ClutchPoints’ Men’s College Basketball Power Rankings: Duke suffers first loss of the season

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ClutchPoints’ Men’s College Basketball Power Rankings: Duke suffers first loss of the season

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Dec 23, 2025 ·

9 min read

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ClutchPoints' Men's College Basketball Power Rankings: Duke suffers first loss of the season appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Non-conference play is coming to a close, and conference madness is about to pick up in men's college basketball. The positive or negative momentum teams gained leading up to this point will have major implications on the rest of the year.

Teams will find out what they are really made of going forward, though, as competition will only increase going forward for most of the top teams in the nation. With that said, here is ClutchPoints' top 25 power rankings for men's college basketball.

25. Seton Hall

Seton Hall's lack of offensive burst may hurt them as they take on better teams, and they have a challenging slate of Big East opponents coming up. However, their defensive, hard-nosed style has worked so far. The Pirates have a gritty defense that is particularly stifling in the painted area.

24. Tennessee

Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A week off did Tennessee right. After losing three straight games, the Volunteers fixed what needed to be fixed and won both games last week, including one over Louisville . Tennessee's prior three-game losing streak seemed fluky, as they'd led at halftime in all of those games. The win over Louisville may have proved that to be true.

23. Miami (OH)

If Miami (OH) didn't deserve to be put in the top 25 last week, then they certainly do now. The team is still undefeated and won three games last week. The RedHawks are incredibly efficient, as they rank 20th in the nation in two-point field goal percentage and third in 3-point field goal percentage. Their ability to put the ball in the basket was most on display in their last game, as they scored 135 points in a win over Milligan.

22. Georgia

Georgia has surpassed 100 points in four of their last five games and in six games in total this year. Their 99.8 points per game are the highest in the nation. The team doesn't have a 20-point-per-game scorer, and only three players average double-digit scoring totals, but the Bulldogs have incredible depth, and anyone from their rotation can have a big night in any given matchup.

21. Illinois

Illinois followed up their heartbreaking, buzzer-beating loss to Nebraska by taking their anger out on Missouri . The Fighting Illini won their most recent game by a score of 91-48. Illinois has an inside-outside attack, but they will need Andrej Stojakovic to start hitting more 3-point shots in order for their well-balanced attack to reach their full potential.

20. Florida

Florida had two dominant wins over smaller-market teams last week. That doesn't change the fact that the Gators have lost all three of their ranked matchups this year. The defending champions have talent, but they have a way to go to be considered a team that can reach the heights they reached last season. Xaivian Lee has led the team in scoring in five of their last six games, and his emergence could help in another March Madness push.

19. USC

USC has done quite well in the games since Rodney Rice went down with a season-ending injury . Chad Baker-Mazara is now the clear-cut top option, but a different player has led the team in scoring in each of their past three games, underscoring the Trojans' next-man-up philosophy that could lessen the pain of Rice's injury.

18. Alabama

Win or lose, Alabama is going to score a lot of points. The team averages 93.9 points per game, and they've had fewer than 90 points only once this season. Still, they have three losses on the year because the defense is susceptible to allowing high scoring totals. All three of Alabama's losses came against teams in the top six of these college basketball power rankings, though.

17. Arkansas

Darius Acuff Jr. is John Calipari's latest freshman sensation. His scoring prowess will likely result in a trip to the NBA Draft lottery . However, the Razorbacks lost their recent game against Houston.

16. Texas Tech

Texas Tech has one of the best duos in college basketball with JT Toppin and Christian Anderson , the former of whom was ClutchPoints' preseason best player in college basketball . However, they've been criticized for a lack of depth after the big two. Texas Tech played as a complete unit when they handed Duke their first loss of the season, though. In that game, LeJuan Watts stepped up as a crucial third scoring option. The Red Raiders mounted a gritty 17-point comeback in order to defeat Duke.

15. Louisville

Louisville gave Tennessee their first win in four tries, so the Cardinals have to fall down these power rankings. Even so, the team has four wins of 40-plus points this year. The offense is high scoring, and the backcourt, in particular, is nearly impossible to slow down.

