College Basketball Rankings: Casey Jacobsen Has Michigan Still on Top, Purdue Tumbling

Men's college basketball is pure chaos, and I’m here to sort it out every Sunday.

As this year's stars begin to emerge and potential conference contenders and national title hopefuls slowly shift into focus, tracking how the college hoops landscape constantly changes is hardly easy. My weekly Top 25 values toughness, experience and identity — not preseason rankings or blue-blood branding. I'll be bold, but with receipts to back it up. 

With that, here’s the second edition of my men's college basketball rankings, as of Dec. 7:

25. Iowa Hawkeyes (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 23

After getting blown out by Michigan State last week, the new-look Hawkeyes responded by blowing out Maryland. Guard Bennett Stirtz can be a scorer or a distributor, depending on the situation. On Saturday, he scored 25 points on 10-17 shooting.

Iowa guard Tavion Banks had nine points in the win over Maryland on Saturday. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

24. Florida Gators (5-3)

Previously ranked: No. 17

The Gators almost pulled out a win at Cameron Indoor Stadium but eventually lost, 66-67. Forward Thomas Haugh scored 24 points, forward Alex Condon had a double-double and big man Rueben Chinyelu had 14 rebounds, but the backcourt continues to struggle.

23. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-2)

Previously ranked: NR

I still think the Razorbacks could be something special. Big win on Wednesday over Louisville, as forward Trevon Brazile scored 21 points, and guard Darius Acuff dished out 10 assists. Next Saturday, they play Texas Tech.

22. Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-0)

Previously ranked: No. 25

The Cornhuskers crushed a struggling Creighton team on Sunday, 71-50. They have the nation's longest active win streak (thanks to "The Crown" tourney title last April) at 12. Reink Mast is averaging almost 18 points, six rebounds and more than three assists at the center position.

21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-2)

Previously ranked: No. 22

The Red Raiders got a strong 82-58 win over a tough LSU team on Sunday in Fort Worth. Last weekend, Texas Tech barely hung on to beat Wyoming, mostly because it shot 18-30 from the foul line. The Red Raiders rank 297th in the country in free-throw percentage (66.7%).

Texas Tech has righted the ship nicely after that Nov. 21 blowout loss to Purdue. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

20. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)

Previously ranked: NR

The Cavaliers offense is averaging 87 points per game this season, which is going to take some time to get used to. They shoot nearly 40% from the 3 as a team, led by senior guard Jacari White. Even when they miss, Virginia is third in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (43.3%).

19. St. John's Red Storm (5-3)

Previously ranked: No. 20

St. John's hung on to beat a good Ole Miss team on Saturday, despite shooting just 4-22 from the 3. Senior Zuby Ejifor is still one of the best centers in the sport, but senior forward Bryce Hopkins has struggled in his last two games (8.5 points per game on 5-of-16 FG combined).

18. Tennessee Volunteers (7-3)

Previously ranked: No. 11

The Vols have lost three in a row (Kansas, Syracuse and Illinois) after going 30-8 last season and reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. They don’t play again until December 16, when they host Louisville. The Vols need to get back in the lab.

17. Auburn Tigers (7-3)

Previously ranked: No. 19

The Tigers were dominated in a road game at Arizona even though guard Tahaad Pettiford had 30 points. Auburn has lost three games against some of the best in the country (Arizona, Michigan, Houston). Its wins over St John’s, NC State, and Oregon are solid.

Auburn will hope to bounce back after a week off. The Tigers next play on Dec. 13 vs. Chattanooga. (Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

16. Kansas Jayhawks (7-3)

Previously ranked: No. 15

They've got three losses, but I reward their tough scheduling and their toughness, despite missing a top-5 player in the country in guard Darryn Peterson (hamstring) for much of the early slate. With Peterson back, the Jayhawks handled Missouri, 80-60, and the freshman put up 17 points without pushing it. 

15. North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 16

A win against Kentucky would normally be a big deal, but the Wildcats are a mess. I love watching freshman forward Caleb Wilson, even if he’s wild with shot selection (18-for-44 from the field over his last three games). The Tar Heels topped Georgetown, 81-61, on Sunday.

14. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-0)

Previously ranked: No. 18

The Dores scored 88 points in a win against SMU. Amazingly, that is the second-LOWEST point total for Vandy’s offense so far this season. The Comodores have the third most efficient offense in the country, according to KenPom.

