There is a new No. 1 and plenty of major shakeups throughout this week's Power 36 college basketball rankings. I still contest a handful of teams near the top are the real national championship contenders. But that’s what will make the selection and seeding so intriguing — the separation from 10 on down is razor thin. MORE: 6 things we learned from a wild Saturday in hoops | Breaking down the biggest results Onto the debate: 1. Tennessee (2): The Vols pass the eye test as playing the best basketball in the country. Just watch. 2. Duke (4): The Blue Devils beat Virginia without Tre Jones to bounce back nicely after losing at home to Syracuse without Cam Reddish (and Jones for most of the game). 3. Michigan State (5): The Spartans went into Nebraska, where the Huskers had won 20 straight, and won. Enough said. 4. Gonzaga (6): The Zags are rolling now with a complete, healthy team. Join Rui Hachimura on his journey to greatness 5. Virginia (3): The Cavaliers had a chance to beat Duke in Durham but couldn’t knock down good looks. 6. Michigan (1): The Wolverines drop after losing at Wisconsin and letting a close game get run up to 10 in the final minute. 7. Nevada (9): The Wolf Pack have big-shot makers in Caleb and Cody Martin and Jordan Caroline. The odds are in their favor to run the rest of the MWC. 8. Kentucky (13): The Wildcats are looking the part of being a Final Four/title contender after winning at Auburn. Kentucky defeats Auburn, 82-80 9. Maryland (14): The Terps are one of the hottest teams in the country with one of the most intimidating front courts. 10. Virginia Tech (10): The Hokies hold their spot but get leapfrogged by a few schools based on who they beat. They still need a win against an elite team. 11. Houston (11): The Cougars have won three in a row and are still the team to beat in the American, with the only loss being at Temple. 12. Villanova (15): The Wildcats are once again the team to beat in the Big East. 13. Marquette (16): The Golden Eagles have won five straight and survived a minor scare with Markus Howard not 100 percent. RELATED: Marquette holds Dwyane Wade Day ahead of NBA star's retirement 14. LSU (18): The Tigers are one of the best-kept secrets in the country. LSU knocked off upstarts Ole Miss and South Carolina. 15. Kansas (8): I may get some flack for this but the Jayhawks lost at the worst team in the Big 12 in West Virginia. I know, it’s still Morgantown, but Kansas has to be dinged for this defeat. “I hate losing. We can’t dwell on this though because we play Monday and have to be ready.” Dedric Lawson on the bitterness of today’s loss in the final seconds of the game #KUbball pic.twitter.com/h06ASvtlZJ — Kansas Basketball (@KUHoops) January 19, 2019 16. Buffalo (17): The Bulls move up a spot because they keep winning and dominating the MAC. 17. Texas Tech (7): The Red Raiders are still a Big 12 contender but have to dip after losing two in a row, including at Baylor. 18. Ole Miss (12): The Rebels suffered their first loss in the SEC to LSU and then bounced back with a home win over Arkansas. MORE: These 12 last-second game-winners proved college basketball was at its best this weekend 19. North Carolina (19): The Tar Heels have won two straight and are primed to move up if they take out Virginia Tech in a Monday night showdown. 20. Louisville (21): The Cardinals are on a three-game winning streak and starting to play some of the most consistent basketball in the ACC. 21. Iowa (24): The Hawkeyes won their fifth straight on Sunday and finally broke through their road drought. 22. Purdue (29): Purdue won at Wisconsin in overtime and beat in-state rival Indiana at home for its third straight win. Purdue knocks off No. 25 Indiana 23. Washington (31): The Huskies were my preseason pick to win the Pac-12 and they're starting to look the part. Washington has won seven straight and sits atop the conference standings at 5-0. 24. Cincinnati (32): Quietly putting together a solid season yet again under Mick Cronin, the Bearcats will be in the race for the AAC title. 25. Kansas State (36): Guess who looks like a team ready for another deep March run? Kansas State is healthy and has won four in a row. 26. Iowa State (NR): The Cyclones are tied with Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech at 4-2 in the Big 12. Expect them to stay in the race throughout the season. 