Our final Power Rankings of the season feature a new No. 1.
Auburn's loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday opened the door for Duke to take over the top spot. The Blue Devils have looked incredibly dominant over several weeks, winning their past seven games by nearly 32 points per game. If this was purely a résumé debate over the overall No. 1 seed, Auburn would still have the edge given its historically strong Quadrant 1 record. But Duke gets the final No. 1 spot here.
Can the Blue Devils back it up against a desperate North Carolina team on Saturday? The Tar Heels' win-and-in opportunity is the biggest story in the ACC for the final weekend of the regular season (6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).
What else is at stake among ranked teams this weekend?
In the Big East: St. John's can strengthen its case for a 2-seed if it wins at Marquette on Saturday.
In the Big Ten: Selection Sunday seeding and a share of the Big Ten regular-season title could be at stake when Michigan visits Michigan State on Sunday.
In the Big 12: Neither Arizona nor Kansas has shown much consistency this season, and both could use some momentum entering the postseason when the teams meet in Lawrence on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).
In the SEC: Alabama at Auburn on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). Need I say more? A win would keep Alabama's faint 1-seed hopes alive after its recent struggles.
Now without further ado, our final top 25 ahead of the regular-season finales.
1. Duke Blue Devils (27-3)
Previous ranking: 2
Duke isn't showing signs of slowing down as the postseason nears, beating Wake Forest by 33 points Monday, only two points shy of its fourth consecutive 35-point win. The Blue Devils will have to settle for their fourth straight 30-point win, matching the longest streak in program history, per ESPN Research.
Duke has outscored its past six ACC opponents by 180 points, which is the biggest scoring margin in the conference's history over a six-game span.
Next seven days: at North Carolina (March 8), ACC tournament
2. Auburn Tigers (27-3)
Previous ranking: 1
Auburn was surprisingly noncompetitive against Texas A&M on Tuesday, never leading, and trailing by three or more possessions for the majority of the second half. The Tigers had their worst defensive performance since a loss to Duke in early December, allowing the Aggies to dominate on the offensive glass with 24 rebounds for 29 second-chance points.
The absence of Denver Jones was noticeable, but Johni Broome not looking superhuman for the second straight game was also difficult for Auburn to overcome. Broome is averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 boards over his past two games.
Next seven days: vs. Alabama (March 8), SEC tournament
Wade Taylor IV and Zhuric Phelps combine to score 35 points in No. 22 Texas A&M's 83-72 victory over No. 1 Auburn.
3. Houston Cougars (26-4)
Previous ranking: 3
It's truly staggering what Houston has done since joining the Big 12 last season. Some questioned whether the Cougars would be able to win at the same consistently high level they did in the AAC, but they have somehow taken it to a new level. They are 33-4 in the regular season, which is even more impressive considering they started 1-2 last season.
Including its three conference tournament games in 2023-24, Houston has played 40 games against Big 12 competition over the past two seasons. Four of those have gone to overtime, but in the other 36, the Cougars have had an opponent reach 70 points only twice. Twice!
Next seven days: at Baylor (March 8), Big 12 tournament
4. Florida Gators (26-4)
Previous ranking: 5
Though Florida's overall collection of wins doesn't touch Auburn's resumé, it's hard to top the Gators' high-end victories over Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama -- with the ones over the Tigers and Crimson Tide coming in true road games. There's not a team in the country with a better pair of road wins than Florida. And with Wednesday's losses by Alabama and Tennessee, Todd Golden's team has the inside track toward the NCAA tournament's final 1-seed on Selection Sunday alongside Auburn, Duke and Houston. Advancing to the SEC tournament title game could clinch it.
Next seven days: vs. Ole Miss (March 8), SEC tournament
5. Tennessee Volunteers (24-6)
Previous ranking: 6
Tennessee's buzzer-beater win over Alabama on Saturday looked to put the Volunteers in the driver's seat for a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, but losing at Ole Miss in the final seconds Wednesday puts them behind Florida in the race. Statistically, it was actually their worst defensive performance of the season, allowing the Rebels to score 1.23 points per possession despite shooting just 5-for-19 from 3-point range. The Vols were dominated on the offensive glass and outscored in the paint 46-20.
