After the top teams in the country asserted themselves as such for most of the first month of the season, the first week of December brought the first batch of crazy upsets in college basketball. Five top 10 teams fell to unranked opponents this week, creating plenty of changes in this week's power rankings.
There will be a new No. 1 for the first time all season after Duke dropped their ACC opener at Boston College. Texas A&M dropped a close game to Arizona and Notre Dame lost - at home - to Ball State. Florida fell twice, first to Florida State and then to Loyola-Chicago, before rebounding with a win over Cincinnati. Kansas also fell to Washington in Kansas City before losing to Arizona State at Allen Fieldhouse.
That win by the Sun Devils is easily the best win anyone has picked up all year and solidifies them as a major player on the national stage. Their backcourt of Tra Holder (20.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.0 apg) and Shannon Evans II (18.6 ppg, 5.3 apg) is as good as any in the country and lead the nation's fifth most efficient offense. Plus, they already have major wins over Xavier and now KU.
How will all of that craziness shake up the rankings this week? Here are my latest Top 25 Power Rankings:
Just Missed The Cut: Tennessee, Louisville, Creighton, Alabama, Arkansas
25) Florida Gators (6-3)
LW: 6
The Gators had the worst week of anyone outside of Arizona this season, going from a top team to an afterthought following that loss to Loyola-Chicago. Florida still struggles when they don't make the three ball and have gone away from playing team ball, recording nine assists or less in their three games this week, something head coach Mike White will have to fix. But, snapping their three-game losing streak was huge.
24) Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)
LW: NR
If you haven't seen Oklahoma freshman Trae Young (28.8 ppg, 8.8 apg) play, you need to. He leads the country in points and is third in assists, but more importantly, has the Sooners playing excellent ball with wins over Oregon and USC. Saturday's game against Wichita State will be must-see TV.
23) Texas Longhorns (6-2)
LW: 24
The Longhorns' only game this week was a road win over VCU after Texas nearly blew another late lead. Mo Bamba (10.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 4.0 bpg) continues to be great and threw down a jaw-dropping dunk of the year nominee against the Rams.
22) Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1)
LW: 23
Texas Tech came from behind to grab a win over a good Nevada squad in overtime at home. Although that win didn't necessarily inspire confidence in the Red Raiders, it will go down as a quality win on their resume.
21) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2)
LW: 9
Losing to Ball State at home can really put a damper on things. Two weeks ago, the Irish were a top-five team. Now, they're out of the top 20 after being demolished by Michigan State and losing to the Falcons. Defense and rebounding continue to be problems for them.
20) Baylor Bears (7-2)
LW: 19
The Bears fall one spot even though they took care of business this week by blowing out Sam Houston State and something called Randall University. Their only losses have come to very good Xavier and Wichita State teams.
19) Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)
LW: 15
UVA's loss to West Virginia showcased the major problem that Cavaliers have had under Tony Bennett - they simply couldn't find enough offense down the stretch to win. Now, WVU is one of the best defensive teams in the country and it's always tough to play in Morgantown, but that will be something to monitor in ACC play (again).
18) Arizona Wildcats (7-3)
LW: NR
Well, well, well...look who's back! The preseason No. 2 team in the country appears to have left their Battle 4 Atlantis problems behind them thanks to three consecutive quality wins over UNLV, Texas A&M, and Alabama. Deandre Ayton (20.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg) continues to be a man amongst boys while Allonzo Trier (22.3 ppg) continues to be one of the best offensive players in the country. With Rawle Alkins, their best perimeter defender, returning for the win over Alabama, the Wildcats should continue to improve.
17) Florida State Seminoles (9-0)
LW: NR
FSU is one of the best defensive teams in the country and showcased that dominance in a blowout win over Florida in Gainesville this past week. They're tall, long, and athletic - and will be a factor in the ACC because of that defense. If Terance Mann (16.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) continues to emerge as a go-to guy offensively, Florida State could repeat last season's success.
16) Purdue Boilermakers (8-2)
LW: 17
Purdue dismantled a good Valpo team and blew out IUPUI and won't take the court again until they face Butler in the Crossroads Classic this weekend. The Boilermakers are one of five teams that rank in the top 15 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, showcasing their balance.
RELATED: College Basketball Mailbag: Duke's Potential Weakness, What's Wrong With Florida & More
15) Kansas Jayhawks (7-0)
LW: 4
What a terrible, terrible week for Bill Self's squad. The Washington loss was puzzling because 1) the Huskies aren't a good team and 2) Kansas couldn't seem to figure out Washington's zone after shredding it vs. Syracuse in their previous game. Then they lost at home - which they never do - to an Arizona State team that had their best players outduel KU's stars. The Jayhawks will be fine (they didn't shoot well in either loss), but they need Devonte' Graham to step up and become the go-to offensive leader this team needs.
14) Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1)
LW: 13
Losing to Villanova is nothing to worry about (although it did how this team's ceiling and what they can't do), and the Bulldogs rebounded from that with a 27-point win over a Washington team coming off that win over Kansas. That common opponent is why they're ahead of the Jayhawks.
13) TCU Horned Frogs (10-0)
LW: 21
TCU picked up two big wins this week by knocking off SMU and Nevada. Jamie Dixon's squad is playing hard-nosed defense, but it's their offense (12th in adjusted efficiency, fourth in effective field goal percentage) that has been the biggest reason for their success. The Horned Frogs have a balanced attack, too, with five players averaging double-digit points. They are one of the teams that benefit the most of this week's craziness, as shown by their rise.
12) West Virginia Mountaineers (9-1)
LW: 22
Another team with a great week, West Virginia had that impressive win over Virginia and a rivalry win on the road against Pitt to push their win streak to nine games. Jevon Carter (19.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.0 apg, 3.8 spg) has quietly been having an All-American type season. They won't be tested again until conference play.
11) Texas A&M Aggies (8-1)
LW: 8
A&M suffered their first loss of the season this week in a three-point loss to Arizona, though that's nothing to be upset about. They're still an elite defensive team (third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and opponent's effective field goal percentage) with three stars in Robert Williams (8.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.6 bpg), Tyler Davis (13.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), and D.J. Hogg (15.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg).
10) Seton Hall Pirates (8-1)
LW: 14
Seton Hall had as good of a resume as anyone with wins over Texas Tech, Louisville, and VCU in their last three games. Plus, their only loss was by one point at the buzzer against a very good Rhode Island squad. The Pirates are a team no one wants to play.
9) Xavier Musketeers (9-1)
LW: 12
Already two Big East teams in the top 10! Xavier kept their season rolling with blowout wins over Kent State and Colorado this week and won't be tested again until Dec. 22, when they make the trip to Cedar Falls to take on Northern Iowa.
8) Miami Hurricanes (8-0)
LW: 11
Miami continues to win after passing their only non-conference test against Minnesota, beating Boston University by 15 points after a slow start. They should have another easy win against ETSU going to Hawaii to take part in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic around Christmas.
7) Kentucky Wildcats (7-1)
LW: 7
Kentucky continues to roll right along with wins over Harvard and Monmouth, but they still haven't been tested since that loss to Kansas. Now, they have a tough three-game stretch against Virginia Tech, UCLA, and Louisville leading into conference play.
6) North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1)
LW: 10
UNC only played once this week - a 104-61 drubbing of Western Carolina - and that inactivity moves them up four spots because of all the teams ahead of them that lost. They'll have the week off before facing Tennessee in Knoxville in one of the biggest games of the week.
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5) Wichita State Shockers (8-1)
LW: 5
Wichita State continues to win without last year's leading scorer and rebounder in Markis McDuffie, but they got off to incredibly slow starts in come-from-behind wins over South Dakota State and Oklahoma State. That will be something to monitor moving forward as they'll be tested again on Saturday against Oklahoma.
4) Arizona State Sun Devils (9-0)
LW: 18
We already talked about Arizona State at the top but what they've been doing this season (wins over San Diego State, Kansas State, Xavier, St. John's, Kansas) can't be overstated. A team that went just 15-18 last season is on pace to surpass last year's win total by mid-January thanks to their high-octane offense and star backcourt have been playing. Head coach Bobby Hurley has put his team full of great three-point shooters in great position and they use that weapon to kill teams. There are still questions about their defense (154th in adjusted defensive efficiency) and whether they'll eventually "die by the three," but they're living good right now.
3) Michigan State Spartans (9-1)
LW: 2
The Spartans fall in these rankings despite going 2-0 on the week because I can't reasonably put them ahead of Duke considering the Blue Devils beat them without Marvin Bagley III. They've now won eight straight games, all by double-digits.
2) Duke Blue Devils (11-1)
LW: 1
Duke's loss to Boston College was bad and showcased all of Duke's defensive weaknesses, particularly in defending ball screens. However, the Eagles also shot lights out, going 15/26 from three-point range. It was just one of those days. Given Duke's resume, they're only dropping one spot.
1) Villanova Wildcats (10-0)
LW: 3
Villanova continues to be the most consistent and reliable team in the country and flexed their muscle again this week with a blowout win over Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden. Mikal Bridges (19.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.3 spg) is looking like a first-team All-American while Jalen Brunson (17.2 ppg, 4.6 apg), the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, is playing incredibly well, too. It looks like they'll stay in this spot until they're tested again in conference play.
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