14. Kansas

Darryn Peterson gets a lot of the credit for Kansas because he is a potential number one pick, but Flory Betunga deserves his flowers, too. The sophomore big is a double-double machine. Tre White is putting up big numbers, too. He is listed as a guard but is putting up impressive rebounding numbers. These players have been crucial for Kansas because Peterson has been in and out of the lineup.

13. UNC

Another blue blood just on the outside looking in of the top 10 in these power rankings is UNC. A couple more impressive wins and the Tar Heels could certainly enter the top 10. Caleb Wilson is still on a tear and playing like someone with much more collegiate experience than he has.

12. Michigan State

Michigan State's last four-game stretch has been their ugliest to date. Still, they are an 11-1 team that plays hard and knows how to win ball games. These Spartans could be used as a dictionary definition of how Tom Izzo likes his teams to play. They are stifling on the defensive end, they collect every loose ball and open rebound, and they share the basketball quite well. There is nothing flashy about Michigan State, but that is probably how Izzo intends it to be.

11. Vanderbilt

Despite being a Power Four team, Vanderbilt has yet to take on a ranked team. Even so, they are undefeated and boast one of the best offenses in the nation. The Commodores score 94.1 points per game, and they will have a chance to prove themselves with stiffer competition on the horizon.

10. Nebraska

Nebraska is a fellow undefeated team. The team's game-winner over Illinois gives them a slightly better resume than Vanderbilt. The 12-0 team has never had a better start before in program history. The Cornhuskers are versatile. They also have some tougher games coming up to justify their placement inside the top 10 of these power rankings.

9. BYU

AJ Dybantsa has had 68 points combined over BYU's last two games. Both Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer are still in debates over the number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Dybantsa seems to be separating himself from the pack. Dybantsa and Boozer are the nation leaders in points per game.

8. Gonzaga

Gonzaga seemingly took their loss to Michigan personally, as they've surpassed 90 points in four of their last five games, which were all wins. Braeden Smith , not to be confused with Purdue's Braden Smith , had his best game of the season in Gonzaga's recent matchup against Oregon . Ultimately, it is the Braden Huff-Graham Ike frontcourt that leads the way for the Bulldogs, though.

7. Houston

The defense in Houston has long been a known commodity, but the Cougars ' offense is starting to catch up, too. Houston has surpassed 90 points in each of their past two games, including in a ranked matchup against Arkansas. The Cougars' last two games were their best offensive performances of the year, and if they keep it up, they can get back into the top five of the power rankings, where they started the season.

6. Purdue

A ranked win over Auburn will help Purdue in their climb back to the top of the AP Poll and near the top of these power rankings. Braden Smith's scoring and efficiency, or lack thereof, has been a concern this season, but he might just be so special as a playmaker that it doesn't matter.

5. UConn

UConn has four ranked wins on the season, and their only loss on the year came against the team in first place in these power rankings. Just two years after repeating as March Madness champions, the Huskies should again be looked at as national title contenders.

4. Duke

Duke finally suffered their first loss of the season. The Blue Devils let Texas Tech mount an embarrassing comeback on them, and only time will tell how they react. Duke was 69-0 when up by 15 points under Jon Scheyer. Cameron Boozer had another big game, though, and the Blue Devils were a missed buzzer-beater away from avoiding any dialogue surrounding a loss. They should bounce back.

3. Iowa State

The top three teams in these college basketball power rankings are all undefeated, and all have elite resumes. Tamin Lipsey , Milan Momcilovic , and Joshua Jefferson are all really talented basketball players on Iowa State's roster.

2. Michigan

Michigan has scored 100-plus points in five of their last six games. Over that stretch, five different players have led the team in scoring. There are six double-digit scorers on the Wolverines roster, but Yaxel Lendeborg is the best of the bunch.

1. Arizona

Arizona had five ranked wins to start the season. Over the last week, they didn't take on any ranked opponents, but they still collected three more wins. Koa Peat and Brayden Burries form a great freshman scoring duo. Jaden Bradley and Anthony Dell'Orso bring veteran balance. The Wildcats are deep and don't have any flaws, and they deserve to remain number one in the college basketball power rankings.

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