College Basketball Rankings: Casey Jacobsen Has Vanderbilt, Alabama on the Move

The men's college basketball season is a wild ride, and I’m here to sort it out every Sunday.

With so many big games each week — plus emerging stars carrying their teams toward March — the men's college hoops schedule and many storylines is a lot to keep track of. I'm here to make sense of the big picture. 

My top 25 rewards toughness, experience and identity — not preseason hype or brand names. I'll be bold, I may surprise you, but I'll also have receipts. Most of all, expect a ranking built for the long haul. Each week, I’ll reset the landscape, cut through the noise and tell you what actually matters as the season evolves.

With that, here’s the fourth edition of my men's college basketball rankings, as of Dec. 28:

Previously ranked: 25

(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Maybe this is too low? Iowa's only two losses this season have come on the road against then-No. 7 Michigan State and then-No. 4 Iowa State. KenPom has the Hawkeyes at No. 18. They have a nice test against UCLA (10-3) at home on Saturday (6 p.m. ET).

Previously ranked: 24

A top-25 offense that plays at a breakneck speed (third in tempo nationally) is a lot of fun to watch. Coming up, Georgia has an intriguing home game against an inconsistent Auburn (8-4) team on Saturday (1 p.m. ET).

Previously ranked: 23

Florida didn't play last week. It has four losses on the season, but those were to then-No. 13 Arizona, TCU, then-No. 4 Duke and then-No. 5 UConn. Most solid teams outside the top 10 would have a similar record given this schedule.

Previously ranked: 22

The Cavaliers went from having the 103rd-best offense in the country last year to the 12th-best over Christmas break. That’s big time. Virginia's ACC play starts on the road against Virginia Tech