College basketball power rankings: Michigan, Arizona stand above all else entering new year
There is plenty of movement and depth in this week's Power Rankings after the dominant Wolverines and Wildcats.
By
Kyle Boone
•
4 min read
The calendar flipping to 2026 means more than one-third of the college basketball regular season is already in the books. And if there is one takeaway to be gleaned from that stretch of time, it is this: There is Michigan and Arizona, then there is everyone else.
That is reflected below in our updated Power Rankings, where Michigan and Arizona -- and in that order for a second consecutive update -- rank No. 1 and No. 2. There are plenty of other teams waiting in the wings: Iowa State, UConn, Vanderbilt have all been spectacular. But the top is the top with a bullet.
Let's get to the rankings -- where the top two remains the same but there are plenty of other shifts and changes throughout the updated top-16.
Week 1: Purdue | Week 2: Arizona | Week 3: Michigan | Week 4: Michigan | Week 5: Michigan | Week 6: Michigan
College Basketball Power Rankings
| 1 |  |
| With nine of its 12 wins by 20+ points -- which includes six wins by 40+ and another by 50+ -- Michigan has proved itself the most indomitable force in college hoops. It leads the sport in scoring margin (30.3) and is one of six undefeated teams remaining. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| Arizona (13-0) is off to its best start since the 2013-14 season -- when it began 21-0 -- after ending the 2025 calendar year with eight consecutive wins of 19 or more points. It opens Big 12 play Saturday at Utah . Last week: 2 | |
| 3 |  |
| Don't look now, but UConn is finding a groove and yet it still feels like it hasn't quite hit its stride. The Huskies have won nine-straight and are 13-1 after double-digit wins over Butler , DePaul and Xavier to open league play just before the New Year. Last week: 5 | |
| 4 |  |
| Iowa State (13-0) finished off nonconference play undefeated for the third time in the modern era with wins over St. John's , Purdue, Iowa and Creighton , among others. It opens Big 12 play Friday vs. West Virginia with a chance to match its best start to a season since 2013-14. Last week: 4 | |
| 5 |  |
| Vanderbilt blasted New Haven on Monday to wrap its nonconference schedule and in the process improved to 13-0 for just the second time in program history. It's the sixth time Vandy's finished nonconference action undefeated. The high-octane Commodores faces South Carolina on Saturday to kick off SEC play. Last week: 6  | |
| 6 |  |
| Gonzaga (12-1) won a program-record eight games against power conference programs in its nonconference schedule and in the process tied for the most games played against major conference opponents. That it won 12 and lost just once is a remarkable feat for the fiesty Zags bunch, which begins WCC play on Friday. Last week: 8 | |
| 7 |  |
| Nebraska welcomes Michigan State to Lincoln on Friday for a major test to kick off the year. The Cornhuskers are 13-0 -- its best start to a season in program history -- and riding a nation-best 17-game winning streak dating back to last season after winning the College Basketball Crown. Last week: 7 | |
| 8 |  |
| BYU opens Big 12 play Saturday at Kansas State for its first true road game of the 2025-26 season. The Cougars are 12-1 entering that game after wins in nonconference play over Wisconsin , Miami , Clemson , Dayton and others. Last week: 9 | |
| 9 |  |
| Purdue sitting ninth in the Power Rankings proves just how strong the top of the sport is right now. This Boilermakers team has starpower inside and out and boasts an impressive 12-1 record coming into 2026. It's the fourth time in the last five seasons the Boilermakers are 12-1 or better to start a season. That Matt Painter fella can coach, huh? Last week: 10 | |
| 10 |  |
| There's been some good and some not-so-good scattered about Texas Tech's start to the season but its trajectory is pointing up after beating Duke just before Christmas in its penultimate nonconference test. The Red Raiders (10-3) open Big 12 play at home Saturday vs. Oklahoma State . Last week: Unranked | |
| 11 |  |
| This is a big drop from where Duke has been throughout most of the season. But it's a reflection of where Duke is at this juncture -- which is to say that after its dominant start to the season it has come back down to earth a bit. It lost to Texas Tech on Dec. 20 and struggled at home on New Year's Eve vs. Georgia Tech before pulling it off. Last week: 3 | |
| 12 |  |
| At 12-1 and riding a six-game winning streak, Houston is lurking entering Big 12 play with a real chance to three-peat as regular season champs. The Cougars haven't quite found their groove yet and are still 12-1, which should be scary for the Big 12 and the rest of the sport. Last week: 13 | |
| 13 |  |
| Carolina is 13-1 for the first time since 2008-09 after downing FSU earlier this week to open ACC play. Its defense allowed fewer than 75 points for the 14th time in as many games this season, the most such games to begin a campaign since 1981-82. (UNC, by the way, won the national title that season.) Last week: 14 | |
| 14 |  |
| Travis Steele has Miami (OH.) sitting 14-0 as one of six unbeaten teams in college hoops. The Redhawks are off to their best start in program history. Last week: Unranked | |
| 15 |  |
| No Power Rankings would be complete without Michigan State, which despite a 12-1 record is sitting 15th this week. Sparty's only loss this season was to Duke at home. Last week: 11 | |
| 16 |  |
| I'm going to eat a ton of crow, I fear, for writing Kentucky off last month . Truth is: this team is playing very well right now after wins over Indiana , St. John's and Bellarmine to close out 2025. As the Wildcats return to full strength their potential as a top-10 team is very much in reach. Last week : Unranked | |
