Jeff BorzelloDec 4, 2025, 08:00 AM ETCloseJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.Follow on X
play1:04Mullins’ breakout performance lifts UConn over KUMullins’ breakout performance lifts UConn over KU
play1:18Cameron Boozer leads Duke to victoryJeff Borzello recaps Duke’s win over Florida and Cameron Boozer’s performance.
play1:19Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game HighlightsClemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
play0:51Tar Heels get statement win over KentuckyJeff Borzello recaps the blue-blood matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky.
play1:12Highlight: No. 25 Arkansas fends off No. 6 Louisville in ACC/SEC ChallengeTrevon Brazile puts up 21 points and snags five rebounds while Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas pour in 17 each in the Razorbacks’ 88-80 victory over the Cardinals.
play1:18NC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game HighlightsNC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game Highlights
play1:19Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game HighlightsWyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game Highlights
Cameron Boozer leads Duke to victoryJeff Borzello recaps Duke’s win over Florida and Cameron Boozer’s performance.
Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game HighlightsClemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
Tar Heels get statement win over KentuckyJeff Borzello recaps the blue-blood matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky.
Highlight: No. 25 Arkansas fends off No. 6 Louisville in ACC/SEC ChallengeTrevon Brazile puts up 21 points and snags five rebounds while Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas pour in 17 each in the Razorbacks’ 88-80 victory over the Cardinals.
Trevon Brazile puts up 21 points and snags five rebounds while Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas pour in 17 each in the Razorbacks’ 88-80 victory over the Cardinals.
NC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game HighlightsNC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game Highlights
Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game HighlightsWyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game Highlights
It’s been a revolving door at No. 1 the past couple of weeks. Purdue opened the 2025-26 season in the top spot but got replaced by Arizona after the Wildcats won at UConn in mid-November — arguably the single most impressive victory of the season thus far. If not for a Power Rankings hiatus for Thanksgiving, the Boilermakers would have taken the No. 1 spot back just a couple days later when they blew out Texas Tech in the Bahamas.
Instead of a debate between the Wildcats and Boilermakers, though, a third team emerged during Feast Week — and ultimately jumped both teams to rise to No. 1.
Michigan’s performance at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas was perhaps the best Feast Week run we’ve ever seen. Three wins over potential NCAA tournament teams — San Diego State, Auburn and Gonzaga, the last of which looked like a No. 1 candidate before the loss — by a combined 110 points. The Wolverines rose to No. 1 in nearly every metric, from KenPom to Bart Torvik to the NET.
Dusty May has the best defense in the country and a team that’s huge, deep, old and can win playing different ways. Entering the second quarter of the regular season, Michigan is the national title favorite — and No. 1 this week.
Next seven days: vs. East Texas A&M (Dec. 5), vs. Florida in the Jimmy V Classic in New York (Dec. 9)
Mullins’ breakout performance lifts UConn over KUMullins’ breakout performance lifts UConn over KU
Jeff Borzello recaps Duke’s win over Florida and Cameron Boozer’s performance.
Coach Kevin Young has singled out Robert Wright III as the primary reason for BYU’s improved play over the past couple of weeks. The Baylor transfer was at it again against California Baptist on Wednesday night, finishing with 15 points, 11 assists, three steals and just one turnover, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Over his past four games, Wright is averaging 16.3 points, 8.0 assists, 2.3 steals and shooting 9-for-15 from 3-point range — while turning it over just eight times.
Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
Clemson Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
Jeff Borzello recaps the blue-blood matchup between North Carolina and Kentucky.
Highlight: No. 25 Arkansas fends off No. 6 Louisville in ACC/SEC Challenge
NC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game Highlights
NC State Wolfpack vs. Auburn Tigers: Game Highlights
Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game Highlights
Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Game Highlights
Another new addition to the rankings, the Cornhuskers actually own the nation’s longest win streak dating back to last season, winning four games to take the inaugural College Basketball Crown and then ripping off eight straight to open this 2025-26 campaign. The victory over Oklahoma looks better, too, after the Sooners won at Wake Forest. Rienk Mast has been awesome after missing all of last season with a knee injury; he’s averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Dropped out: UCLA Bruins (No. 20), Wisconsin Badgers (No. 21), NC State Wolfpack (No. 22), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 24), Georgetown Hoyas (No. 25)
Saturday’s matchup against Iowa State will feature the nation’s best offense against one of the nation’s elite defenses. The Cyclones thrive off defensive pressure, forcing turnovers at a higher clip than anyone in college basketball. Braden Smith should be up to the task, although a head-to-head matchup between Smith and Tamin Lipsey — should the latter play, having missed three straight games with a lower-body injury and likely a game-time decision — could be special. Don’t ignore Trey Kaufman-Renn vs. Joshua Jefferson, two of the best power forwards in the country, either.
