College Basketball Power Rankings: UCLA, Pac-12 make statement

John Fanta

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

Saturday provided the goods in college basketball, with five games between ranked opponents highlighting a full slate. While there are countless takeaways from the weekend, here is the one at the top of my mind: The Pac-12 made a statement, and the conference has multiple Final Four-caliber squads.

Nobody had a better week in college basketball than UCLA, which went into College Park and beat Maryland by 27, then followed that by shutting down Kentucky at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, 63-53. The Bruins took a hit on the national radar when they went 0-2 in the Main Event in Las Vegas, but this past week showed just how much a Mick Cronin team progresses.

We knew Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell would be constants for UCLA, but 6-foot-5 junior Jaylen Clark has taken the biggest leap in Westwood. Averaging just 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, he’s up to 15.5 points and 6.3 boards on the season after combining for 34 points and 14 rebounds in the wins over the Terps and the Wildcats. UCLA has different ways to beat a defense, and Clark’s emergence has been pivotal.

While UCLA had the best week, Arizona played in perhaps the best game of the weekend. In a matchup between the top KenPom offense of the Wildcats versus the top KenPom defense of Tennessee, Arizona had the last word in a 75-70 victory at a sold–out McKale Center.

We are not talking about Azuolas Tubelis enough. The 6-foot-11 Lithuanian has hit a different gear in his junior year, going for 19 points and nine rebounds against a potent Tennessee front line. Tubelis is averaging 20.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, packaging with his classmate Oumar Ballo to make up the best frontcourt duo in the country. Ballo, the 7-footer from Mali, had 18 points and eight rebounds in the win over Tennessee on Saturday night.

The Vols looked great on Saturday night, opening up a seven-point lead 13 minutes into the game. Zakai Zeigler put up a career-high 21 points and was a real handful for the Wildcats, while Olivier Nkamhoua was impressive in how hard he fought on the interior.

But even on a night when Tennessee was within one point of the lead with three minutes left, Arizona found a way to be better. Junior Pelle Larsson came up clutch for the Cats to close the deal, totaling 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Here’s what you need to know about the Wildcats: they have four wins over top-25 opponents this season and have won 25 straight home games. In the Tommy Lloyd era, Arizona is 43-5. National title? They’re dreaming of one in Tucson, and it’s valid.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, USC took down No. 19 Auburn on Sunday behind Boogie Ellis‘ 28 points, and Arizona State, one of the nation’s biggest surprises, moved to 11-1 with a win over San Diego.

The Pac-12 has a seat at college basketball’s big boys’ table because it has two teams that are fully capable of cutting down the nets.

With that, here’s a fresh top-15 poll:

1. UConn (12-0)

The Huskies are 12-0 for the first time since Richard Hamilton was leading the way in 1998-99, the year the program won its first national championship. Adama Sanogo powered Connecticut with 27 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s 68-46 win over Butler. Up next: Home against Georgetown on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

2. Arizona (10-1)

The Wildcats moved up in my poll despite Purdue not taking a loss because that’s how highly I thought of the game between Arizona and Tennessee on Saturday night, and how hard the Volunteers made the Wildcats work to score. That said, Lloyd has twin towers to work with in Tubelis and Ballo, and a really intriguing guard duo in Larsson and Courtney Ramey.

3. Houston (11-1)

In a battle of two of the toughest teams in the country on Saturday between the Cougars and Virginia, Kelvin Sampson’s group was the tougher team, pulling away to beat the Cavs 69-61. Five-star freshman Jarace Walker went for 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win. He’s been exceptional, and the Cougars re-asserted themselves as a title contender a week removed from a home loss to Alabama.

4. Purdue (11-0)

The Boilermakers lead the country with 22 consecutive regular-season non-conference victories. Zach Edey, Caleb Furst and Braden Smith all notched double-doubles in the win over Davidson over the weekend. Purdue is 11-0 for the seventh time in the 125-year history of the program.

