Arizona claimed No. 1 in the AP poll for a second straight week on Monday with a unanimous hold on the spot after a handful of voters had other teams at No. 1 on their ballots the previous week. It seems the Wildcats’ 98-73 win over Wisconsin helped sway any lingering doubters over who deserves to be at the top of the heap in college basketball.
But entering the best game so far this season between Arizona and Purdue on Saturday, there is plenty of data to defend our continued placement of the Boilermakers at No. 1 in the power rankings. First and foremost, Purdue is 4-0 in Quad 1 games while Arizona is just 2-0. Combining Quad 1 and Quad 2 opportunities, the Boilermakers are 6-1, while Arizona is 3-0.
Five of Arizona’s eight wins are in Quad 3 or Quad 4, meaning the Wildcats simply aren’t as tested as Purdue. The Boilermakers suffered one forgivable loss at Northwestern in a road game against a potential NCAA Tournament team. That defeat, which came in overtime, is unfairly devaluing the best resume in college basketball.
Thankfully, Saturday gives us the most interesting data point of all: an on-court, head-to-head matchup. With that, here are the latest CBS Sports power rankings.
College basketball power rankings
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