The College Football Playoff and late-season NFL football may have stolen the weekend’s attention, but there was plenty to entertain college basketball fans as well with the New Year around the corner. Catch up on everything that went on college hoops wise, and everything you need to know as you enjoy your holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the college basketball fans out there!
1. Tennessee (11-0)
It’s hard to argue with Tennessee atop this list especially after another dominant victory on Tuesday when it held Western Carolina to just 36 points. There’s a lot to love in Knoxville with the top-ranked Vols.
2. Auburn (11-1)
The Tigers avoided a scare with a potential injury to Johni Broome and dominated with him back in the lineup against Purdue on Saturday. The star senior scored 23 and pulled down 11 rebounds against the Boilermakers as Auburn improved to 11-1 with yet another ranked win.
3. Iowa State (10-1)
They were essentially idle this week with just one game against Morgan State on Sunday and the Cyclones picked up an easy win to stay in the top three of our rankings. It’s a place they’ll likely stay with an actual idle week coming up around Christmas.
4. Kansas (9-2)
The Jayhawks have looked sharp since a two-loss week in the Midwest to begin December. With a number of big wins to start the year, Kansas is still one of the teams to keep an eye on as March approaches.
5. Duke (10-2)
Two tight losses to two blue bloods are the only blemishes on Duke’s resume and the young team is only getting better and more experienced as the season goes on. Look out for the Blue Devils as the clear favorite in the ACC.
6. Florida (12-0)
No one can seem to stop the Gators who will almost certainly enter 2025 with a perfect record after knocking off UNC in a thriller on Tuesday night in Charlotte. The new year will bring new challenges though, including Kentucky and Tennessee as the first conference opponents on the schedule.
7. Alabama (10-2)
The Crimson Tide received a well-deserved break from top competition this week, or so they thought, before North Dakota gave them all they could handle Wednesday night. Alabama survived and are all the better for facing such a tough challenge in a unique road environment.
8. Oklahoma (12-0)
An improbable comeback, spearheaded by Jeremiah Fears’ 4-point play, prolonged Oklahoma’s undefeated season for at least another week as the Sooners knocked off Michigan. Porter Moser has some Loyola-Chicago magic on full display in Norman this year and a stud freshman in Fears to lead the way.
9. Marquette (11-2)
Winning on the road in the Big East is never easy, but Marquette was able to get it done Saturday afternoon against a talented Xavier squad. That’s the makeup of a great team and the Golden Eagles are certainly one of them heading into Christmas.
10. Oregon (11-1)
The early season wins for the Ducks continue to look better and better as Texas A&M, San Diego State and Alabama keep winning. Dana Altman has turned things around once again and has Oregon looking like a dangerous Big Ten contender in its first season.
11. Michigan State (10-2)
The Spartans could challenge those Ducks in the conference and seem like as good of a team as any to take the Big Ten crown. Tom Izzo shook things up this offseason and it seems to be working with his team at 10 wins already after defeating FAU over the weekend.
12. Kentucky (10-2)
A shocking blowout loss to Ohio State was the first disappointment of the season under Mark Pope, excluding an understandable road loss to Clemson a few weeks ago. Kentucky will have little time to shake it off with undefeated Florida coming to town following its final non-conference game of the year against Brown on Tuesday.
13. San Diego State (8-2)
A mid-major dismantling a Power Four opponent would typically be a big deal, but San Diego State has proven itself to be much more than a normal mid-major. The Aztecs crushed Cal on Saturday and will take an 8-2 record into the heart of conference play coming up.
14. Houston (8-3)
The Cougars are quietly starting to figure things out and will have a week off to rest and improve some more after two more wins this week. We’ll learn even more with Big 12 play opening up just before the new year, but until then, Houston can enjoy its holiday with lots of optimism.
15. UConn (10-3)
A nightmare in Maui is well in the rearview as UConn has won its last six games against some impressive opponents. The latest were two thrillers in Big East play as the Huskies took down Xavier and Butler to keep things rolling heading into 2025.
16. Texas A&M (10-2)
Another team quietly turning things around is Texas A&M who are 10-1 with a loss to No. 10 Oregon since an opening night heartbreaker at UCF. The Aggies are yet another true contender in the SEC that should be captivating race to follow as the conference schedule heats up.
Next 5: Ole Miss, Gonzaga, Mississippi State, Maryland, UCLA
Players of the Week:
Ian Jackson, North Carolina
The Tar Heels stormed back, potentially to save their season, against UCLA behind another breakout performance from their five-star freshman. Jackson is getting more comfortable in Carolina blue and proved it with a career-high 24 points against the Bruins. We should only see more of the sensational athlete and impressive perimeter shooter as the year goes on in Chapel Hill.
Jordan Pope, Texas
Pope’s transfer to Texas hasn’t exactly gone according to plan, but that changed this week as the former Oregon State standout erupted for 42 points against New Orleans on ridiculous efficiency (15-21 FG, 8-12 3-PT). He’s now tied for the second-best output of the season, behind only Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 49-point game to open the season.
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
The CFP first round game wasn’t the only SEC whooping that Ohio State delivered on Saturday as the Buckeyes upset No. 4 Kentucky thanks to Thornton’s terrific play. The junior scored 30 on the Wildcats with big plays in big moments to help deliver one of the shockers of the season just a week after a humiliating 38-point loss to Auburn.
Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota
What a story it was to follow on Wednesday night as North Dakota pushed No. 6 Alabama to the brink in an incredible game from start to finish. Eaglestaff drilled eight triples and dropped 40 points on the Crimson Tide to introduce himself in exhilarating fashion. Go back and watch the highlights if you’re looking for some entertainment this week.
Jeremiah Fears, No. 14 Oklahoma
We mentioned Fears earlier and he deserves even more attention for a dominant display against the Wolverines. One of the top freshmen in the nation finished with 30 points and four assists, including his game-winning four-point play in the final 11 seconds to preserve Oklahoma’s undefeated season. It’s also our…
Play of the Week
It was an easy choice for the play of the week as it’s not every day, or week, that you see a four-point play, nonetheless one that keeps an undefeated season alive in a top-25 matchup. Jeremiah Fears is one of the sensations of the season and is hunting legendary status in Norman already with plays and performances like this.
Video Credit: ESPN
