday, it’s weekends like this that serve as the ultimate reminder of why the marathon to March brings unexpected twists and turns along the way. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out with a team, a taste of the madness ensues.

Over this past weekend in men’s college basketball, we saw a game that was the wildest I can remember watching from start to finish in quite some time — and definitely the best of the season.

I have a hard time believing anything will top Houston’s 92-86 double-overtime win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse.

Why? For starters, the Jayhawks were up 66-60 with 1:10 left in regulation. On their home floor, being on the opposing side of that is nearly impossible to overcome. But that’s nothing compared to overtime!

Kansas led 79-73 with 18 seconds left, and senior point guard Dajuan Harris — a 72% free-throw shooter — at the line. He missed both free throws, the Cougars rushed down the floor and — on a day when they shot 8-for-25 from 3-point range — Emanuel Sharp buried a triple to cause a Kansas timeout. After they committed a five-second violation in regulation that gave Houston the ball back (and ended up forcing overtime because the Cougars cashed in with two free throws), Hall of Famer Bill Self wasn’t going to chance it. Well, Zeke Mayo’s pass to Hunter Dickinson was stolen by Milos Uzan, who poked the ball to Mylik Wilson and the result was this:

Beyond. Stunning. Once that second overtime was forced, you could feel the air getting sucked out of Allen Fieldhouse. The Cougars wore out the Jayhawks behind Sharp and Uzan, burying clutch triples and earning the victory that extended their winning streak to 12 consecutive games. Only Duke has a longer streak at 13.

But the wildness of this win is amplified when you think about this:

Entering Saturday, and since the 2018-19 season, Kansas was 80-1 at Allen Fieldhouse when leading at the half, with the lone defeat coming to BYU last season. The Jayhawks were up 40-31 at the break against a Houston team that sometimes is offensively challenged, and the Cougars proceeded to go on a 13-0 run and hold Kansas scoreless for the first six minutes of the second half. WILD!

But consider this from researcher Jared Berson:

In other words, this was the most stunning finish to a game we’ve seen in well over a decade, if not longer, and it’s the most shocking home loss of the Bill Self era at Kansas. What Kelvin Sampson continues to do at Houston is as strong of a coaching job as any in America. He’s 22-1 in his last 23 Big 12 regular-season games and the only loss is at Kansas. Unreal.

Five other big storylines of the week?

Auburn’s 53-51 win over Tennessee on Saturday night at Neville Arena was an absolute war, and the 18-1 Tigers would not have won had Johni Broome not come back into the lineup after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. The senior totaled 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in the thrilling victory where Miles Kelly came up clutch in with a final-minute triple. On a night when Auburn only shot 3-for-20 from 3-point land and the Volunteers pressured them with incredible defense, the Tigers’ frontcourt was the difference.

Vanderbilt basketball is back. For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Commodores own a pair of top-10 wins in the same year. What Mark Byington has done in Year 1 on the job is really impressive in a place that’s not easy to win, as Vanderbilt followed up last Saturday’s win over Tennessee with a 74-69 victory over Kentucky behind Jason Edwards’ 18 points and a 14-and-6 outing from Devin McGlockton. For the Wildcats, turning the ball over 17 times coupled with a cold day for Lamont Butler led to the defeat, which knocks Kentucky out of my top 10. For Vandy, which has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2017, expect them to move up in Mike Decourcy’s bracket forecast this Tuesday, perhaps to the 9-line.

Texas came up with as shocking a comeback as we’ve seen in the sport all season by rallying from 22 down in the second half to beat Texas A&M, 70-69, in what is a huge rivalry victory and one that could change the momentum of the Longhorns’ campaign. Arkansas transfer Tramon Mark delivered the game-winner, and freshman Tre Johnson continued to show why he could be a top-five NBA Draft pick this June with 30 points.

Jase Richardson could be the breakout star for Michigan State as the season continues to progress. Under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden on Saturday, he delivered a career-high 20 points, while Coen Carr didn’t miss a shot and finished with 14 as Tom Izzo’s Spartans won their 12th straight with an 81-74 victory over Rutgers. If Richardson can really complement Jaden Akins and take his scoring to a more consistent level, this 17-2 Michigan State team really can dream of the program’s first Final Four since 2019. Oh, and Tom Izzo is now two wins shy of tying Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record of 353 victories.

Xavier absolutely had to beat UConn on Saturday for its bubble hopes to stay afloat, and the Musketeers outlasted the Huskies, 76-72, to improve to 13-8 on the season and 5-5 in the Big East. With wins at Marquette and now over UConn over the past two Saturdays and no losses outside of Quadrant 1, Sean Miller’s team is in the conversation. That said, the shorthanded Huskies are so far from their normal selves without Liam McNeeley. At the moment, Marquette and St. John’s are two games ahead of UConn (these three teams have yet to play one another this season) at 8-1 in the league, while Creighton is 7-2 and UConn is 6-3. We’ll have more in a Big East reset this coming week.

That said, let’s get to our Top 25!

