The NCAA college basketball schedule is starting to heat up, and the picture is becoming clearer on who the best teams in the nation are. There are still a handful of undefeated teams left, and last week's AP Poll number one team, Purdue, lost their first game of the season, as did a number of other previously undefeated programs. The Boilermakers weren't the top-ranked team by ClutchPoints, though, and their heartbreaking loss sends them tumbling down the top 25 here.
With that said, here are the 25 best teams in college basketball ahead of the slate of games on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
25. Tennessee
Tennessee has had a disastrous last week and a half. After beating then-number three Houston in one of the best wins of the season in all of college basketball, Tennessee lost three straight games. Nate Ament, who was starting to make his way near conversations with potential number one picks in AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer, started to look like a freshman in those losses. Ament's frame is still developing, and he has struggled with efficiency in recent games in which his shot hasn't been falling. Tennessee did lead at halftime in all of their recent losses, so if they can start to string together 40 minutes of consistent basketball, they can skyrocket back up the college basketball power rankings.
24. Auburn
Auburn lost their third game of the year, this time to Arizona, meaning they've lost three of their four games against ranked opponents. Unlike their earlier season loss against Houston, which was only a one-point defeat, Auburn wasn't that competitive against Michigan or Arizona. Tahaad Pettiford had 30 points in the loss to Arizona, but Kevin Overton had one of the worst games of his career.
23. USC
USC's undefeated start ended after a loss to Washington. Kentucky, St. John's, and Indiana dropped out of ClutchPoints' top 25, but the Maui Invitational winners have done enough to maintain a spot. Eric Musselman is great at coaching teams with talent at the top, and there are two 20-point-per-game scorers on USC's roster.
22. Iowa
Iowa has run through all the inferior competition they've faced this year, but fans wondered how they would fare against ranked competition. Unfortunately, they lost by 19 points to Michigan State. Bennett Stirtz is used to playing in big games, and he shone with 25 points in that loss, but the rest of his team didn't give him enough support. Stirtz also didn't make as big of an impact in areas outside of scoring in that game as he usually does, either.
21. Nebraska
Nebraska is one of eight still undefeated teams in college basketball. The Cornhuskers have yet to beat a ranked opponent, but they just keep chugging along, and they have some solid wins under their belt. Some of their notable victories came over in-state rival and always solid Creighton, as well as Kansas State, which features the leading scorer in the nation in P.J. Haggerty. Nebraska's first ranked matchup will come against Illinois this week, so the Huskers will have a chance to prove that they are legit.
20. Seton Hall
Another team that beat up on the stumbling Kansas State Wildcats is Seton Hall. The Pirates are now 9-1 because they play an unselfish brand of basketball. There isn't a clear-cut top offensive option on this team, but Seton Hall plays hard and gives effort on defense.
19. Kansas
Although he was limited on a snap count of sorts, potential number one overall pick Darryn Peterson returned to the fold for the Kansas Jayhawks in their last game. Peterson should help stabilize a team that has been up and down all year so far. The difference Peterson makes was evident right away, as Kansas' offense drastically improved upon his return.
18. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt was one of the surprise teams in college football this year, and that has proven true for their basketball program as well. They are 9-0, and they most recently bested an SMU team that was also undefeated at the time.
17. Florida
The defending champions dropped another one. While Florida played admirably and only lost by one point to Duke, a team that ranks much higher in these college basketball power rankings, it doesn't change the fact that the Gators already have three losses during their championship defense. The silver lining is that Thomas Haugh looks much improved from what he contributed to the March Madness-winning team of a season ago.
16. Texas Tech
JT Toppin was chosen as ClutchPoints' preseason best player in the nation. His numbers back up that claim. The double-double machine is averaging 20.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Christian Anderson is averaging 19.1 points per game and has done a solid job replacing Darrion Williams as the number two option. The Red Raiders don't have a ton of size outside of Toppin, though, which is why they suffered losses to big-bodied teams in Illinois and Purdue.
15. Arkansas
Arkansas handed Louisville their first loss of the season last week. Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas are leading the team and reminding fans of John Calipari-coached Kentucky teams in the process. These Razorbacks have a lot more upperclassmen than most of Calipari's Kentucky squads did, though. None of Trevon Brazile, D.J. Wagner, Malique Ewin, Billy Richmond, or Karter Knox needs to put up big numbers on a nightly basis, but they all do what it takes to help the team win games.
14. Michigan State
Michigan State's offensive numbers haven't been that impressive all season long. They aren't particularly efficient from inside or behind the 3-point arc. The team plays great defense, but they gave up their highest scoring total to an opposing team when they took on Wisconsin, and it resulted in their first loss of the season.
