CBS Sports updates Top 25 and 1 with new No. 1 after historic Tuesday night upsets
A pair of big upsets atop men’s college hoops have spurred on some changes in the CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 ranking. And there’s a new team sitting at No. 1.
Further down the ranking — assembled by CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish — there were some teams breaking into the ranking, including one responsible for one of the upsets up top. However, the middle of the pack of the rankings held steady going into the middle of another week of conference play.
Check out the full, updated Top 25 and 1 after some Tuesday night upsets.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (+2)
Kansas, by virtue of not playing on Tuesday, have moved past the pair of teams ahead of it to retake the No. 1 slot. And Parrish made a succinct argument for the Jayhawks.
One team has three wins over teams ranked in the top eight of the Top 25 And 1 and zero losses to teams ranked outside of the Top 15 of the ranking. And that team is Kansas.
2. Purdue Boilermakers (-1)
Purdue took another conference road loss on Tuesday, getting overrun by a red-hot shooting Nebraska team. As such, the Boilermakers slipped from the No. 1 ranking.
The Boilermakers get to reset at home vs. a lowly Penn State squad before going on the road for a bitter rivalry showdown with Indiana next week. Matt Painter and Co. will be hoping the road woes are resolved by then.
3. Houston Cougars (-1)
Houston finally lost in something of a welcome to the Big 12 as the Cougars went on the road and were bested by Iowa State on Tuesday. The Cougars offense went dormant in a 57-53 loss to a feisty Cyclones outfit. And as such, it was a slip from No. 2 to No. 3 for Houston in the Top 25 and 1.
Even still, Houston is likely to finish the season as a top squad. Led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars only allowed 49.8 points per game, the least in the nation, entering Tuesday. For reference, the next best team gives up nearly eight points more per contest.
4. Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee continues to handle all comers. Over the weekend, the Volunteers pummeled a then-ranked Ole Miss team, 90-64, the first loss for the Rebels.
After losing three-straight to a trio of teams in this Top 10 — Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina — in an eight-day window in December, Tennessee has been red hot. They’ll look to keep it up against Mississippi State on Wednesday evening.
5. UConn Huskies
UConn has been on a tear since losing on Dec. 20. The Huskies have won three in a row since then, all wins over Big East foes and by an average of more than 13 points.
The defending national champions have a few more winnable games before hosting a ranked Creighton squad on Jan. 17 in a big league showdown. The Huskies will hope to keep hot rolling into that contest.
6. Memphis Tigers
Memphis has won seven games in a row and thusly is holding steady at No. 6 for Parrish in the rankings. However, some recent matchups have been close.
The Tigers won the last two games by a combined six points. Enough close games and eventually the losing streak will get broken, but for now Memphis and head coach Penny Hardaway are riding high.
7. Arizona Wildcats
December wasn’t for the Wildcats, but they’ve pounced on January competition. Arizona is 2-0 in the new year with an average win margin of 33 points. The Wildcats lost three of its last five battles in December, including an unexpected 100-82 loss to Stanford on New Year’s Eve.
Even in a loss, Arizona’s offense is awe-inspiring. The Wildcats have the best offense in the country, averaging 92.6 points per game. It’s a long layoff, as Arizona next plays on the road on Saturday.
8. Kentucky Wildcats
After a close battle with Florida over the weekend, Kentucky rolled past Missouri on Tuesday to a 90-77 victory. And while things have been uneven for the young Wildcats this season, the high-level upside is readily evident.
Kentucky had five players hit double figures in scoring against the Tigers, including a trio of freshman. Some sustained elite play could see the Wildcats climb this list further.
9. Illinois Fighting Illini
On Friday, Illinois fell 83-78 to No. 1 Purdue, ending a four-game win streak for the Fighting Illini, pushing the Boilermakers to the edge. It’s been a decent layoff for the Illini since, who play on Thursday, Jan. 11, next.
The Boilermakers entered the halftime break with a 15-point lead but were quickly grasping for straws when Illinois cut its deficit to three points. But unlike the Cornhuskers, Illinois wasn’t able to pull off the upset of the top-ranked squad.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels, on a four-game win streak that includes wins over No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 16 Clemson, remain in the Top 10 of the shaken-up list.
In North Carolina’s most recent game, a 65-55 win over Clemson, center Armando Bacot amassed 14 points and 16 rebounds. The win gave North Carolina a 3-0 start in conference play, its first since the 2015-16 season. If it’s any indication, North Carolina reached the National Championship that season.
Teams No. 11 through 26
11. Oklahoma
12. Wisconsin
13. Marquette
14. Duke
15. Baylor
16. Auburn
17. San Diego State
18. Utah State
19. Iowa State (newly ranked)
20. Nevada
21. Dayton
22. Ole Miss
23. Colorado State (-4)
24. Creighton (newly ranked)
25. Texas Tech (+1)
26. Texas (newly ranked)
Michigan State (No. 20), Cincinnati (No. 24), and BYU (No. 25) fell from the Top 25 and 1 in its latest iteration.