There wasn't much going on around college basketball over the past week as most teams took things easy around Christmas. But there were two results that produced massive ramifications for the final edition of the power rankings before the calendar flips to 2024.
FAU outlasted Arizona 96-95 in double overtime to pick up a marquee nonconference victory that should erase any doubt over the Owls' legitimacy following last year's improbable Final Four run. One of the only two teams to beat FAU this season also had a nice weekend.
Illinois, which beat the Owls 98-89 on Dec. 5, continued to cement its place as a potentially elite squad Friday by thrashing rival Missouri 97-73 on a neutral floor. The Illini's performance, coupled with FAU's win over Arizona, sent the power rankings stock of both teams soaring.
The Illini's only losses are against Marquette and Tennessee, both of which are expected to compete for conference titles. Entering the true start of conference play, Illinois looks like the top contender to Purdue in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, FAU is veering toward what could be an interesting race with Memphis for the AAC crown.
With that, here are the latest CBS Sports power rankings.
College basketball power rankings
| 1 |  |
| Purdue has one final tune up against Eastern Kentucky on Friday before league play ramps up on Tuesday at Maryland. The Boilermakers are a perfect 10-0 against against nonconference opposition thus far, including wins over Xavier, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Iowa, Alabama and Arizona. Despite an overtime loss at Northwestern, the Boilermakers have the best résumé in college basketball, and it's not particularly close. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| Kansas plays Wichita State Saturday in its final nonconference game. The Jayhawks' lone blemish is a neutral-site loss to a strong Marquette team, and they own wins against Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn, Missouri and Indiana. Coach Bill Self has another juggernaut that will compete for the Big 12 and national titles. Last week: 2 | |
| 3 |  |
| Houston is one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with James Madison and Ole Miss. The Cougars look great, but their schedule has been light. A final nonconference date against Penn awaits Saturday before the Cougars embark on their inaugural Big 12 journey. Last week: 4 | |
| 4 |  |
| A foot injury could keep star center Donovan Clingan sidelined for several more games, but the Huskies gritted through a 69-65 home win over St. John's without him on Saturday. Their next four are against DePaul, Butler, Xavier and Georgetown, which will give them a great shot to reach 5-1 in Big East play even without their post anchor. Last week: 5 | |
| 5 |  |
| Illinois eviscerated rival Missouri 97-73 on a neutral floor on Friday to reach 9-2. With a win at Rutgers and a neutral-site victory against FAU also on the résumé, Illinois is looking like a potential challenger to Purdue in the Big Ten. Last week: NR | |
| 6 |  |
| FAU picked up a wild and incredibly impressive double-overtime win against Arizona on Saturday to reach 10-2. If you were holding out for a collapse from last year's Cinderella, it isn't happening. Beating the Wildcats on a neutral floor was the ultimate validation of FAU's legitimacy. Last week: NR | |
| 7 |  |
| Arizona has lost two of its last three, but there's no shame in close defeats against Purdue and FAU. The Wildcats have wins over Duke, Wisconsin and Alabama and could probably win a weak Pac-12 blindfolded. Last week: 3 | |
| 8 |  |
| If BYU beats Wyoming on Saturday, it will be 12-1 entering its first Big 12 campaign. The Cougars' best wins are against San Diego State and NC State. Thus, we'll find out what BYU is truly made of in the next few weeks as it wades into the waters of the nation's top conference. Last week: 7 | |
| 9 |  |
| When Memphis is at its best, it's as good as anyone in the country, as evidenced in a dominant 77-54 victory over Virginia on Dec. 19. That was one of several nice wins for the Tigers heading into AAC play. The league race between Memphis and FAU will be fun. Last week: 6 | |
| 10 |  |
| Colorado State will be 12-1 entering Mountain West play after it beats Division II Adams State on Friday. The gaudy start is more than just empty calories. With wins over Creighton, Colorado and Washington, the Rams are in the mix to earn their best-ever NCAA Tournament seeding after earning a No. 6 seed in 2022. Last week: 8 | |
| 11 |  |
| Kentucky hosts Illinois State on Friday in a final warm-up before SEC action begins next weekend. The Wildcats might hit some speed bumps in SEC play, but they're finally fun to watch again. UK is young, supremely talented, playing fast and making 3-pointers. Last week: 11 | |
| 12 |  |
| Clemson hosts Radford on Friday before ACC play rumps up at Miami on Wednesday. The Tigers put together a solid résumé in nonconference action with wins over Alabama, Pitt, South Carolina and TCU. These guys were left out of the Big Dance with a 14-6 ACC record last season. This time, they've done enough outside of league play to avoid a similar snub. Last week: 9 | |
| 13 |  |
| Oklahoma is likely to be 12-1 entering Big 12 play after it hosts Central Arkansas on Thursday and Monmouth on Sunday. Third-year coach Porter Moser needed a breakthrough season, and so far he's getting one with a start that includes wins over Iowa, USC, Providence and Arkansas. Last week: 10 | |
| 14 |  |
| Marquette's losses are all away from home and excusable (Purdue, Wisconsin and Providence). But it's getting harder to trust the Golden Eagles, who were punked at Providence in their Big East opener. Last week: 12 | |
| 15 |  |
| The schedule has been light as a feather, but Ole Miss keeps winning and adding to its rotation. With second-time transfers Brandon Murray and Moussa Cissé getting in rhythm, the Rebels are poised to be an SEC menace in coach Chris Beard's first season. They will enter league play at 13-0 if they beat Bryant on Sunday. Last week: 13 | |
| 16 |  |
| James Madison finished nonconference play a perfect 12-0 after beating Morgan State on Friday. If the Dukes can keep it up during 18 Sun Belt games, that will be even more impressive. JMU, Houston and Ole Miss are the last unbeaten teams. Last week: 14 | |
| 17 |  |
| Duke closes nonconference schedule by hosting Queens on Saturday. The Blue Devils have taken their lumps in the first couple months, but neutral-site wins over Michigan State and Baylor demonstrated this team's ceiling is quite high. Last week: 15 | |
| 18 |  |
| Auburn may not have a signature win, but what the Tigers do have is quite impressive. They trounced respectable foes St. Bonaventure, Virginia Tech, Indiana and USC by at least 16 points each. They close nonconference play against Chattanooga and Penn. Last week: 17 | |
| 19 |  |
| North Carolina's three losses are against Villanova, UConn and Kentucky by a combined 17 points. The Tar Heels beat Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma by a combined 35. This team is much better offensively than last year's version. Last week: 19 | |
| 20 |  |
| Tennessee's losses are against Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina, all of them coming away from home. With wins over Wisconsin, Syracuse, Illinois and NC State, there is plenty of evidence to suggest the Volunteers will contend for the SEC title. Last week: 18 | |