13. UNC
Speaking of Michigan State, UNC's lone loss came against them. They bounced back from that loss with wins over Kentucky and Georgetown last week. It is early December, and the Tar Heels already have two blue-blood wins on the season. Freshman Caleb Wilson is putting up production not far off from Texas Tech's Toppin. He is a beast inside who can score at will and collect rebounds.
12. Alabama
Alabama has only scored fewer than 90 points once this season. Their 95.1 points per game are the fifth most in the nation. Labaron Philon spearheads the offensive attack, but Aden Holloway, Amari Allen, and Taylor Bol Bowen can all score in bunches, too. Jalil Bethea has just returned from a foot injury, too, and he brings even more scoring pop.
11. Louisville
Louisville has scored 80-plus points in eight of their nine games, including their recent and only loss of the season against Arkansas. The team's backcourt, in particular, can score at will. Ryan Conwell, Mikel Brown, and Isaac McKneely combine for 48.8 points per game. Louisville's bench was far outplayed in the loss to Arkansas.
10. Illinois
Illinois bounced back from a loss to UConn by beating Tennessee. Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic received a lot of the hype coming into the season, but Kylan Boswell deserves a lot of credit for leading the team thus far. Boswell leads the team in scoring and assists.
9. BYU
The battle for the number one pick is already shaping up to be interesting. Darryn Peterson went first overall on ClutchPoints' first 2026 Mock Draft of the year, but Cameron Boozer is the Naismith Player of the Year favorite, and AJ Dybantsa has scored 15-plus points in all eight games this season. That surpasses Kevin Durant for the longest such streak among freshmen in NCAA history, and now he only trails Trae Young in that regard. Peterson is leading Kansas, Boozer is Duke's star, and Caleb Wilson is the best player on UNC's roster. Those are all prestigious programs, but Dybantsa is turning BYU into something fans have never seen before.
8. Gonzaga
Gonzaga put up 109 points on North Florida in their most recent game despite the fact that Graham Ike was out with an ankle injury. Ike should be returning to the fold soon, which makes the Bulldogs a scary team going forward. Their blowout loss to Michigan may have been a fluke because they followed that up by blowing Kentucky out in their own right. Mark Few just won his 750th game. Gonzaga has done a lot of winning this century, and that shouldn't change anytime soon.
7. Houston
Had Houston caught Tennessee on a different night, after they'd started a multi-game losing streak, the Cougars would likely still be undefeated. The team plays stifling defense, as they only give up 60 points per game. That is the fifth-best mark in the country.
6. Purdue
Purdue won their first eight games of the season, many of which were in dominant fashion. However, there was reason to be concerned because Braden Smith wasn't scoring efficiently. Smith actually led Purdue in scoring in their first loss of the season, but even then, he only scored 11 points. Fletcher Loyer, who has been unconscious from deep this season, only had five points in that game, and Trey Kaufman-Reen had one fewer.
5. UConn
UConn doesn't have any clear weakness. They can shoot, score inside, and play stellar defense. Tarris Reed could return to action in UConn's upcoming game against Florida. He could help the team make a statement win over the defending champions. If he doesn't return, then Eric Reibe will need to have a big game against a Gators team with plenty of interior presence.
4. Iowa State
Iowa State jumps into the top five after knocking off Purdue. Not only did the Cyclones beat the team that was atop the AP Poll at the time, but they embarrassed them. Iowa State won by a score of 81-58. After missing some time, Tamin Lipsey returned to help Iowa State showcase just the threats that they are. Lipsey is one-third of arguably the best star trio in college basketball, along with Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson.
3. Michigan
Michigan is destroying everybody. They beat SDSU by 40 points before putting 100-plus on all of Auburn, Gonzaga, and Rutgers. None of those teams are slouches, as SDSU, Auburn, and Gonzaga have recent Final Four experience, and Rutgers just had two players drafted in the top five. The size of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson, and Aday Mara has been too much for opponents to handle.
2. Arizona
Arizona's already impressive resume got even better with a win over Auburn. The team has now beaten four ranked opponents en route to a perfect 8-0 record. The team can add another ranked opponent to the list when they take on Alabama in their next game. Arizona doesn't have a single player who plays more than 30 minutes per game, which shows just how impressive their depth is. Any of the top eight players can have a big game, and they all tend to produce on a nightly basis.
1. Duke
Duke's roster is littered with draft prospects, but most notably, Cameron Boozer has been arguably the best player in college basketball so far. Boozer is a rebound away from averaging a 23-point double-double on the season. Duke is already 10-0, and they've beaten ranked opponents in three straight matchups.
