Louisville claims top spot in latest NCAA Power Rankings

Feast Week delivered in a huge way—in matchups and storylines. It brought upsets and big wins for multiple teams. One team went from unranked to the top five, while another team became the second top-ranked program to fall to an unranked mid-major squad in less than a month. We will sift through the carnage and bring you the 10 best teams after a full month of college hoops.

1. Louisville (8-0)

The Cardinals finally have their big win, as they defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 58-43, Tuesday night. Jordan Nwora continued his All-American level of play, with 22 points and 12 rebounds on the night, as they held Michigan to just 26% shooting from the floor.

The Cardinals will get another shot at a big win in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday, when they take on Texas Tech, but a rare December conference game with Pitt is up next.

This week: Pitt

2. Michigan (7-1)

A jet-lag-fueled loss to Louisville is not enough to keep us from putting Michigan near the top of the list this week. The Wolverines opened eyes in the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they defeated North Carolina by nine points before demolished Gonzaga by 18 in the final.

Zavier Simpson averaged 10 points and 10.6 assists during the three tournament games, and is shooting a career-high 55.7% from the floor this season. A three-point percentage of 39.7% has Michigan flying, and the Wolverines showed they are a force to be reckoned with.

This week: Iowa

3. Ohio State (7-0)

At least Michigan is beating Ohio State at something! The Buckeyes will face a big test Wednesday, when travel to Chapel Hill for their first road game of the season against North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Buckeyes have only faced one tough opponent this season, but they defeated Villanova by 15 and have looked dominant in their other wins. They will need to continue to dominate the glass against the Tar Heels, and Kaleb Wesson will be tested in this game. He has yet to score more than 17 points in a game this season, and his team might need more from him in this matchup.

This week: North Carolina, Penn State

4. Maryland (8-0)

The Terrapins went to Orlando and defeated Temple, Harvard and Marquette last week. While none of those names are sexy, they should all be playing in the NCAA Tournament come March. Maryland now sits at 8-0 and begins conference play this week but will first take on Notre Dame on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith continue to cause teams fits, as the inside-out duo is averaging more than 30 points per game, but Aaron Wiggins is becoming a reliable third option, as he averaged 11 points and six rebounds in the tournament.

This week: Notre Dame, Illinois

5. Virginia (7-0)

It might not be attractive basketball, but Virginia knows how to slow games down and prevent the other team from scoring. The Cavs rank near the bottom in college basketball with 55.1 points per game, but they are still winning by an average of 15 points, as they rank tops in the land at 40.3 points allowed per game. Those numbers will be tested this week, as they travel to Purdue for the ACC/Big Ten, then face the Tar Heels on Sunday to open conference play.

This week: Purdue, North Carolina 

6. Kansas (6-1)

Devon Dotson continues to surge after a slow start to the season, and his 31 points led Kansas to an overtime victory against Dayton in the Maui Invitational final.

The Jayhawks have only the one loss to Duke on their résumé, but prior to their win over Dayton, they mostly feasted on cupcakes. Kansas will get two chances to add to that résumé over the next three weeks, as Colorado visits town this week and a trip to Villanova is on the horizon. If neither team can stop Udoka Azubuike, who is averaging an obscene 79.7% shooting from the floor, Kansas may find themselves moving even higher up this list.

This week: #20 Colorado

7. Duke (8-1)

What’s the best way to rebound from an embarrassing loss to an unranked mid-major? Win your next two games by double digits, including a victory over ranked Michigan State. The Blue Devils overcame the loss of Cassius Stanley and dominated the Spartans on Tuesday night, behind Vernon Carey’s 26 point, 11 rebound performance.

Duke shot 7-for-15 from three-point range in the win, which helped offset the loss of Carey, and the Blue Devils now rank 14th in the nation in points per game. They open conference play this week at Virginia Tech but won’t play another game until a December 19 date with Wofford.

This week: Virginia Tech

8. North Carolina

It wasn’t a bad trip to the Bahamas for the Tar Heels, but they suffered their first loss of the season to Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal. They rebounded the next game with a 78-74 win over a ranked Oregon squad, thanks to Cole Anthony’s heroics in the final minute of the game.

It was the performance of Armando Bacot, though, that opened eyes during the tournament. He averaged nearly 13 points and 11 rebounds over the three games, including 23 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks against the Ducks.

If he can consistently provide those numbers to help out Anthony and Garrison Brooks, North Carolina could take its game to the next level. It will be needed, because the Tar Heels face two more top-10 teams in the next five days.

This week: Ohio State, Virginia

9. Kentucky (6-1)

Nick Richards continues to show he has finally taken the step forward that every Kentucky fan hoped he would over his sophomore season, but it was EJ Montgomery who opened eyes in Kentucky's 69-58 win over UAB. The sophomore big man scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds, in a performance that showed why he was one of the top-rated frontcourt recruits in the nation out of high school.

Richards was in foul trouble much of the second half, but added another 16 points and nine rebounds, and Ashton Hagans tied a career high with 12 assists on the night. The Wildcats have one more warm-up game before they hit the meat of their non-conference schedule, which includes back-to-back games against Ohio State and Louisville to end the calendar year.

This week: Fairleigh Dickinson 

10. Dayton (6-1)

Our second mid-major of the season replaces Gonzaga in the rankings this week, after an impressive run through the Maui Invitational that saw them beat Georgia and Virginia Tech, before an overtime loss to Kansas in the final.

The Flyers are paced by Obi Toppin, who is averaging 22.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Dayton is shooting 38.5% from three-point range and put up points in bunches. The Flyers have scored at least 86 points in six of their seven games this year.

This week: St. Mary's

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Who will be the movers and shakers in college basketball this week? Check out all the matchups at BetAmerica!