NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Kansas captures top spot, ASU rising

This week’s NCAA basketball power rankings showcase Kansas moving back to the top spot. Arizona State and ETSU join the rankings as well.

The NCAA basketball regular season is drawing to a close and it remains impossible to figure out who the best teams in the country truly are. During this past week alone, many of the top teams suffered unexpected losses to drop down the rankings. Gonzaga (to BYU) and San Diego State (to UNLV) were the most notable losers as they were two of the most scrutinized teams in the country all season long but the likes of Duke and Penn State also suffered losses to unranked opponents.

The headlining game of the week, though, took place in Waco, TX. This meeting between Kansas and Baylor took center stage and it did not disappoint. It was an early start (12 pm ET) but it set the tone for a tremendous day of college hoops. By the time the final buzzer sounded, it was the Jayhawks that took the road victory to exact revenge on their loss to the Bears earlier in the season.

Many predicted that the winner of that Big 12 matchup would be deemed the No. 1 team in the country and that holds true with regard to my power rankings this week. Kansas usurping the top spot was not the only major shift in the rankings. There was a ton of movement all the way through the rankings and a few new teams also joined at the back-end.

Arizona State and East Tennessee State were among my newcomers as they fit the parameters of these power rankings. Not many people would think the Sun Devils or Buccaneers to be Top 25 teams in the country but these rankings emphasize recent performances a bit.

Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into this week’s edition of my NCAA Basketball Power Rankings.