Next seven days: vs. South Carolina (March 8), SEC tournament
Ole Miss takes down No. 4 Tennessee with a 78-76 victory on Wednesday.
6. St. John's Red Storm (26-4)
Previous ranking: 7
RJ Luis Jr. belongs on end-of-season All-America teams and is a viable contender for Big East Player of the Year. Kadary Richmond stole the headlines for much of February, but Luis never really slowed down -- and after sitting out one game and not looking 100% in the next one because of injury, Luis has returned to top form. He had 24 points against Butler last week, then followed it up with 21 points and six boards against Seton Hall this past Saturday. Most importantly for the Johnnies, he has also shot 8-for-16 from 3 in his past three games.
Next seven days: at Marquette (March 8), Big East tournament
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (23-7)
Previous ranking: 4
Alabama has lost two in a row and four of its past six after dropping back-to-back games against Tennessee and Florida over the past week -- and still has a trip to Auburn this weekend. The defeat in Knoxville was a heartbreaker at the buzzer, but the Tide simply didn't play with enough urgency against the Gators. Alabama allowed 16 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points, while also allowing Florida to score 22 fast-break points. The Tide have also seen seven of their past eight opponents score at least 1.04 points per possession, and they rank ninth in the SEC in defensive efficiency.
Next seven days: at Auburn (March 8), SEC tournament
8. Michigan State (24-6)
Previous ranking: 8
It has been an incredible five-game stretch for Michigan State. On Feb. 11, the Spartans lost for the third time in four games, at home to Indiana. Given what the rest of the Big Ten contenders were doing, it looked as if their title hopes were dashed, especially with Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland and Wisconsin on the docket, with three those matchups on the road. A 3-2 record in those five games seemed like an aggressive goal. Michigan State came out 5-0 record -- and with the inside track to the Big Ten regular-season title.
Next seven days: at Iowa (March 6), vs. Michigan (March 9), Big Ten tournament
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-7)
Previous ranking: 12
If Texas Tech can stay healthy, and if JT Toppin can continue to play as well as he has lately, the Red Raiders are a legitimate Final Four contender. Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian both look fine after sitting out recent games because of injuries, and Toppin is playing at an All-American level. He had 30 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday's win over Colorado, the third time in the past month he has posted a 30-point, 10-rebound performance. Over his past eight games, Toppin is averaging 24.4 points and 11.0 rebounds.
Next seven days: at Arizona State (March 8), Big 12 tournament
10. Wisconsin Badgers (23-7)
Previous ranking: 9
Wisconsin has had two of its worst 3-point shooting performances of the season in its past two games, going 5-for-32 against Michigan State and 5-for-22 against Minnesota. That could be partially attributed to the absence of Max Klesmit, who has sat out the past two games because of a lower-body injury. Even though the Wofford transfer is having by far the worst 3-point shooting season of his career, he is still the team's second-most prolific perimeter shooter.
John Blackwell has picked up the offensive slack, averaging 22.7 points in his past three games.
Next seven days: vs. Penn State (March 8), Big Ten tournament
11. Iowa State Cyclones (22-8)
Previous ranking: 10
Iowa State lost only its second game of the season at full strength, falling in double overtime to BYU -- the Cougars led by as many as 21 points in the second half before the Cyclones surged back to force the extra period. There are a few potential issues to monitor, but some can be traced to Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert not quite performing as effectively as they did earlier in the season. Gilbert is averaging 9.3 points over his past eight games, while Jones is shooting 28.1% from 3 in his past six games.
Next seven days: at Kansas State (March 8), Big 12 tournament
12. Maryland Terrapins (23-17)
Previous ranking: 19
Maryland notched a massive road win at Michigan on Wednesday, and it was the Terrapins' perimeter group that was the difference. Michigan's big man duo of Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin combined for 40 points and 23 rebounds, and Maryland's wing players Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel outplayed the Michigan guards. Rice had 19 points and four 3s, while Miguel went for 17 points and three 3s. Miguel also notched four steals, sparking a defense that forced 16 turnovers and had 21 points off turnovers.
