The top three spots in Andy Katz’s Power 37 rankings were unchanged from last week, but Gonzaga moved up five spots, while UConn was jumped by Duke and Louisville fell out of the top 20 after a 21-point loss at Tennessee.
Here are the latest rankings:
1. Arizona (1): The Wildcats dispatched San Diego State to remain undefeated.
2. Michigan (2): The Wolverines enter the Holiday Games as the most feared team.
3. Iowa State (3): The Cyclones remain the surprise of the top 10.
4. UConn (5): The Huskies are favorites in the Big East.
5. Gonzaga (10): A closer look at the Zags’ depth and scoring prowess.
6. Purdue (6): The Boilermakers crushed Auburn, Ind., to complete the sweep of Alabama.
7. Duke (4): The Blue Devils were on their way to victory before a 17-point Texas Tech comeback stunned them in the Garden.
8. Michigan State (7): In the annual Tom Izzo-Greg Kampe Christmas shirt game, the Spartans pulled away from Oakland in Detroit.
9. Kansas (8): The Jayhawks are surviving without a healthy Darrin Peterson.
10. Houston (11): The Cougars beat Arkansas in Newark to pick up a much-needed elite win.
11. Alabama (12): The Tide can score. Can they defend at an elite level?
TIGERS TOUGH SLATE: Auburn faces an unopposed non-conference schedule before SEC play.
12. BYU (13): AJ Dybantsa had a standout game against Abilene Christian and the Cougars kept rolling.
13. Vanderbilt (14): The Commodores bombed Wake Forest to stay undefeated.
14. Nebraska (15): The Huskers are off to a record start and are becoming a true contender in the Big Ten.
15. North Carolina (16): Caleb Wilson shuts down the Buckeyes in Atlanta and the Tar Heels continue to build confidence.
16. Illinois (18): The Illini can make another big statement Monday night against Missouri.
17. Seton Hall (19): Shaheen Holloway set up a potential Big East showdown with a win at Providence to start the Big East 2-0 against Villanova.
18. Arkansas (17): The Gogs have two outstanding freshmen, but overall looked a little green in the loss to Houston in Newark.
19. Texas Tech (24): Christian Anderson. He made noise in the second half and upset Duke.
20. Kentucky (26): Welcome back Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe. The Wildcats are in full swing, and that could spell trouble for the SEC.
21. Tennessee (25): The Vols picked up a much-needed win over the Mikel Brown-less Louisville Cardinals.
22. Southern California (22): The Trojans are officially without Rodney Rice, but now they could be getting Aaliyah Arenas back sooner than expected in mid-January.
23. Virginia (32): Ryan Odom is likely to lead the Cavaliers to a top-five finish in the ACC.
24. Louisville (9): The Cardinals fell, but Brown didn’t lose to Tennessee. But it shows how much they need to succeed.
25. Miami (Fla.) (27): “The Cane” has a star on the rise in Shelton Henderson. Remember this name.
26. John (20): The Red Storm hit a tough drought against Kentucky. Unfortunately, this may be a trend.
27. Villanova (NR): The Wildcats got off to a strong start against Wisconsin, then lost in overtime with a monster win in Milwaukee.
28. Georgia (31): Mike White quietly elevates the Bulldogs in the SEC.
29. Iowa (29): The Hawkeyes are becoming one of the sleepers in the Big Ten.
OTHER PLEASURES: Arizona and Michigan lead the latest AP Top 25
30. Cal (28): The Bears lead the ACC in scoring. Mark Madsen’s side can stay in the top half for the rest of the season.
31. TCU (33): The Horned Frogs will be winning all season long, but not going anywhere.
32. Florida (NR): The Gators have finally found their footing and look poised to be one of the top teams in the SEC this season.
33. UCLA (NR): The Bruins are healthy and finding plenty of scorers, which is essential if they are going to be an NCAA Tournament team.
34. New Mexico (NR): Eric Olen can coach. He’s leading the Lobos to one of the best teams in the Mountain West, heading into conference play.
35. Tulsa (NR): The Golden Hurricanes have one loss and will enter conference play as the team to beat America.
36. Miami (OH) (NR): The Redhawks are undefeated. Having a ridiculously sleazy record might still be the case, giving MAC its first two bids in more than 20 years.
37. Utah State (NR): The Aggies are ready to compete again for the Mountain West title.
Dropped out of school: Notre Dame (21), Arizona State (23), Auburn (30), Ohio State (34), Wisconsin (35), Washington (36), Boise State (37).
Dear Sir: Clemson, Baylor, Oklahoma, St. Mary’s.
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