27. Syracuse (NR): The Orange knocked off Duke on the road and then Pitt at home. That’s good enough for me to put them back in the poll. 28. Wisconsin (NR): Welcome back to the Power 36, Badgers, after knocking off previously undefeated Michigan at home. Andy Katz talks to Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ 29. Mississippi State (NR): The Bulldogs are back in the rankings after winning two straight against Florida and Vanderbilt. 30. Auburn (22): The Tigers lost at home to Kentucky and were without Austin Wiley, so they get a bit of a pass to stay in the poll. 31. NC State (20): The Wolfpack deserve to still have a spot, even with a loss to Wake Forest. Just watch. SCORES: Latest NET rankings and top 25 scores | Full scoreboard 32. UCF (25): The Knights bounced back from a road loss at Wichita State with a home win over Tulsa to remain atop the AAC standings with Houston, Cincinnati, Temple and Memphis at one loss. 33. Saint Louis (NR): The Billikens have won six in a row, are undefeated in the A-10 and are starting to look the part of a league title favorite. A showdown with Davidson is set for Saturday afternoon. 34. Murray State (NR): The Racers are winners of seven straight and have one of the most electrifying players in the country in Ja Morant. Teams won’t want to play them in the tournament. 35. San Francisco (NR): The Dons’ only loss in the WCC is to Gonzaga. If it stays that way, USF has a chance for a bid. 36. Hofstra (NR): We can’t ignore the Pride anymore. Hofstra has the nation's longest win streak at 14 and is atop the CAA with a 7-0 record. Oh, and Justin Wright-Foreman is averaging 26.2 a game. Dropping out: Oklahoma (23), Temple (26), Florida State (27), Minnesota (28), Arizona (30), St. John’s (33), Seton Hall (34), Indiana (35). Team of the Week Maryland: The Terps are rolling into East Lansing Monday with seven straight wins. Maryland has established itself as one of the top three teams in the Big Ten. The Terps are playing as well at home (11-2) as they are on the road (4-1) with wins at Minnesota and Ohio State and home victories over Nebraska, Indiana and Wisconsin. Mark Turgeon has done a sensational job developing young talent. He lost a few games early but it was worth going through the growing pains for what has transpired. Player of the week Tyus Battle, Jr., G, Syracuse: Battle has led the Orange back into the picture of being an NCAA tournament team and an ACC contender. He scored 32 points in 45 minutes in the shocking four-point overtime upset at Duke. Battle then played all 40 minutes in a home win over Pitt with 22 points. Battle answered the call in major moments this past week. ✅ 32pts & a W at Duke ✅ 22pts & a W vs Pitt@Cuse_MBB's Tyus Battle is @TheAndyKatz's Player of the Week! 🍊 pic.twitter.com/nNxlIcgONz — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) January 21, 2019 The backup five Ja Morant, Murray State: The sensational Morant scored 40 in 40 in a win over SIU-Edwardsville and helped clip Eastern Illinois with 27. RJ Barrett, Duke: Barrett scored 30 points in Duke’s 72-70 win over Virginia. The freshman has picked up the slack with Tre Jones hurt.<doc-sep>The Kentucky Wildcats are coming on strong, and that’s led to jumps in all of the major polls and rankings. Following a road win over a top-15 Auburn team, Kentucky now looks like a legitimate top-10 team that’s a real threat to make a deep run in March. The Wildcats now have one of the most impressive resumes in college hoops, which includes a neutral court win over a top-15 UNC team, a road domination of a top-25 Louisville team, and now, a road win over the a top-15 Tigers squad. The latest AP Poll has Kentucky checking in at the No. 8 spot. The Tennessee Volunteers are the new No. 1 team following their narrow home win over Alabama. Auburn fell to No. 16. Kentucky will host the No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Tuesday, then host the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday. That means Kentucky will have played three-straight top-25 foes by the end of this