In a weekend of high level college basketball matchups, Purdue emerged as the clear winner, reclaiming the top spot in multiple rankings after a victory over previously unbeaten and top-ranked Arizona. Purdue's guards, particularly Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, were lauded for their performances, with Loyer dropping 27 points against Arizona. Smith was also highlighted as one of the top point guards in the country. In other games, Kentucky held on for an 87-83 win against North Carolina, despite letting a 12-point second-half lead slip away. The Wildcats' performance was reminiscent of coach John Calipari's glory years, and their freshmen were praised for their competitiveness. Michigan State also had a standout performance, beating Baylor 88-64. Meanwhile, No. 8 Creighton secured a strong home win against Alabama.
dj Wagner of Kentucky wins second SEC Freshman of the Week honor following Cats' win over UNC. Next up: Louisville.
✅ Star in win over No. 1 Arizona ✅ Claim @bigten weekly honors Purdue G Fletcher Loyer is the B1G Player of the Week. 🤩 https://t.co/Mv6IoXJrh6
Is it too early to reminisce about the weekend? Shoutout to all the incredible teams and fans for making Saturday a success! A special congratulations to @IndStBasketball and @BoilerBall for taking home the W! 🏀 https://t.co/LL57ChiC51
Purdue took the top spot in the men's AP Top 25 poll, while South Carolina held firm at No. 1 for the women. https://t.co/5yZw3IFwcg
Purdue pops back to No. 1 after ousting Arizona - via @ESPN App https://t.co/0HrJNfIvDS
My AP ballot: Purdue, Arizona, Kansas, Houston, UConn, Marquette, Kentucky, Baylor, OK, FAU, Colorado St., Tennessee, UNC, Ill., Clemson, Creighton, Texas, Zags, Ole Miss, Memphis, BYU, Colorado, Miami, Duke, James Madison
Arizona Wildcats drop to No. 4 in Associated Press Top 25 while Purdue regains top spot | Tap on the picture to learn more 🔽 https://t.co/pf6RuM7Rnk
Kentucky freshman guard D.J. Wagner earned his second Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week accolade of the season on Monday. Wagner posted 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in UK’s upset win over No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday.
New Top 5 Any one of these teams could win the whole thing. 1-Purdue 2-Kansas 3-Houston 4-Arizona 5-UConn https://t.co/RyChMDiI5R
NCAA College Basketball Rankings: AP Top 25 Basketball Poll https://t.co/qVVDQmgWfh
POLL ALERT: Purdue returns to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll; Oklahoma into the top 10; Memphis and Ole Miss join poll. Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa https://t.co/dRn7OfLvim
Latest AP Top 25 poll: UConn will come to the Rock ranked 5th Wednesday. (For the record, I voted the Huskies 3rd). Purdue is back at 1.
Marquette will come into Providence ranked No. 6 in @AP_Top25 Tuesday night. Friars knocked off UConn in a Top 10 home game last season. https://t.co/C4Bga9lxhl https://t.co/SoMDxWgq96
Latest @TheAthleticWBB power rankings get into what Baylor is doing well, why Texas and NC State impressed this week, and some musings on Marquette. So many fun undefeated teams still kicking. https://t.co/SOfReAxiQ7
AP Poll: #5- UConn #6- Marquette #12- Creighton Providence received votes 3 Ranked Big East teams 🔥🔥🔥
For the third straight week, the PC Friars appear in the "also receiving votes" category of the AP Top 25 poll. Marquette checks in at No. 6. #pcbb #BigEasthoops
My AP ballot this week: 1. Purdue; 2. UH; 3. KU; 4. Arizona; 5. UConn; 6. Marq.; 7. Ky; 8. JMU; 9. Baylor; 10. Creighton; 11. OU; 12. UNC; 13. Duke; 14. UT; 15. Tenn.; 16. Zags; 17. Illini; 18. FAU; 19. BYU; 20. Colo.; 21. Memphis; 22. Va.; 23. Mich. St.; 24. Miami; 25. Clemson
