NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Duke, and San Diego State rises in latest top 25 power rankings

Presents have been opened, Christmas dinners have been eaten, and the calendar is about to flip to 2024. The NCAA basketball universe briefly paused for the holiday season but has come roaring back later in the week and this weekend. While these teams couldn’t exactly unwrap presents to save or salvage their seasons, we’re nearing the beginning of conference play and a whole new opportunity around the country.

Just about every nonconference game has been played at this point and we’re full speed ahead, now nearly halfway through the regular season. Many important matchups have been played, surprises have been had, while other teams have achieved or underachieved based on months of preparation and expectations. Whether it be injuries, suspensions, inconsistencies, or anything else, there’s a whole lot going on in the world of this sport for the hundreds of D1 programs.

One thing that’s certain is that this season will deliver the drama. We’re starting to understand most of these teams and we’ve certainly learned a lot from some of these big-time matchups and unforgettable performances. It’s obviously the good teams that gain the national attention and those are who we’re focusing on again today, though they certainly aren’t the only ones with stories to tell.

With New Year’s upon us, let’s take our weekly look at the status of the Top 25 teams in the nation. These are clearly subjective rankings, though not much changed after this past week. After all there weren’t many games the last seven days due to Christmas, though a few teams found their way into or out of our considerations. Without further ado, let’s starting running through the teams ranked this week, knowing that there are still months ahead for plenty of changes.