Arizona cracks top 5 of latest men's college basketball Power 36 – NCAA.com

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The first week of February was faced with upsets, shocking moments and thrilling matchups as the men’s college basketball season continued.  Andy Katz breaks down his top 36 teams after another intense week.
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1. UConn (1): The Huskies look the part to be in position to win the title back-to-back for the first time since 2006-07 Florida.
2. Purdue (2): The Boilermakers got pushed in consecutive games but won them both — at home against Northwestern in overtime and then at Wisconsin.
3. North Carolina (3): The Tar Heels bounced back from the road loss at Georgia Tech to beat Duke at home.
4. Tennessee (4): The Vols lost to South Carolina but then put up 103 at Kentucky for a win.
5. Arizona (8): The Wildcats got pushed Sunday night but avenged the earlier loss this season at Stanford. Arizona smacked Cal earlier in the week and now is the clear favorite in the Pac-12.
6. Marquette (9): The Golden Eagles are back in position to challenge UConn after sweeping road games at Villanova and Georgetown.
7. Alabama (11): The Tide beat Mississippi State by 32 and are alone in first place in the SEC.
8. Kansas (18): The Jayhawks destroyed Oklahoma State and Houston to re-assert themselves as the team to beat in the Big 12.
9. South Carolina (24): The Gamecocks won at Tennessee and Georgia and have three total losses — at Clemson, Alabama and Georgia. That’s it.
10. Illinois (15): The Illini have found their footing and are back in the chase to be a top-two team in the Big Ten after winning at Ohio State and outlasting Nebraska in overtime.
11. Houston (6): The Cougars got run at Kansas in an out-of-character poor defensive performance.
12. Duke (12): The Blue Devils won at Virginia Tech and challenged North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They are still in the mix for a top-two finish in the ACC.
13. Wisconsin (5): Rough week for the Badgers after losing a big lead at Nebraska, losing in overtime and then missing on an opportunity to get Purdue at home.
14. Saint Mary’s (25): The Gaels went into the Kennel and beat the Zags late Saturday night for a two-game lead in the WCC. The league goes through Moraga this season.
15. FAU (26): The Owls are back to being who they were and should be in the American. The Owls have won seven in a row and are winning by putting up 100 or keeping the game in the 60s.
16. Auburn (20): The losing skid seems to be more of an anomaly after the Tigers blitzed Vanderbilt and then won going away at Ole Miss.
17. Kentucky (7): The Wildcats dropped two games this past week both at home — to Florida and Tennessee.
18. Virginia (35): Time to give the Cavs their due after winning six in a row, including at Clemson, to pull into a second-place tie with Duke in the ACC.
19. Baylor (NR): The Bears are back with two in a row, including a last-possession win over Iowa State.
20. Iowa State (17): The Cyclones nearly had the win at Baylor, but the winning shot was waved off.
21. Indiana State (36): I believe in the Sycamores. They won at Belmont and beat back Drake at home and are 11-1 in the Valley, 20-3 overall and have the look of a team that is going to be tough to punch out in March.
22. Boise State: Max Rice put up 35 points in a win at New Mexico and then followed that up with a win over Air Force to move into a tie for first in the MWC.
23. BYU (23): The Cougars had one game and won it at West Virginia.
24. Dayton (32): The Flyers didn’t flinch after losing at Richmond to sweep home games against GW and the Bonnies.
25. Butler (NR): The Bulldogs have won four in a row, including at Creighton and are in a position to be a possible NCAA team.
26. Creighton (10): The Bluejays lost at home to Butler and dropped three games out of first place.
27. Utah State (21): The Aggies got clipped by San Diego State and are now tied with Boise State atop the MWC.
28. New Mexico (16): The Lobos were stunned by Boise State but are still in the hunt for the MWC title.
29. Nebraska (NR): The Huskers beat Wisconsin in a crazy comeback and then forced Illinois to overtime before falling in Champaign.
30. Texas (NR): The Longhorns snapped a two-game slide with a road win at TCU.
31. Texas Tech (13): The Red Raiders lost two in a row and are now back in the pack in the Big 12.
32. Northwestern (14): The Wildcats had their chances at Purdue before losing in overtime and then suffered the same fate at Minnesota.
33. TCU (19): The Horned Frogs split the week by beating Texas Tech and losing to Texas.
34. Michigan State (NR): The Spartans won the games they were supposed to by beating Michigan and Maryland at home.
35. San Diego State (30): The Aztecs split the week by losing at Colorado State and then beating Utah State at home.
36. Washington State (NR): The Cougars have won three in a row and are now tied for second with Oregon in the Pac-12.
Dropped out: Kansas State (22), Providence (28), Ole Miss (29), Richmond (31), Florida (33), Oregon (34).
1. Kansas at Kansas State, Monday: The pressure is on the Wildcats to get back in the race for a top-four finish in the Big 12. They need to get this one to re-assert themselves. Bramlage should be rocking for this rivalry.
2. Alabama at Auburn, Wednesday: The Tigers are done with their mini-slump after winning at Ole Miss. And the Tide are the new team to beat in the SEC. The Tigers are trying to avoid a sweep.
3. Illinois at Michigan State, Saturday: The Spartans played well in Champaign but couldn’t close it out. They are finally playing their best basketball at the right time. The Illini continue to find ways to win and are proving to be one of the most resilient and toughest teams.
4. Baylor at Kansas, Saturday: This will be some week for the Jayhawks. The Bears have the guard play to match and take out the Jayhawks, but their frontcourt will need to play elite to win in Lawrence.
5. Gonzaga at Kentucky, Saturday: The Wildcats were rolling before losing two at home last week. This is the Zags’ last chance for a signature win outside of the return trip to Saint Mary’s. They have to get at least one of two remaining to be in the conversation for an at-large berth.
6. Boise State at Utah State, Saturday: Heading into the week this was/is looking like a first-place showdown in the Mountain West.
7. Tennessee at Texas A&M, Saturday: The Aggies are holding onto a resume that includes home wins over Kentucky, Florida and a win over Tennessee would put them back in the at-large conversation.
8. Nebraska at Northwestern, Wednesday: The Huskers and the Wildcats are nearly mirror images of themselves. They both are coming off missed opportunities. But they are still trending toward being NCAA teams. The Huskers won the first meeting in Lincoln.
9. Washington State at Oregon, Saturday: The Cougars suddenly feel like a better at-large candidate than the Ducks. This game could be a separation factor.
10. Providence at Butler, Saturday: This has bubble written all over it. The Bulldogs are trending in the right direction. The Friars have hit a speed bump. The Friars won by 10 in their last meeting.
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Tyler Kolek, Marquette: The senior point guard re-asserted himself as one of the best playmakers in the country. The spots are locked up yet for first-team all-Americans. Kolek is definitely in play for one of the five spots again. He was sensational with 32 points, nine assists, three steals and two turnovers in a road win at Villanova and then followed that up with 17 points, eight assists and just one turnover in the road win at Georgetown.
South Carolina: Lamont Paris has done an outstanding job this season with the Gamecocks, who took down Tennessee and Georgia on the road. The Gamecocks are a game back of Alabama and are tied with Tennessee and Auburn in the loss column. The Gamecocks have great balance and poise and have defended well in the SEC.
Andy Katz is an NCAA.com correspondent. Katz worked at ESPN for 18 years as a college basketball reporter, host and anchor. He’s covered every Final Four since 1992, and the sport since 1986 as a freshman at Wisconsin. He is a former president of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Katz can also be seen covering college basketball on Big Ten Network during the regular season. Follow him on Twitter at @theandykatz.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.

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