College basketball power rankings: St. John's joins top five, Michigan State vaults into top 10
The Red Storm are inching closer to the top, while the Spartans made a splash after being unranked
By
Kyle Boone
•
5 min read
The cream of the crop in college basketball is bubbling at the top with Auburn and Duke -- in that exact order -- holding steady at No. 1 and No. 2 in the latest CBS Sports college basketball power rankings.
Auburn (26-2) defeated Georgia and Ole Miss by 12 and 40 (!) points, respectively, in the last week while improving to 14-1 in SEC play. With three regular-season games remaining, it is a full two games up in the SEC race and tracking toward its second conference title in the last four seasons.
Duke (25-3) is hot on the Tigers' heels after its week consisted of a primetime power slam of Illinois and a road smashing of Miami -- by 43 and 37 points, respectively. Duke, responsible for one of Auburn's two losses, leads the sport in scoring margin and in net rating at KenPom.
Beyond the top two, things get less clear, and that gives us a bit of a shakeup this week as Houston moves to No. 3, Florida falls back one spot and St. John's moves into the top five. Houston clinched a share of the Big 12 for a second consecutive season this week, and St. John's did the same in the Big East after a win over Butler on Wednesday. Florida, meanwhile, suffered a tough road loss Tuesday but has a 24-4 record that consists of two wins this season over No. 1-ranked teams.
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Let's get to this week's rankings. As always, the caveat: this is not a ranking the best tourney résumés, nor the ranking of the best teams like Gary Parrish's Top 25 and 1. The power rankings are compiled emphasizing recent results and the quantification of the eye test and vibes based on the evaluation of yours truly.
College Basketball Power Rankings
| 1 |  |
| Led by the now-No. 1 offense in adjusted efficiency metrics at KenPom, Auburn and Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome look to be leveling up their game in real-time with March on the horizon. They've won 19 of their last 20 games. Last week: No. 1 | |
| 2 |  |
| The ACC has thus far been a cakewalk for Duke, but a chance to play a power matchup vs. a talented Big Ten opponent this last week turned into a glorified exhibition. The Blue Devils routed Illinois 110-67 and turned around three days later to beat Miami in Coral Gables, 97-60. Last week: No. 2 | |
| 3 |  |
| Houston's 69-61 road win Monday over Texas Tech gave it at least a share of the Big 12 title for a second consecutive season. The Cougars are 20-1 since opening the season 4-3. Last week: No. 4 | |
| 4 |  |
| A narrow road loss to a desperate Georgia team this week knocks the Gators down a rung, but they've done enough to remain inside the top five. They close the month of February with a 6-2 record bookended by road losses to Tennessee and Georgia. Last week: No. 3 | |
| 5 |  |
| A 76-70 road win over Butler on Wednesday gave the Johnnies a share of the Big East title as they improved to 16-2 in league play. They have one loss in the 2025 calendar year and are winners of 20 of their last 22 games. Last week: No. 6 | |
| 6 |  |
| A lucky halfcourt shot from Tre Holloman at the horn Wednesday gave Michigan State a shocking road win over Maryland in the XL Center to keep Sparty's hopes of a Big Ten title very much alive. They have a brutal closing schedule and will have to earn it. Last week: NR | |
| 7 |  |
| Tennessee closed out its month with a gritty 65-59 road win at LSU this week to head to March with six wins in its last seven outings -- among those victories being over Florida, Missouri and Texas A&M. Last week: No. 13 | |
| 8 |  |
| With so many teams slipping in recent weeks, steady-as-ever Louisville gets a hearty bump into the top 10. It is 15-2 in ACC play -- one game back of Duke -- and has won 16 of 17. Cards are still very live to win the ACC. Last week: No. 14 | |
| 9 |  |
| An insane, and lucky, buzzer-beating, halfcourt shot from Michigan State sunk Maryland on Wednesday in a 58-55 barn burner. Despite that, the Terps move up this week after not only acquitting themselves well vs. an elite opponent but also for its run the last few weeks that includes wins over Illinois and Nebraska on the road and Wisconsin, Iowa and USC at home. Last week: No. 15 | |
| 10 |  |
| Michigan takes a hit in the Big Ten pecking order after a tough home loss to rival Michigan State but remains a top-10 mainstay as it continues to remain in the conference title mix. The Wolverines get Rutgers, Illinois, Maryland and Michigan State to close out the regular season. Last week: No. 5 | |
| 11 |  |
| Missouri has fallen out of the SEC title picture after a loss this week at Arkansas but still has wins in four of its last five, including a 110-98 win over Alabama that will continue to age well. Last week: No. 8 | |
| 12 |  |
| Bama had a perfect week and held serve at home after consecutive losses to Auburn and Missouri. It is 12-3 in SEC play and still very much in the mix to win the league for a second time in three years. Last week: No. 9 | |
| 13 |  |
| With star Chance McMillian sidelined vs. West Virginia and both McMillian and Darrion Williams sidelined vs. Houston, Texas Tech went 1-1 this week -- winning at home over West Virginia but falling to the death star that is Houston. It's hard to knock the Red Raiders too far given how well they played vs. the Cougars despite being shorthanded. Last week: No. 11 | |
| 14 |  |
| Saturday's 77-73 overtime loss to Oregon kept Wisconsin from challenging for a rise into the top five of the power rankings this week. It's the first slip for the Badgers since Jan. 29, though, and over the last month they are playing like a top-10 team in college hoops. Last week: No. 10 | |
| 15 |  |
| The turnaround in Provo is something to behold as BYU has reeled off five-straight wins -- including over Kansas and road wins over Arizona and Arizona State -- to resurrect its season. Last week: NR | |
| 16 |  |
| UC San Diego -- hello! -- matched its largest margin of victory ever in a Big West game this week, defeating Hawaii 83-44. The win was the Tritons' ninth-straight as they pace toward potentially winning a first-ever regular-season conference championship after transitioning to Division I in 2020. Last week: NR | |
