This college basketball season is unique in the sense that we're roughly one-third of the way through it and there still isn't an obvious favorite to win the national title or runaway leader for player of the year. Typically, at this point, those things have emerged. But this season everything can still be reasonably debated.
As I mentioned during Sunday's episode of the CBS Sports Eye On College Basketball Podcast, my vote for player of the year would currently go to Oregon's Payton Pritchard or Ohio State's Kaleb Wesson with Duke's Vernon Carey, Louisville's Jordan Nwora, Kansas' Devon Dotson and Dayton's Obi Toppin representing solid alternative options. And though I recognize a good case can be made for Gonzaga to be No. 1, I actually think Ohio State should currently sit atop the rankings after Saturday's victory over Kentucky.
Ohio State is now 11-1 with its signature wins over Kentucky, Villanova, Penn State and North Carolina coming by an average of 22.0 points. The Buckeyes are the only zero-loss or one-loss team with four top-40 KenPom wins. They have the nation's best adjusted efficiency margin at +27.70. And their lone loss is a loss at Minnesota in which their second-leading scorer (Duane Washington Jr.) was injured and did not play.
In other words, Ohio State has better wins than anybody with a similar number in the loss column, and its lone defeat is a shorthanded loss in a conference road game. That's why the Buckeyes are No. 1 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1. Their next game is Sunday against West Virginia.
Monday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | D.J. Carton got 15 points and five rebounds off the bench in Saturday's 71-65 victory over Kentucky. The Buckeyes own four wins over top-40 KenPom teams. | -- | 22-14 |
| 2 |  | Filip Petrusev finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 112-77 victory over Eastern Washington. The Zags have won five straight games since losing to Michigan. | -- | 27-8 |
| 3 |  | Devon Dotson missed a late free throw that would've tied things, then missed a potential game-winning runner at the buzzer in Saturday's 56-55 loss at Villanova. The sophomore guard finished 5-of-15 from the field. | -- | 23-11 |
| 4 |  | Dwayne Sutton finished with eight points and 15 rebounds in Wednesday's 70-46 win over Miami of Ohio. The Cardinals used a 17-0 run in the second half to pull away. | -- | 8-24 |
| 5 |  | Joey Baker made five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points in Thursday's 86-57 victory over Wofford. The Blue Devils cruised even though Tre Jones missed the game with what Duke officials called a minor foot injury. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | Payton Pritchard finished with 29 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals in Saturday's 84-78 victory over Texas Southern. Oregon owns four top-35 KenPom wins. | 1 | 24-12 |
| 7 |  | Precious Achiuwa finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 77-49 win over Jackson State. The Tigers are now 8-0 without James Wiseman, who quit the team last week. | 1 | 22-10 |
| 8 |  | Jon Teske finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 86-44 win over Presbyterian. Michigan's body of work includes five victories over top-50 KenPom teams. | 1 | 8-24 |
| 9 |  | J'Von McCormick finished with 18 points and four assists in Saturday's 74-51 victory over Lehigh. The Tigers are one of just four remaining undefeated teams but still have zero wins over ranked opponents. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 10 |  | Davion Mitchell finished with 19 points, four assists and four steals in Wednesday's 91-63 victory over UT Martin. The Bears have three wins over top-20 KenPom teams. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 11 |  | Jermaine Samuels buried the game-winning 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining, and finished with 15 points, in Saturday's 56-55 victory over Kansas. The Wildcats' only losses are to Ohio State and Baylor. | 1 | 18-16 |
| 12 |  | Bryce Golden finished with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists in Saturday's 70-61 win over Purdue. The Bulldogs' lone loss is a one-point defeat at Baylor. | 1 | 18-15 |
| 13 |  | Malachi Flynn finished with 16 points and eight assists in Saturday's 80-52 victory over Utah. The Aztecs are 7-1 in their past eight games against the Utes. | 1 | 26-11 |
| 14 |  | The Terrapins shot 26.9% from the field in Thursday's 52-48 loss to Seton Hall. Maryland lost despite the fact that the Pirates were missing their top two scorers. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 15 |  | The Flyers allowed Colorado to grab 17 offensive rebounds in Saturday's 78-76 overtime loss. Obi Toppin was just 1-of-6 from 3-point range in defeat. | 1 | 25-8 |
| 16 |  | RaiQaun Gray finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals in Saturday's 66-60 win over South Florida. FSU is 3-0 in neutral-site games. | 1 | 17-16 |
| 17 |  | Isaiah Stewart finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 85-64 win over Ball State. The Huskies have won two straight games since losing to Gonzaga. | 1 | 17-15 |
| 18 |  | Myreon Jones finished with 21 points and five assists in Friday's 87-58 victory over Central Connecticut. This was the first time in 23 seasons that Penn State has won while being ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 19 |  | Aaron Henry finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Saturday's 101-48 victory over Eastern Michigan. The Spartans have won four straight games since losing to Duke. | 1 | 20-15 |
| 20 |  | Bakari Evelyn had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Saturday's 77-70 victory over Cincinnati. The Hawkeyes won despite turning the ball over 24 times. | 1 | 19-15 |
| 21 |  | The Cavaliers allowed South Carolina to shoot 55.1% from the field in Sunday's 70-59 loss to the Gamecocks. Virginia finished the game with 18 field goals and 19 turnovers. | 15 | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | Jahmi'us Ramsey finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 68-58 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley. The Red Raiders have only lost once with Ramsey in the lineup. | -- | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Tyrell Terry finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Saturday's 62-59 win over San Diego. Stanford's lone loss is a one-point defeat to Butler. | -- | 14-18 |
| 24 |  | Mitch Ballock made four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points in Saturday's 67-60 victory over Arizona State. The Bluejays only losses are to Michigan and San Diego State. | -- | 25-10 |
| 25 |  | Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 75-64 victory over Youngstown State. West Virginia outscored the Penguins 40-26 in the second half. | -- | 9-23 |
| 26 |  | Grant Sherfield got 14 points, two rebounds and two assists off the bench in Saturday's 73-63 victory over VCU. Wichita State's lone loss is to West Virginia. | -- | 15-19 |