Next seven days: vs. Northwestern (March 8), Big Ten tournament
Danny Wolf nails the 3-point shot vs. Maryland Terrapins
13. Purdue Boilermakers (21-9)
Previous ranking: 20
Though the Boilermakers still need to tighten up at the defensive end, whatever was ailing them on offense probably got out of their system against Rutgers on Tuesday. They scored 100 points, made 18 3-pointers and shot better than 63% from inside the arc.
Braden Smith was terrific -- he is averaging 23.0 points and 8.5 assists while shooting 13-for-23 from 3-point range in their past two wins. Taking the entire season into account, the offense hasn't really missed a beat without Zach Edey. And according to ESPN Research, this is the first season that Purdue reached 100 points in multiple Big Ten games since 1974-75.
Next seven days: at Illinois (March 7), Big Ten tournament
14. Clemson Tigers (25-5)
Previous ranking: 16
Since scoring 22 points in an upset win over Duke in early February, senior big man Viktor Lakhin has taken his game to another level. He has reached double figures in six of his past seven games, including Wednesday's 11-point, 13-rebound effort at Boston College. Over those seven games, Lakhin is averaging 16.0 points and 7.1 rebounds after putting up 10.1 points and 6.2 boards in the first 23 games of the season. He also dished out five assists in back-to-back games against Notre Dame and Virginia.
Next seven days: vs. Virginia Tech (March 8), ACC tournament
15. Texas A&M Aggies (21-9)
Previous ranking: 15
Texas A&M thoroughly dominated Auburn on Tuesday, leading wire-to-wire -- not a bad way to end a four-game losing streak. The Aggies scored the first seven points of the game and never really let the top-ranked Tigers get to within striking distance in the second half. The biggest difference between Tuesday's win and the preceding four losses? Offensive rebounding. The best offensive rebounding team in the country, A&M grabbed 60% of its missed shots against Auburn.
Next seven days: at LSU (March 8), SEC tournament
16. Missouri Tigers (21-9)
Previous ranking: 11
Missouri has lost three of its past four since scoring 110 points and beating Alabama on Feb. 19, falling to Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Dennis Gates will not be thrilled with the way his defense is playing lately. After allowing only eight of their first 21 opponents to exceed one point per possession, the Tigers have since seen eight of their past nine opponents hit that mark. It has been even worse over the past five games, with Alabama (98 points), Arkansas (92), Vanderbilt (97) and Oklahoma (96) all having far too much success at that end of the court. Per BartTorvik.com, they are No. 240 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency in their past five games.
Next seven days: vs. Kentucky (March 8), SEC tournament
17. Kentucky Wildcats (20-10)
Previous ranking: 14
Kentucky has dealt with injuries, but Jaxson Robinson being ruled out for the season because of a wrist injury is going to be difficult for Mark Pope. He has a ready-made replacement from a shooting perspective in Koby Brea, but Brea can't initiate offense or make plays with the ball in his hands the way Robinson can. He is one of the elite shooters in college basketball, though, and had 21 points and four 3s against Auburn over the weekend.
Freshman Collin Chandler's contributions after going for 11 points and four assists off the bench against LSU will be something to monitor moving forward.
Next seven days: at Missouri (March 8), SEC tournament
18. BYU Cougars (22-8)
Previous ranking: 25
Another week, another statement win for the Cougars. BYU went into Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday and knocked off a full-strength Iowa State team in double overtime for its seventh straight win -- a stretch that also includes road wins at West Virginia, Arizona and Arizona State. Over the seven-game winning streak, Kevin Young's team has the No. 2 adjusted efficiency margin at BartTorvik.com, behind only Duke and its historically dominant winning streak.
The Cougars are legitimately playing as well as any team in college basketball right now.