5. Kansas (10-1)

The Jayhawks have won their last three games over Seton Hall, Missouri and Indiana by an average of 25.3 points. Kansas rolled by Indiana on Saturday 84-62 inside Allen Fieldhouse, and five-star freshman Gradey Dick showed again why he’s one of the best first-year players in college basketball, going for 20 points while shooting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

6. Alabama (9-2)

No, I’m not going to jump ship on the Crimson Tide even after a 100-90 loss to Gonzaga (more to come on the Zags) on Saturday. Brandon Miller is the best freshman and one of the three best players in the country at the moment. His line against Gonzaga: 36 points, 12-for-22 from the floor and six rebounds.

7. Tennessee (9-2)

The Volunteers did about as much as a team could to bolster its reputation in a losing effort. Tennessee’s toughness showed in a very difficult road atmosphere at Arizona, and on a night where Santiago Vescovi, Tyreke Key and Julian Phillips shot a combined 5-for-27 from the floor, Rick Barnes’ team still found a way to be in the game late. If the Vols could find a consistent rhythm from beyond the arc, there would not be anything that they can’t do.

8. Virginia (8-1)

Will the Cavaliers be able to find more of a rhythm off the loss to Houston? Another challenge comes Tuesday night with a trip to Miami and the Hurricanes’ top-15 offense. Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman will be looking to bounce back after the duo shot just 3-for-13 against the Cougars. Tony Bennett’s team should be more than alright.

9. Duke (10-2)

Kyle Filipowski has been a dream of a freshman for Jon Scheyer, going for six double-doubles in his first 12 games. Duke’s 10-day layoff due to finals week ends Tuesday night with a trip to Winston-Salem to visit Wake Forest.

10. Arkansas (10-1)

Jordan Walsh’s defense and athleticism are ridiculous, and on Saturday against Bradley the five-star freshman put up 18 points on 7-for-7 from the field in the Hogs’ 76-57 victory.

11. UCLA (10-2)

When you notch a pair of top-20 victories away from Westwood in the same week, that’s more than worthy of a Top-10 nod in the poll. Jaquez Jr. drives the bus for the Bruins, going for 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in the 10-point win over Kentucky on Saturday.

12. Gonzaga (9-3)

Mark Few scheduled such a tough slate, and those challenges have made the Zags a better team through the first six weeks of the season. The big development in Saturday’s win over Alabama was Nolan Hickman. In 28 minutes, the sophomore point guard went for 13 points to go along with four assists and no turnovers.

13. Texas (9-1)

Credit to the Longhorn players for dealing with the shocking story of their head coach, Chris Beard, getting arrested and hit with a family assault charge. Associate head coach Rodney Terry has filled in and led Texas to a 2-0 week, including Sunday’s 72-62 win over Stanford. The Horns had a trio going against the Cardinal, with Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen and Tyrese Hunter combining for 40 points and 15 assists in the win.

14. Baylor (8-2)

The Bears won a grind-it-out game over Washington State on Sunday night, 65-59. In Keyonte George’s latest display of greatness, the highly-touted freshman dominated the Cougars with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.

15. Mississippi State (11-0)

After winning the WAC Tournament and shocking college basketball with a first-round upset win over UConn in the NCAA Tournament last season, then New Mexico State head coach Chris Jans rode momentum right onto the coaching carousel. Now in Starkville, Jans has led the Bulldogs to an 11-0 start for just the fourth time in program history. Mississippi State is the only unbeaten left in the SEC, and get this stat: Jans is joined by Kentucky’s John Calipari (19-0, 2009-10) as the only two SEC coaches during the shot clock era since 1985-86 to start their first seasons with at least 11 straight victories. The star? 6-foot-11 senior Tolu Smith, who’s averaging 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Nobody could have seen this coming from the Bulldogs. They are legit, and really tough defensively.

Games to Watch This Week:

Tuesday:

6:30 p.m. ET, FS1: Georgetown at UConn
6:30 p.m. ET: Duke at Wake Forest
8:30 p.m. ET, FS1: Seton Hall at Xavier
8:30 p.m. ET: Virginia at Miami
9 p.m. ET: Florida at Oklahoma

Wednesday:

6:30 p.m. ET, FS1: St. John’s at Villanova
7 p.m. ET: Michigan vs. North Carolina (Game in Charlotte)
9 p.m. ET: TCU at Utah
11 p.m. ET: Colorado State at USC

Christmas Day Hoops on FOX:

Saturday, 4:30 ET (following Packers at Dolphins): DePaul at Creighton

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John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.