Kansas jumps to No. 1 in the Power 36 men’s college basketball rankings

College football ends on Monday night. And for those who haven’t been so locked into college hoops, you’ll find an open race for Final Four favorite status.

Early leaders no. 1 seeds come from the Big Ten (Purdue), the SEC (Alabama and/or Tennessee), the Big 12 (Kansas), the American (Houston) and possibly the Pac-12 (Arizona) or the Big East (UConn). Leaving the ACC just yet would be a mistake if North Carolina is playing its best basketball of the season. And the excess of numbers 2, 3 and 4 is hard to distinguish. The good thing is that it’s only early January and there’s plenty of time on Selection Sunday to figure out who belongs where.

One team that has moved up in the rankings is Kansas State. And it’s not just because of the best story this season in Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed in December 2020 while playing at Florida but is now a star for the Wildcats. Similar to Johnson’s impact has been the senior guard Marquis Nowell. Nowell is ours March Madness National Player of the Week after scoring 32 points and dishing out 14 assists in 43 minutes in Baylor’s 97-95 overtime win. This came after he scored 36 points and dished out nine assists in a 116-103 win over Texas. The Wildcats are 3-0 in the Big 12, 14-1 overall.

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A Big 12 competitor Iowa State earned our March Madness Team of the Week after the Cyclones won at Oklahoma, 63-60, and then beat TCU in Fort Worth, 69-67 on Gabe Kalscheur’s 3-pointer. The Cyclones are now 3-0 in the Big 12, 12-2 overall.

Purdue, the nation’s No. 1 AP team, had quite the week, losing at home to Rutgers, beating Ohio State in Columbus and then beating Penn State on Sunday at the historic Palestra. And my next favorite, Arizona, was poised to take the Boilers spot before being upset by Washington State at home.

And that’s just one reason why there’s been quite a bit of variation in this week’s rankings.

College basketball rankings: The Power 36 for Week 8

Last week’s rankings in parentheses

1. Kansas (3): The reigning national champions swept Big 12 road games at Texas Tech and West Virginia and are poised to make another run at the Final Four.

eight. pic.twitter.com/fegcLMiUir

Kansas Mens Basketball (@KUHoops) January 8, 2023

2. Purdue (1): The Boilermakers had quite the week. Fletcher Loyer almost won two games for the Boilers if Cam Spencers hadn’t fired against Rutgers. Loyer beat the Buckeyes with his shot. And then on Sunday, player of the year favorite Zach Edey scored 30 points and grabbed 13 boards in a 76-63 ROAD win in a spectacular setting at the Palestra.

3. Houston (5): Houston overturned a 4-0 American victory in Cincinnati. It’s hard to see the Cougars losing more than once or twice the rest of the season.

4. UCLA (4): The Bruins came through with a win over USC, a rivalry game that will always be one of their toughest tests.

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5. Gonzaga (7): San Francisco and Santa Clara pushed the Zags in two tough road environments, but found a way to win both.

6. Tennessee (9): The Vols moved to 3-0 in the SEC and look like the best in the league

7. Alabama (10): The Tide is also 3-0 after a 26-point rout of Kentucky in Tuscaloosa.

8. Kansas State (23): The Wildcats were sensational this week with wins at Texas and Baylor. Jerome Tang is a coach of the year candidate.

Dagger over @IsmaelMassoud #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/CZv7JuyNsR

K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 8, 2023

9. Arizona (2): The Wildcats had to fall after a loss to Washington State, but I still believe in this team as a Final Four contender.

10. UConn (6): The Huskies got the best of Creighton after a brutal two-game road trip to Xavier and Providence.

11. Iowa State (22): The Cyclones took a huge leap after road games at Oklahoma and TCU.

12. Texas (8): The Longhorns were relegated after a loss to Kansas State, but interim coach Rodney Terry rallied to beat Oklahoma State.

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13. Xavier (18): The Musketeers are 5-0 in the Big East after knocking off UConn at home and winning at Villanova.

14. Providence (24): The Friars have won nine in a row, including beating UConn at home, and are 6-0 in the Big East.

15. Michigan State (20): The Spartans are now 3-1 in the Big Ten after defeating rival Michigan.

16. TCU (13): The Horned Frogs were one defensive stop away from being tied with Kansas and Kansas State in the Big 12.

17. Clemson (NR): The Tigers beat Pitt on the road after beating Virginia Tech and are suddenly atop the ACC at 5-0.

5-0 FASHION! pic.twitter.com/JBtdfEXrlI

Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) January 7, 2023

18. Marquette (28): The Golden Eagles have won four straight and are 5-1 in the Big East.

19. Miami (11): The Canes stormed to the top of the ACC before a bad loss at Georgia Tech.

20. Missouri (19): The Tigers bounced back from a loss to Arkansas with a win over Vanderbilt.

21. Pitt (27): The Panthers beat Virginia, but then lost to Clemson. Still, Pitt is a surprising one-loss ACC team.

22. North Carolina (31): The Tar Heels are slowly climbing back up. A loss to Pitt isn’t bad for them. Their comeback against Notre Dame showed they still have the stuff.

23. Wisconsin (14): The Badgers suffered their first Big Ten loss of the season, but the absence of Tyler Wahl was a factor in Illinois.

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24. Auburn (NR): The Tigers are back with a convincing win over Arkansas to move to 2-1 in the SEC series.

25. Virginia (15): The Cavaliers lost to Pitt, which is no shame this season. The Cavaliers are still in the ACC race.

26. Ohio State (12): The Buckeyes had a rough week, losing last possession to Purdue and then losing at Maryland on Sunday. But this team will still be one of the best in the Big Ten.

27. Rutgers (32): The Scarlet Knights went 2-1 this week, but not like they predicted. There was a win at Purdue, a home win over Maryland, and then a home loss to Iowa.

28. San Diego State (35): The Aztecs have topped the Mountain West after a few weeks, winning five in a row, including tough road sweeps of Wyoming and UNLV.

29. Northwest (NR): The Wildcats now have a league-best two road wins over Michigan State and Indiana. Northwestern has also rocked Illinois at home. They had a week of changing seasons.

Smooth.@ChaseAudige @mtnicholso20 pic.twitter.com/s0st19BhNl

Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) January 9, 2023

30. Duke (16): NC State led the Blue Devils, but then beat Boston College. Duke hangs in the Power 36, just barely.

31. Saint Marys (34): The Gaels are 3-0 in the WCC and have re-established themselves as one team to watch chasing the Zags.

32. Michigan (NR): The Wolverines beat Penn State at home, then lost at Michigan State. This Wolverines team has figured out how to play Hunter Dickinson and will be around for the rest of the season.

33. Dayton (NR): The Flyers are back strong with a 3-0 A10 start and a sense that they will finally be the best in the league.

34. College of Charleston (36): The Cougars have won 15 straight and are 4-0 in the CAA, 16-1 so far.

35. Iowa (NR): The Hawkeyes may be 2-3 in the Big Ten, but the last two wins came in a 21-point comeback over Indiana at home and a wire-to-wire win at Rutgers on Sunday.

36. Tulane (NR): The Green Wave have won three in a row, including Memphis. They were a trendy postseason pick in the preseason and are starting to look like it.

Dropped: New Mexico (17), LSU (21), Penn State (25), Baylor (26), Arkansas (29), Indiana (30), Utah (33).