week. The Coaches Poll has Kentucky up to No. 9. Kansas checked in at No. 10, while Mississippi State is at No. 22. Tennessee is also No. 1 in this poll, while Auburn checked in at No. 15. Coaches Top 25 Poll AP Top 25 Poll Elsewhere, Jerry Palm now has Kentucky as a 2 seed in CBS Sports’ latest bracketology. It ends up being in the East Region in Washington, D.C., as Kentucky gets edged out by Kansas for the 2 seed in the South Region in Louisville. Perhaps that adds a little more incentive to beat the Jayhawks this week. Still, this projection has the 1 seed being Michigan, whereas the South Region No. 1 is Tennessee. I think a lot of Kentucky fans would rather play in the East vs. Michigan, though it’s hard to pass on playing in Louisville, no matter how challenging the path may be. Here is the full East Region in this projection: NCAA.com’s Power 36 ranking has Kentucky checking in at No. 8. Sports Illustrated has Kentucky checking in at No. 9 while also tabbing the Wildcats as a team on the rise: Cruising past Georgia on Tuesday was a welcome sign, but the Wildcats’ road win over Auburn on Saturday is what stands out as one of the week’s best victories. Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson each poured in 20 points in Kentucky’s 82–80 win, leading the way for a 54% shooting performance from the field. The Wildcats’ offense is beginning to hit its stride as we approach February, improving over the year as most John Calipari squads do. Matchups against Mississippi State and Kansas are on the slate this week, quality tests for a roster that has yet to reach its potential. Rupp Arena will be rocking on Saturday night as Kentucky hosts the Jayhawks, providing an opportunity for the Wildcats’ best win of the year. The latest NBC Sports Top 25 has Kentucky rising up to the No. 7 spot. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has Kentucky at No. 7, while Seth Davis of The Athletic also has the Cats at CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has Kentucky checking in at No. 14. ESPN’s latest power ranking (only 16 teams) now has the Cats at No. 9: Kentucky just might be hitting its stride as conference play heats up. The Wildcats went into Auburn on Saturday and knocked off the Tigers in a really complete offensive performance. Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson both had 20 points, while Ashton Hagans scored just six -- but dished out six assists and grabbed seven rebounds. It was their most efficient offensive outing since mid-December vs. Utah. The Wildcats did climb up to the No. 8 spot in the latest NCAA NET rankings. That means if the NCAA Tournament began today, Kentucky would be in strong position for a No. 2 seed.<doc-sep>DURHAM, N.C. -- Virginia and Duke are No. 2 and No. 7, respectively, in Saturday morning's updated Top 25 And 1. So the result of that game being played here inside Cameron Indoor Stadium will impact these rankings -- one way or another. Same goes for Auburn-Kentucky. The Tigers and Wildcats are No. 11 and No. 20, respectively, in the Top 25 And 1 -- which has led to countless UK fans asking why I have John Calipari's team so low. It's a reasonable question, I acknowledge -- if only because I don't think there's much difference, in ability or resume, between the teams ranked 10th through 20th. So if you believe Kentucky should be higher, it's possible you're right. The only thing I'd say in response, though, is that there's nothing "absurd" or "stupid" or "idiotic" -- these are all words UK fans have used -- about having the Wildcats 20th considering the Wildcats are only 3-3 against top-100 KenPom teams. Did you realize that? And did you realize every school I have ranked ahead of Kentucky has more wins over top-100 KenPom teams, plus a better record against top-100 KenPom teams, than Kentucky? It's true. So, yes, the Wildcats have some good wins -- specifically a neutral-court win over North Carolina and a road win at Louisville But they don't have many good wins, which is why this game against Auburn is so important. If nothing else, it's a chance to add another good win that Kentucky's resume could really use.<doc-sep>