13. Illinois Illini (7-2)

Previously ranked: No. 14

The Illini picked up a huge win over Tennessee in Nashville. I know that Illinois is good, but its resume needed some wins to back it up. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler led the way with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Illini guard Keaton Wagler delivered against the Vols. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

12. Louisville Cardinals (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 7

A down-and-up week for the Cardinals that saw them lose their first game at Arkansas. Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. and senior guard Ryan Conwell combined to shoot 5-for-25 from 3-point line in the loss to the Razorbacks. The team responded well on Saturday by beating Indiana by nine in Indianapolis. I want to see more.

11. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2)

Previously ranked: No. 13

The Crimson Tide beat Clemson by six points at home earlier in the week, but the headline was the performance of another freshman star. Forward Amari Allen had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Nate Oats knows talent when he sees it.

10. Michigan State Spartans (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 10

Losing a close home game to Duke for its first loss of the season doesn’t change how I feel about Michigan State. The Spartans did an admirable job holding Duke to 66 points, but their offense was limited. Spartans star guard Jeremy Fears Jr had a career-high 13 assists, but he went 0-10 from the field. Yikes.

9. Houston Cougars (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 12

The Cougars beat Florida State, and senior guard Emanuel Sharp had his best scoring game of the season with 27 points. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings continues to impress with 21 points and EIGHT steals. In Sampson I trust.

Freshman Kingston Flemings has already taken to Houston's swarming defense by nabbing eight steals in a win over FSU. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

8. BYU Cougars (7-1)

Previously ranked: No. 9

The Coogs beat Cal Baptist this week by 31 points and 6-foot-8 senior Keba Keita flexed his muscles with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Next up is a fun matchup with Clemson on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

7. Purdue Boilermakers (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 3

It was a rough Saturday for the Boilermakers against Iowa State. A 23-point loss at home is the largest for any No. 1 team in the history of the AP Poll era. Iowa State is elite, and it forced both guard Fletcher Loyer and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn into their worst shooting games of the year (combined 3-16 from the floor).

6. Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1)

Previously ranked: No. 8

Gonzaga bounced back after the loss to Michigan in exactly the way I thought they would by embarrassing the Kentucky Wildcats in a 35-point rout. Forward Graham Ike, who went 0-for-9 from the field against the Wolverines, dropped 28 points and 10 rebounds over the Wildcats. Gonzaga isn’t as good as Michigan, but that's still a really solid team.

5. Iowa State Cyclones (9-0)

Previously ranked: No. 6

The best win of the season now belongs to the Cyclones, who dominated No. 1 Purdue by 23 points … at Mackey Arena. Point guard and leader Tamin Lipsey returned from injury and delivered eight assists and zero turnovers. This is the most talented, balanced team coach T.J. Otzelberger has ever had.

4. Duke Blue Devils (10-0)

Previously ranked: No. 5

The Blue Devils faced their toughest defensive team of the season (at Michigan State), didn’t shoot that well – and yet, they found a way to win. Superstar freshman forward Cameron Boozer scored just one basket in the first half and battled foul trouble during the second half, but he finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. He’s the best player in the game.

Duke went into East Lansing and got themselves an early-season marquee win over MSU. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

3. UConn Huskies (8-1)

Previously ranked: No. 4

UConn followed up its win over Illinois last week with a TRUE road win against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Freshman Braylon Mullins was awesome, leading the Huskies in scoring with 17 points. When they get fully healthy, are they the best team in all the land?

2. Arizona Wildcats (8-0)

Previously ranked: No. 2

The Wildcats hammered a good Auburn team by 29 points at home to add another ranked win (four total) to the best resume in the sport. Five players reached double figures in scoring, led by freshman Koa Peat who had 18. Arizona only shot 15 total 3-pointers, which is normal for them.

1. Michigan Wolverines (8-0)

Previously ranked: No. 1

The Wolverine Train keeps chugging down the tracks, demolishing everything in its path. The latest victim was Rutgers. Michigan scored more than 100 points for the third consecutive game, a feat last accomplished during its 1989 national championship season.

Casey Jacobsen is a national college basketball reporter and analyst for FOX Sports. He was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection at Stanford and a First-Team All-American as a sophomore. Follow him at @cjacobsen23.

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