College basketball rankings: Multiple ranked upsets bring drastic changes to CBS Sports Top 25 and 1

With only a couple of weeks left in the college basketball season, there does appear to be a group of teams at the top of the sport now. Those teams have earned their reputations to this point in the season, but it also makes their upsets that much more important. With that, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has updated his college basketball Top 25 And 1 Rankings to reflect the most recent games.

These more recent rankings are coming in the midweek after a crazy Tuesday night slate in college basketball. That included multiple upsets that led to these rankings getting shaken up again, including adding a new team to the Top 10.

Keeping all of that in mind, here’s a look into how Parrish ranks the top end teams in college basketball this season.

1. Auburn

Previous ranking: 1
The Auburn Tigers remain atop CBS’ Top 25 And 1 rankings for college basketball. That’s not a surprise as the good times have continued to roll for the Tigers, as they’re now on a two-game winning streak after Florida gave them their only SEC loss this season. That includes beating rival Alabama in an incredibly important game last weekend.

With six regular season games remaining for Auburn, the Tigers hold a one-game lead over the Crimson Tide and a two-game lead over the Gators in the current conference standings. So, the Tigers are looking to hold on at this point and continue to build their resume for March. That starts on Wednesday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

2. Alabama

Previous ranking: 2
Going into last weekend, Alabama had a chance to make a move in the SEC standings and knock off Auburn, but they came up short. It was a tough loss, but not one that is going to ruin the Crimson Tide’s season. This is still one of the best college basketball teams in the country who appears to be in line for a top-tier seed this March.

Alabama is back in action Wednesday against the Missouri Tigers, looking to bounce back from that loss to Auburn. It’s their first opportunity to do so, and the key is going to be to not let Auburn beat them twice, and find a way to focus on playing a very good Missouri team that is capable of pulling off the upset.

3. Florida

Previous ranking: 3
The Florida Gators are still third in the SEC standings and third in the Top 25 And 1 rankings from CBS. After beating Oklahoma by 22 points on Tuesday, Florida is now on a five-game winning streak since dropping a tough game on the road against Tennessee. In that time, they’ve beaten two ranked opponents, including Auburn.

With five games remaining and sitting two games behind Auburn in the standings, it is going to be difficult to catch up to the Tigers in the SEC standings. Of course, it’s not impossible. It’s going to take Florida being nearly perfect with their final three games coming against teams appearing in the Top 25 And 1 rankings, including Alabama. First, however, the Gators will need to survive a road trip to the LSU Tigers.

4. Duke

Previous ranking: 4
Duke is the top-ranked team in the Top 25 And 1 to not come from the SEC. Instead, the Blue Devils are sitting atop the ACC at 23-3 overall and 15-1 in conference play. Their most recent game was on Monday when they beat Virginia by a comfortable 18 points. It was their third win in a row since being upset by the Clemson Tigers.

Next, Duke has an interesting late-season non-conference game against Illinois. After that, they’ll be returning to ACC play for four final games. So, the ACC regular season race hasn’t been entirely secured yet. At the same time, it’s hard not to admit that Duke is in the driver’s seat and is once again one of the best teams in all of college basketball.

5. Houston

Previous ranking: 5
The Houston Cougars headline the Big 12 at this point in the season, which is still one of the best conferences in college basketball. Houston’s last game was on Tuesday against Arizona State. A comfortable 15-point win, the Cougars have now won five games in a row.

At 22-4 overall and 14-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming to Texas Tech, Houston appears to be in control of the Big 12. Second place Arizona is two games behind the Cougars and there are only five games remaining. At the same time, it’s going to be a difficult stretch for Houston, playing Iowa State and Texas Tech in its next couple of games, so the Cougars need to be on their game.

6. Tennessee

Previous ranking: 6
The Tennessee Volunteers are the next SEC team up. After a bit of a gap, it’s clear that CBS views the Volunteers as a slight step behind the top three teams in the conference at this point. At the same time as that, Tennessee has also proven it’s capable of beating anyone this season. The Volunteers haven’t played since Saturday now when they beat the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Coming up next is a very interesting road test against the Texas A&M Aggies. Another one of the top teams not just in the SEC but all of college basketball, the Aggies are looking to prove themselves in a lot of ways. So, the Volunteers need to be ready. Making a run for the SEC regular season crown is likely out of reach, but getting into position for the postseason is key.

7. Wisconsin

Previous ranking: 9
The Wisconsin Badgers are quickly rising in the Top 25 And 1 rankings. That’s on the back of a five-game winning streak, including some big wins. The most recent of those was against Illinois, who is a well respected team, but the Badgers disposed of relatively easily in a 95-74 final in a game where the Illini were battling illness.

Notably, despite being the top-rated Big Ten team in these rankings, the Badgers are trailing in the standings at this point. Both of the schools from the state of Michigan are still ahead of the Badgers. That’s in a conference where six different teams have at least 10 conference wins. So, it’s a tight race with just five games left.

8. Iowa State

Previous ranking: 8
Next up in the Top 25 And 1, CBS returned to the Big 12 with the Iowa State Cyclones. Winners of four games in a row, the Cyclones are trying to make a push late in the season for the top of the conference standings. Most recently, Iowa State took care of business in a 14-point victory over the Colorado Buffaloes.

The Iowa State Cyclones are now three games behind Houston with five regular season games remaining. To catch them, Iowa State would need to be nearly perfect while the Cougars would need to struggle. That makes their next game, head-to-head against one another, that much more important. A win would potentially make the race interesting for Iowa State.

9. Texas A&M

Previous ranking: 7
The Texas A&M Aggies are still in the Top 10 of the Top 25 And 1. That’s despite suffering a loss against Mississippi State on Tuesday. Still, the 16-point loss did force the Aggies to slip backwards in these rankings, perhaps unsurprisingly. At the same time, they’re still here for their overall excellent body of work this season.

Now sitting at 9-4 in SEC games and fourth place in the conference standings, it’s going to be hard to compete to win the conference in the regular season at this point. Still, the Aggies are in a good spot to earn a high-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Next, the Aggies will host the Tennessee Volunteers, looking to avoid a second straight loss.

10. St. John’s

Previous ranking: 11
Rick Pitino is one of the best college basketball coaches for a reason. St. John’s has caught a lot of people by surprise. Now, they’ve cracked CBS’ Top 25 And 1 out of the Big East, meaning five conferences are represented in the Top 10 at this point. St. John’s was able to do that on the back of wins in 11 of their last 12 games, including against Creighton last Sunday.

At 13-2 in Big East play, St. John’s has a slight cushion in the Big East standings ahead of Marquette, Creighton, and UConn. It’s a two game cushion in total with five games left, so nothing is won yet in the regular season. That final run of games begins Wednesday night against DePaul in another conference matchup.

11. Michigan State
12. Marquette
13. Michigan
14. Purdue
15. Mississippi State
16. Texas Tech
17. Kentucky
18. Ole Miss
19. Arizona
20. Missouri
21. Creighton
22. Louisville
23. Maryland
24. Memphis
25. Clemson
26. Saint Mary’s