NEW Power Rankings and Weekly Awards 1. Purdue 2. Kansas 3. UConn 4. Arizona 5. Houston Team of the Week: Purdue @BoilerBall Player of the Week: Kevin Cross @GreenWaveMBB Coach of the Week: Gerald Gillion @ChicagoStateMBB https://t.co/spIYyNSxqA
"When Fletcher Loyer is hitting shots, Purdue basically becomes unbeatable," - @jerel_mcneal Will Purdue's other pieces remain consistent enough to lead them to the promised land? Full After Dark Episode: https://t.co/lFHHNgSZM2 https://t.co/Vi8KEHUpzv
Kentucky pushing top-10 in CJ’s latest rankings. More broadly, what an awesome college basketball season so far. https://t.co/90vLSAjawE
Geoff Grammer's AP Top 25 ballot: Purdue rises back to No. 1, did any other team make a significant move? https://t.co/pIGeyiiGND via @ABQJournal #APTop25
College basketball rankings: Purdue reclaims the top spot after beating Arizona https://t.co/UpfbdbszQ7…ona-uconn-kansas/
This week's ROTHSTEIN 45 is now LIVE. TOP 10: 1. Purdue 2. Kansas 3. Houston 4. UConn 5. Arizona 6. Marquette 7. Tennessee 8. Illinois 9. Oklahoma 10. Kentucky CC: @FDSportsbook, @FanDuelResearch. https://t.co/yP6qi9cbvP
1. Purdue 2. Arizona 3. Kansas 4. UConn @SethDavisHoops and I had the same Top 4 this week. Check the rest of our Top 25: https://t.co/TohmgICwku
Saturday was definitively the best college hoops action of this season to date, writes @CJMooreHoops. And when the dust settled, Purdue reclaimed the top spot in his Top 25 rankings after a win over Arizona. https://t.co/LAj3XmgHKg
🚨 NEW #Power36 from @TheAndyKatz 👇 1. Purdue 2. Kansas 3. UConn 4. Arizona 5. Houston 6. Marquette 7. Oklahoma 8. Kentucky 9. Creighton 10. North Carolina 📰: https://t.co/CNQiWfg0dY https://t.co/jpD2QtCtZw
Purdue is back on top in the latest Power 36 rankings for men's basketball | https://t.co/5W4P0z50BV plus top 10 games to watch, player and team of week. @BoilerBall @UConnMBB @ChicagoStateMBB @MarchMadnessMBB https://t.co/hWQ8oEq2ac
GOODMAN AND HUMMEL POD! @GoodmanHoops and @RobbieHummel are back to discuss Purdue's victory over Arizona, Goodman's punishment, and the five REAL title contenders! https://t.co/xeKMKPHHj9
College basketball rankings: Purdue reclaims the top spot after beating Arizona https://t.co/MxqPC8LQHd
The Field of 68 Daily! That smile is just us grinning from a marvelous college hoops weekend. • @BoilerBall outruns @ArizonaMBB! • @MSU_Basketball finally looks like a Top 5 team! • Wild finishes in UK-UNC, Creighton-Bama and nearly 30 other games! https://t.co/krqXFAeUYc
Was yesterday's win over Baylor the start of the turnaround for Michigan State? The Spartans looked GOOD up in Detroit! AFTER DARK: https://t.co/lFHHNgSrWu https://t.co/VmRHhg04ep
Is Fletcher Loyer the key to Purdue's success going forward? @John_Fanta, @T_Oglesby22 and @jerel_mcneal dive into the Boilermakers NOW! AFTER DARK: https://t.co/lFHHNgSrWu https://t.co/VmRHhg04ep
Now at @TheMessenger: The (correct) top 25 from me and @GoodmanHoops The Messenger’s College Basketball Top 25: Purdue Recaptures the No. 1 Ranking - The Messenger https://t.co/q5WvtiuZVz
Overnight column on the excellent Arizona-Purdue basketball game. Which, unfortunately, is just prelude for two teams that have a lot to prove in March: https://t.co/jUFM1cihh9
Kentucky had four freshmen on floor at end of 87-83 win over UNC at CBS Classic in Atlanta. 8-2 Cats get a big boost, outrebounding Heels, 42-32.
I like Purdue's chances in March much better after watching sophomore guards Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer go off for combined 53 points during 92-84 W over previously unbeaten, top ranked Arizona in Indy.