1. Auburn (18-1)

The Tigers have won four of their past six games on the final possession and are somehow undefeated (6-0) in the SEC, even after losing Broome for two hard games against ranked teams. I never would have thought they’d get past Tennessee in a total rock fight on a night where they went 3-for-20 from beyond the arc, but that’s the presence of Broome and an Auburn front line that was the difference. This week, they hit the road to LSU and Ole Miss. Saturday’s trip to Oxford, Mississippi could offer a challenge, but the Rebels’ lack of size would still cause me to take Auburn.

2. Duke (17-2)

The Blue Devils showed their toughness, and Jon Scheyer made great in-game adjustments in Saturday’s 63-56 win at Wake Forest. Facing a second-half deficit and trailing 45-39 with less than 10 minutes to play in Winston-Salem, Scheyer went to a 2-3 zone. It’s something the Blue Devils had only gone to for one possession this season, but Scheyer pulled it out of his back pocket and Wake shot 1-for-6 against it.

With the defensive effort down the stretch and the greatness of Cooper Flagg throughout the afternoon, it was enough for Duke to win its 13th consecutive game. Flagg totaled 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists, showing yet again just how in control of a game he is when he’s on the floor. After the game, Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes called Flagg a generational talent, comparing him to the likes of Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.

3. Iowa State (17-2)

I had Keshon Gilbert as a midseason All-America team selection, but Curtis Jones should also be brought up when we’re talking about high honors this season. On Saturday, Jones posted a career-high 33 points to go along with seven rebounds as the Cyclones overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and outscored Arizona State 43-21 in the second half to win by 15.

4. Alabama (17-3)

Mark Sears had an off-night, only playing 17 minutes while shooting 0-for-5 from the floor, but the Crimson Tide still found a way past LSU, 80-73, to improve to 17-3 on the year. Auburn transfer Aden Holloway had a breakout week for the Tide off the bench with 41 points in two games.

5. Houston (16-3)

Mylik Wilson’s efforts in the win at Kansas should never be forgotten because he got the Cougars back into the lead in the second half. On a day when L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp shot a combined 4-for-20, the fifth-year senior tallied 18 points. J’Wan Roberts and Uzan were outstanding, with Roberts going for 24-9-5 and Uzan’s line at 17-9-9 — just a rebound and an assist shy of a triple-double. Up next: at West Virginia on Wednesday. Nothing easy in the Big 12!

6. Florida (18-2)

After escaping South Carolina earlier in the week with a dramatic win, the Gators showed just how great they are with a 30-point beatdown of Georgia on Saturday, 89-59. They locked down the Bulldogs defensively, forcing 18 turnovers, while Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard combined for 50 points, 10 assists and 10 steals while shooting over 50% from the floor. It was a perfect storm for Todd Golden’s squad. Up next: at Tennessee on Saturday. That’s a phenomenal rematch after the Gators beat the Vols by 30 on Jan. 7.

7. Michigan State (17-2)

The Spartans win with depth, defense, rebounding and an overall unselfishness that produced 19 assists in their victory over Rutgers on Saturday. Tre Holloman had six assists, while the 20-point breakout game by Richardson was so encouraging for Michigan State. The Spartans host Minnesota before heading to USC and UCLA for a Saturday/Tuesday Los Angeles swing. Izzo could break Knight’s Big Ten wins record at the house of John Wooden – Pauley Pavilion.

8. Tennessee (17-3)

I’m not penalizing the Volunteers much at all for losing by two to Auburn, but I do get concerned with their lack of perimeter offense at times and just how hard scoring can be outside of Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler. In Saturday’s loss, that duo shot 8-for-26 and really didn’t get much help, yet they were in position to win. I still really like this team, but don’t see them making the Final Four because of the offensive questions.

9. Marquette (17-3)

Over the last 49 Big East games that he has coached, Shaka Smart is 39-10. While Kam Jones has been the headliner for the Golden Eagles, Stevie Mitchell deserves more national love for picking up the opposing team’s best guard defensively and also evolving his offensive skill set. The 6-foot-3 guard had 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in Friday’s 87-74 win over Villanova to tie the Golden Eagles with St. John’s at 8-1 in the Big East.

10. Purdue (16-5)

I thought long and hard about it, but here’s why the Boilermakers are in my top 10. I think the loss to Ohio State — as much as it was a tremendous win for the Buckeyes and nothing should be taken away from them — was a reflection of the Boilermakers’ fatigue coming off the trip to Washington and Oregon. That was confirmed in a sense by a 91-64 drubbing of a top-25 Michigan team on Friday in which Braden Smith had 24 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and just one turnover. He’s the best point guard in America, and Trey Kaufman-Renn is as improved as anyone.

11. Kentucky (14-5)
12. Kansas (14-5)
13. Mississippi State (16-4)
14. St. John’s (17-3)
15. Texas A&M (15-5)
16. Louisville (15-5)
17. Memphis (16-4)
18. Texas Tech (15-4)
19. Clemson (17-4)
20. Illinois (14-6)
21. Missouri (16-4)
22. Wisconsin (16-4)
23. Saint Mary’s (18-3)
24. Vanderbilt (16-4)
25. Michigan (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.