1 Tennessee The Vols extended their winning streak to 12 games via Saturday's victory over Alabama. UT's resume includes wins over Gonzaga and Louisville with the lone loss coming to Kansas in overtime. -- 18-9 2 Virginia The Cavaliers took their first loss of the season Saturday at Duke. Virginia is 5-1 vs. top-50 KenPom teams with wins over Virginia Tech and Maryland. -- 18-7 3 Gonzaga The Zags have won nine straight since losing consecutive games to Tennessee and North Carolina. Gonzaga's resume features five wins over top-55 KenPom teams - most notably a neutral-court victory over Duke in the Maui Invitational. -- 31-1 4 Duke The Blue Devils gave Virginia its first loss Saturday despite the fact that Tre Jones didn't play. Duke is 7-2 vs. top-50 KenPom teams with the losses coming to Gonzaga and Syracuse. -- 13-11 5 Michigan The Wolverines took their first loss of the season Saturday on the road to a six-loss Wisconsin team. Michigan is 4-1 against top-50 KenPom teams with wins over North Carolina, Villanova and Purdue. -- 23-5 6 Michigan St. The Spartans have won 11 straight since losing in overtime at Louisville. Michigan State's resume features nine wins over top-75 KenPom teams - among them road victories at Nebraska, Ohio State and Florida. -- 15-13 7 Kansas The Jayhawks' three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at West Virginia. Kansas is 6-3 without Udoka Azubuike, who is out for the season with a hand injury. -- 21-9 8 Va. Tech The Hokies are 10-1 in their past 11 games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Virginia. Three of Virginia Tech's next four games are on the road -- two of which are at North Carolina and at NC State. -- 15-7 9 Nevada Nevada's resume features seven wins over top-100 KenPom teams and a lone loss coming at New Mexico. The Wolf Pack will take a four-game winning streak into Wednesday's game with Colorado State. -- 16-10 10 N. Carolina The Tar Heels are 6-1 in their past seven games with road wins at NC State, Pitt and Miami. UNC is 8-4 vs. top-100 KenPom teams with zero sub-30 losses and wins over Gonzaga and at NC State. -- 18-11 11 Texas Tech The Red Raiders have dropped two straight but are still 7-3 against top-100 KenPom teams, with wins over Nebraska and Oklahoma. Next up is Tuesday's game at Kansas State. -- 18-11 12 Maryland The Terrapins' seven-game winning streak includes victories over Nebraska, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State. Next up is Monday's game at Michigan State. -- 17-14 13 Marquette Sam Hauser and Markus Howard combined for 49 points in Sunday's win over Providence. Marquette's resume features four wins over top-50 KenPom teams and zero sub-50 losses. -- 13-14 14 Kentucky The Wildcats improved to 3-3 vs. top-100 KenPom teams via Saturday's win at Auburn. UK will take a four-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Mississippi State -- 9-16 15 Auburn Auburn's loss at home to Kentucky on Saturday means the Tigers are 0-4 against the best four teams they've played this season. Auburn is 4-3 in its past seven games heading into Tuesday's contest at South Carolina. -- 13-14 16 Buffalo The Bulls' body of work features four wins over top-75 KenPom teams -- among them victories at Syracuse and West Virginia. The lone loss came seven games ago at Marquette. -- 16-9 17 Nebraska The Huskers' two-game winning streak was snapped Thursday by Michigan State. Four of Nebraska's five losses are to schools also ranked in the Top 25 And 1. -- 7-20 18 Houston The Cougars have won three straight since losing at Temple in the final seconds. Houston is 6-1 vs. top-100 KenPom teams with wins over LSU, Utah State and Oregon. -- 28-4 19 Ole Miss The Rebels are 11-1 in their past 12 games with victories over Auburn and Mississippi State. The lone loss in that stretch is a loss to an LSU team that's 14-3 and also ranked in the Top 25 And 1. -- 16-12 20 Miss. State The Bulldogs' resume features wins over five top-50 KenPom teams -- among them Florida, Cincinnati and Saint Mary's. Mississippi State has won two straight since losing to Ole Miss. -- 18-15 21 NC State The Wolfpack bounced back from a disappointing loss at Wake Forest by winning at Notre Dame on Saturday. NC State is 5-2 vs. top-100 KenPom teams with one sub-150 loss.