Can Arizona continue to win at a high level while still shooting — or not shooting — the way it does? The Wildcats have made just two 3s in three of the first seven games, including the wins over Florida and UConn. Through one month, they rank 359th in 3-point attempt rate (26.8%), even though they’re making triples at a 37.2% clip. For some historical context, only seven NCAA tournament teams ranked in the bottom 50 in 3-point attempts last season, including Michigan State and St. John’s. Two seasons ago, nine tournament teams ranked in the bottom 50, but none advanced to the second weekend.
We’ve still yet to see a fully healthy UConn, but the version we’ve gotten through the first month of the season is good enough to compete for a third title in four years. Braylon Mullins made his debut against Illinois last week and didn’t take long to show why the Huskies have been so eager to get him on the floor. He was a key catalyst in the win at Kansas, finishing with 17 points and three 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Tarris Reed Jr. returned against the Illini but played only 15 minutes, then sat against Kansas. Freshman Eric Reibe has provided a huge lift in Reed’s absence, averaging 12.8 points and 6.3 boards over the past four games.
Cameron Boozer continues to establish himself as the most productive player in college basketball, and the front-runner for both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year. After a couple of “down” games against Kansas and Niagara, his past three games, against Howard, Arkansas and Florida, have resulted in averages of 30.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, shooting nearly 65% from the field and 44% from 3. Boozer’s 90 points in three games is the most by a Duke player in a three-game span since JJ Redick in 2006 and the most by a Duke freshman in program history, according to ESPN Research.
The consistent dominance with which Michigan State is playing right now is incredibly impressive. The Spartans have scored between 1.21 and 1.24 points per possession in four straight games, and they’ve yet to allow a single opponent to reach 1.00 points per possession. Jeremy Fears Jr. is also playing the best basketball of his career, leading the nation in assists and becoming a more reliable threat as a scorer. He has hit double figures in scoring five times so far this season, including 19 points against North Carolina and 14 points against Iowa.
Joshua Jefferson has quietly played himself into the National Player of the Year discussion, averaging career highs — 18.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists — across the board. What makes his season even more impressive, though, is how much his game has developed over the course of his career. The 6-foot-9 senior has become one of the elite playmaking bigs in the country, dishing out 10 assists in each of his past two games. This is a player who had 76 assists total in 60 games at Saint Mary’s. If Iowa State is without Lipsey against Purdue, Jefferson will again be the offensive fulcrum.
Gonzaga looked like one of the elite teams in college basketball prior to its 40-point loss to Michigan in the Players Era title game. Despite the lopsided defeat, the Zags are still likely in that conversation. Mark Few made a lineup change after the first four games of the season, inserting Mario Saint-Supery at the point guard spot and Tyon Grant-Foster on the wing. According to BartTorvik.com, Gonzaga was No. 52 in offense and No. 2 in defense in its first four games; that has flipped to No. 25 in offense and No. 45 in defense since the lineup change. If you remove the Michigan game, it’s No. 3 on offense and No. 23 on defense.
We’re still waiting for Nate Oats to have his full allotment of players, but the Crimson Tide continue to find impactful players on their bench. Aden Holloway was the latest addition to the injury report Wednesday, joining Latrell Wrightsell and Keitenn Bristow. And while Miami transfer Jalil Bethea made his debut against Clemson, it was freshmen Amari Allen and London Jemison and sophomore big man Aiden Sherrell who stepped up against the Tigers. Allen had his fourth straight double-figure scoring game and first career double-double; Jemison scored in double figures for his third straight game; and Sherrell posted 10 boards and eight blocks.