College basketball rankings: Teams return to action following holiday break as season kicks into high gear
With teams returning to the court, the race towards March Madness is officially underway
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
The holiday season is a wonderful time of the year for a variety of reasons — but it sure does bring college basketball to a crawl. Unlike the NBA and (now the) NFL, this sport largely avoids what amounts to a five-day window around Christmas. Things get super slow every year.
But now we're (almost) back!
The schedule doesn't really get going good again until Friday — but Virginia returned to the court Wednesday with a 79-44 victory over Morgan State to remain No. 25 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. And Oklahoma, which is No. 13 in the Top 25 And 1, will return to the court Thursday with a game against Central Arkansas. Then eight more schools in the Top 25 And 1 will resume their seasons Friday. And then we'll be running full speed all the way through Selection Sunday.
So consider this our last breather.
Purdue, of course, remains No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the 12th consecutive morning and will stay there through the end of 2023 — provided the Boilermakers don't slip against Eastern Kentucky on Friday. Put another way, as long as Purdue beats Eastern Kentucky on Friday, the Boilermakers will be No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 on the last day of 2023 just like they were No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 on the first day of 2023. That won't make last season's first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament to Fairleigh Dickinson sting any less, obviously. But it should help highlight the type of elite program Matt Painter is running at his alma mater, and how Purdue is once again positioning itself as well as possible to maybe make the Final Four this season for the first time since 1980.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 100-57 win over Jacksonville. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Eastern Kentucky. | -- | 8-0 |
| 2 |  | Kevin McCullar finished with 34 points and six rebounds in Friday's 75-60 win over Yale. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Wichita State. | -- | 6-3 |
| 3 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and four steals in Thursday's 72-37 win over Texas State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Penn. | -- | 7-1 |
| 4 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 13 points and five assists in Thursday's 65-46 win over Tarleton State. The Vols' next game is Jan. 2 against Norfolk State. | -- | 7-2 |
| 5 |  | Quincy Guerrier finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in Friday's 97-73 win over Missouri. The Illini's next game is Friday against Fairleigh Dickinson. | -- | 6-2 |
| 6 |  | Samson Johnson finished with 16 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 69-65 win over St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Jan. 2 against DePaul. | -- | 7-1 |
| 7 |  | Johnell Davis finished with 35 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 96-95 win over Arizona. The Owls' next game is Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast. | -- | 5-3 |
| 8 |  | Caleb Love missed 17 of the 25 shots he attempted in Saturday's 96-95 loss to FAU. The Wildcats' next game is Friday at Cal. | -- | 7-0 |
| 9 |  | David Jones finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 77-75 win over Vanderbilt. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Austin Peay. | -- | 3-4 |
| 10 |  | David Joplin scored 20 points and finished with nine rebounds in Friday's 81-51 win over Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Creighton. | -- | 5-4 |
| 11 |  | Antonio Reeves finished with 30 points and two steals in Thursday's 95-76 win over Louisville. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Illinois State. | -- | 5-3 |
| 12 |  | RJ Davis finished with 23 points and five assists in Wednesday's 81-69 win over Oklahoma. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Charleston Southern. | -- | 7-1 |
| 13 |  | Oklahoma finished with 18 turnovers and six assists in Wednesday's 81-69 loss to North Carolina. The Sooners' next game is Thursday against Central Arkansas. | -- | 6-2 |
| 14 |  | Graham Ike finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 100-76 win over Jackson State. The Zags' next game is Friday against San Diego State. | -- | 7-1 |
| 15 |  | Nique Cifford finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Friday's 76-67 win over Loyola Marymount. The Rams' next game is Friday against Adams State. | -- | 6-2 |
| 16 |  | Spencer Johnson finished with 14 points and seven assists in Friday's 101-59 win over Bellarmine. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Wyoming. | -- | 7-1 |
| 17 |  | Matthew Murrell finished with 26 points and five assists in Saturday's 89-72 win over Southern Miss. The Rebels' next game is Sunday against Bryant. | -- | 5-3 |
| 18 |  | PJ Hall finished with 27 points and four rebounds in Friday's 109-79 win over Queens. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Radford. | -- | 7-2 |
| 19 |  | Jared McCain finished with 21 points and three assists in Wednesday's 78-70 win over Baylor. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Queens. | -- | 9-0 |
| 20 |  | Ja'Kobe Walter finished with 26 points and five assists in Friday's 107-48 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bears' next game is Jan. 2 against Cornell. | -- | 6-1 |
| 21 |  | AJ Storr finished with 29 points and two rebounds in Friday's 80-53 win over Chicago State. The Badgers' next game is Jan. 2 against Iowa. | -- | 6-2 |
| 22 |  | Terrence Edwards finished with 29 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 89-75 win over Morgan State. The Dukes' next game is Saturday against Texas State. | -- | 6-4 |
| 23 |  | Devin Carter finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 85-75 win over Butler. The Friars' next game is Jan. 3 against Seton Hall. | -- | 5-4 |
| 24 |  | Jaylin Williams finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Friday's 82-62 win over Alabama State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Chattanooga. | -- | 7-2 |
| 25 |  | Reece Beekman finished with 17 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 79-44 win over Morgan State. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Notre Dame. | -- | 7-1 |
| 26 |  | Hayden Hefner finished with 24 points and two rebounds in Friday's 79-52 win over Houston Christian. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Prairie View A&M. | -- | 7-2 |
