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It’s time to change the clear favorites. There are now three instead of four. Kansas’ home loss to Texas puts the Jayhawks in a second tier. The three teams comfortably – for now – in the Final Four conversation are Gonzaga, Baylor and Villanova. The rest of the field is wide open.
Get ready for a super smooth Power 36: Digest and debate below.
1. Gonzaga (1): The Bulldogs started the CMC with a resounding victory over San Francisco.
2. Baylor (2): The Bears beat so far on the Big 12.
3. Villanova (3): The Wildcats are on hiatus and ready to return to the Grand Est.
4. Texas (6): The Longhorns’ victory in Kansas was arguably the most important conference of any league to date.
RECAP: Texas routs Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse
5. Wisconsin (8): The Badgers have hit Minnesota at home and continue to impress.
6. Illinois (10): The Illini have some of the best 1-2 pops of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.
7. Michigan (15): The Wolverines remain unbeaten in the Big Ten, the only one left.
8. Iowa (12): The Hawkeyes outlived Rutgers and have proven they are going to be at the heart of the title race.
9. Kansas (4): The Jayhawks were stunned by Texas. Let’s see if this ends up being an outlier.
10. Tennessee (7): The Vols lost at home to Alabama after hitting Missouri in Colombia.
11. Houston (5): The Cougars rebounded from Tulsa’s loss to beat SMU.
12. Creighton (11): The Bluejays beat Providence on the road on a dunk!
13. Oregon (14): The Ducks had a comeback victory over Stanford. The Pac-12 can still pass through Eugene or Westwood.
14. Minnesota (17): The Gophers responded to Wisconsin’s loss with a double-digit victory over Ohio.
15. Rutgers (19): The Scarlet Knights almost destroyed Iowa. But they have shown that once they are healthy, they will be difficult.
16. Missouri (9): The Tigers were humiliated at home, but then responded with a win in Arkansas.
17. Ohio State (18): The Buckeyes shared the week. Losing in Minnesota is not a bad loss. This team will be fine once they are healthy.
18. UCLA (30): It’s time to recognize the Bruins are legitimate. They will be chasing the Pac-12 title with Oregon.
19. Virginia Tech (22): The Hokies prove that their victory over Villanova was no accident.
20. NC State (20): The Wolfpack clinched a victory over rivals North Carolina.
21. Clemson (35 years old): The Tigers will end up being a factor in the ACC race.
22. Boise State (23): The Broncos have become the team to beat in Mountain West.
23. BYU (24): The Cougars are easily No. 2 in the WCC.
24. Alabama (NR): The Tide managed the astonishment of the week by winning in Tennessee.
25. Oklahoma (NR): The Sooners have beaten West Virginia and have made it known they are going to be a pest in the Big 12.
26. Virginia (26): The Cavaliers are back on hiatus.
MORE: Here’s where the recent national champions were ranked on January 1
27. Florida (NR): The Gators are learning to play without Keyontae Johnson and won a significant victory over LSU.
28. North West (16): Life on the Big Ten road is brutal, as the Wildcats discovered in Iowa and Michigan.
29. Seton Hall (NR): The Pirates are fast becoming the third best team in the Big East.
30. UConn (33): The Huskies have beaten DePaul and have one of the nation’s top scorers at James Bouknight.
31. West Virginia (13): Mountaineers will have to reinvent themselves with the departure of Oscar Tshiebwe.
32. Arizona (NR): The Wildcats won a Wildcats in Washington State. Arizona is not eligible for the playoffs due to a self-imposed ban, but they can still win the Pac-12.
33. Saint Louis (36): The Billikens are absent, but when they return they will be the team to beat in the A-10.
34. State of Oklahoma (NR): The Cowboys toppled Texas Tech to show they belonged to the top half of the Big 12.
35. Tulsa (NR): The Golden Hurricane held on to upset Houston at home.
36. Drake (NR): The Bulldogs are 12-0 and their best player a year ago is the starting center from Minnesota.
Abandoned: No. 21 State of Florida, No. 25 State of San Diego, No. 27 Texas Tech, No. 28 State of Michigan, No. 29 North Carolina, No. 31 Arkansas, No. 32 Xavier, No. 34 Stanford .
Also under study: Duke, TCU, Providence, SMU, UCF, Marquette, LSU, Colorado State, Winthrop.
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