"They sent a message to the country in my eyes. ... Look for them moving forward in March, they're gonna be great." —@CWalkerSports on @KentuckyMBB's victory over UNC in the CBS Sports Classic https://t.co/hTPnLIcODB
This is a different Purdue team, and the biggest reason? “Braden Smith is one of the top point guards in the country.” - Fletcher Loyer My column after Purdue’s win over No. 1 Arizona. https://t.co/lzqJyVxyXS
It’s a long season, but John Calipari has Kentucky basketball back to ‘Kentucky good’ #BBN #ukbasketball https://t.co/XQUXB7bmMP
Kentucky basketball’s win over UNC echoes John Calipari’s glory years https://t.co/g3ylpalneS
What an awesome, awesome weekend of college hoops. And another great thing about it? An equally-awesome group of @TheAthleticCBB stories covering it all. In THREAD form:
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: @boilerball’s Fletcher Loyer dropped 27 points vs. No. 1 Arizona 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: @michiganstatebasketball’s dominant performance vs. No. 6 Baylor https://t.co/eq1rPp2T6G
Kentucky out-rebounded North Carolina — a big, physical, veteran college basketball team — by 10 on Saturday night in a statement win. UK did this while only getting 4 rebounds from Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso. “Kentucky was tougher than us” ⬇️ https://t.co/GFbIqKkcMS
COLUMN: The final 12 seconds of UK's win over UNC did not unfold the way John Calipari wanted -- but he could still smile about it afterward b/c all's well that ends well, and b/c he knows his team has the talent, roster-balance and shooting to be great. https://t.co/P6uYu7aQ1R
From the atmosphere to the performance to the swagger of Kentucky’s young stars delivering in a big moment, everything about Saturday's win felt like a throwback. It felt like John Calipari's glory years with the Wildcats, writes @KyleTucker_ATH. https://t.co/rXhIkUOr2t https://t.co/h0Y4ekPbsl
"They balled.I'm telling you, (North Carolina) is a veteran team that came in with one idea: They were going to be physical with us. That's what they did. And you know what? We held our own." Kentucky showcased grit and toughness in Saturday's win over UNC https://t.co/H4eDekn0HP
ICYMI - Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball's big win over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic. #BBN #ukbasketball https://t.co/gGAg2FizNB
My TEAM OF THE DAY the Spartans of @MSU_Basketball with a brilliant performance over unbeaten @BaylorMBB 88-64 Tom Izzo ‘s team showed y they were a pre season top 5 team .
“We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been waiting and waiting for this from Michigan State… Tom Izzo does some pretty good work with his back against the wall, and they smacked Baylor RIGHT from the outset” - @GoodmanHoops AFTER DARK IS LIVE: https://t.co/juF9OG8Emg https://t.co/UkzfOJtvRu
Here’s @KyleTucker_ATH on Kentucky’s win over UNC: https://t.co/JVoTVw5H1H
John Calipari let his wildly entertaining young guard rock, Kentucky’s star freshmen delivered on the big stage and Rob Dillingham dapped up John Wall in-game. Calipari’s second act starting to look a lot like his first, and it sure is fun. https://t.co/FJFQUpnAuy
“I think Dillingham is SPECIAL. These freshmen for Kentucky competed on both ends of the floor. I loved what I saw from them tonight” - @r22childress Breaking down the Wildcats’ BIG win over UNC NOW! WE ARE LIVE: https://t.co/juF9OG8Emg https://t.co/oxWlS8lapc
Kentucky beats North Carolina in a shootout! Breaking down EVERY aspect of this game with @RobDauster, @GoodmanHoops, and @r22childress NOW!! After Dark is LIVE ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/exlk6rXuki
We are diving into Kentucky's win over North Carolina NOW over on After Dark: https://t.co/juF9OG8Emg
A day of high level match-ups in college basketball. No. 8 Creighton with a strong home win against Alabama 85-82-who challenged until the end. @BluejayMBB are such a fun team to watch. Constantly moving on offense and looking for each other. Baylor Scheierman & Ryan Kalkbrenner…
Column: Arizona-Purdue was a great December basketball game. Unfortunately for both teams, March atonement is all that really matters. https://t.co/jUFM1cihh9
Talking with @BoilerBall's Fletcher Loyer NOW!! Breaking down his 27 point performance against No. 1 Arizona! Tap in to After Dark ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/exlk6rXuki
“Where’s the weakness with Purdue? How do you stop them?” @RobDauster and @GoodmanHoops think the Boilermakers are the CLEAR best team with the best resume in the country!! WE ARE LIVE: https://t.co/juF9OG8Emg https://t.co/WnDaIYYaYJ
Despite letting a 12-point second-half lead slip away, No. 14 Kentucky held on for an 87-83 win against No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic. @BrendanRMarks and @KyleTucker_ATH on what the win means for Wildcats ⤵️ https://t.co/Na2A1XYMmL
"Purdue's guards proved beyond a shadow of doubt today that they can play with anybody" Are the Boilers clearly the best team in the country? Tap in to After Dark NOW!! https://t.co/exlk6rXuki
“I’m ready to say this. Braden Smith is squarely in the discussion for best point guard in the country.” @GoodmanHoops breaking down what he saw from @BoilerBall today against Arizona!! AFTER DARK IS LIVE: https://t.co/juF9OG8Emg https://t.co/jhTVd7Z5ON
Youthful #Kentucky takes veteran #UNC to school in winning its battle of bluebloods ... https://t.co/qLLgZOuNYw
Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over the North Carolina Tar Heels #BBN #ukbasketball https://t.co/gGAg2FizNB