Next seven days: vs. Utah (March 8), Big 12 tournament
19. Saint Mary's Gaels (27-4)
Previous ranking: 18
Saint Mary's won the West Coast Conference's regular-season title by an eye-opening three games this season, sweeping Gonzaga in the process. The Gaels are now 32-2 in league play over two seasons, with two regular-season titles and one conference tournament championship -- and could be headed for their fourth straight 5-seed on Selection Sunday if they win their second straight tourney title. Now, the big question is: Can Saint Mary's get to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010?
Next seven days: WCC tournament
20. Louisville Cardinals (24-6)
Previous ranking: 21
Louisville could enter the postseason with 19 wins in its past 20 games if it takes down Stanford on Saturday, but the best news for the Cardinals is the recent play of Terrence Edwards Jr. It shouldn't come as a surprise, given how good he was at this time last season for James Madison, but he went for a career-high 35 points in Wednesday's win over California on 7-for-11 shooting from 3-point range -- on the heels of Saturday's 23-point, seven-rebound effort against Pitt.
Next seven days: vs. Stanford (March 8), ACC tournament
21. Arizona Wildcats (20-10)
Previous ranking: 17
Arizona has had two of its five worst defensive performances of the KenPom era (since the 1997 season) in its past four games, allowing BYU to score 96 points at a 1.38 points per possession clip and Arizona State to score 100 points at a 1.36 points per possession clip. The two teams totaled only 13 turnovers and shot a combined 26-for-54 from 3. Fortunately, the Wildcats had their second-best offensive performance of the KenPom era to beat Arizona State on Tuesday, scoring 1.54 points per possession -- only three days after scoring 0.92 in a loss to Iowa State.
Next seven days: at Kansas (March 8), Big 12 tournament
22. Memphis Tigers (25-5)
Previous ranking: 22
There are very few big men in America playing as well as Dain Dainja right now. Since moving back into the starting lineup against UAB on Jan. 26, he is averaging 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds over his past 11 games, and shooting better than 67% from the field. Dainja has tallied four double-doubles over this stretch, including three straight in the past two weeks. He has also held his own against UAB star big man Yaxel Lendeborg in two games, averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds to Lendeborg's 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
Next seven days: vs. South Florida (March 7), AAC tournament
23. Michigan Wolverines (22-8)
Previous ranking: 13
Michigan's Big Ten title hopes have just about slipped away with its third loss in five games Wednesday -- and all three defeats coming at home. Dusty May's team needs Iowa to upset Michigan State on Thursday, then would have to go into East Lansing on Sunday and knock off the Spartans to earn a share of the regular-season title.
Though the Wolverines' defense has slipped some in the recent five-game stretch, the offense has fallen off a cliff. Michigan is ranked No. 205 in adjusted offensive efficiency over that span, per BartTorvik.com, shooting 24.3% from 3 and turning the ball over on 20% of its possessions.
Next seven days: at Michigan State (March 9), Big Ten tournament
24. Oregon Ducks (22-8)
Previous ranking: Unranked
Oregon is finishing the regular season the same way it started, with the Ducks winning their sixth game in a row Tuesday against Indiana. The Ducks won their first nine games of the season, then went 7-8 (including five straight losses). Dana Altman's team has always had a résumé much stronger than its poll ranking thanks to a slew of Quad 1 and 2 wins headlined by Alabama, Texas A&M, Maryland and Wisconsin, with three of those coming away from home.
Next seven days: at Washington (March 9), Big Ten tournament
25. Illinois Fighting Illini (19-11)
Previous ranking: Unranked
We're back in on the Illini. If they can remain at full strength, and half the roster isn't dealing with some sort of injury or illness, Brad Underwood's team could still have a chance to do some damage in the NCAA tournament. It feels dicey, given Illinois lost by a combined 78 points over three games in an eight-day stretch late last month. But it also just beat Michigan by 20 on the road, making 14 3-pointers.
Illinois' postseason fate is going to be determined by its perimeter shooting -- the Illini rank last in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage despite ranking second in 3-point attempt rate.
Next seven days: vs. Purdue (March 7), Big Ten tournament
Dropped out: Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 23), Marquette Golden Eagles (No. 24)