Men's College Basketball Rankings: Houston, Virginia Climb, Arizona Still on Top

What an awesome week of college basketball! We started with five undefeated teams, and now, we are down to three: Arizona, Nebraska, and Miami (Ohio), as Vanderbilt and Iowa State both lost back-to-back games. 

Conference play is always more difficult because the coaches and players know each other so well, and the road environments are tougher than those neutral-floor, non-conference games in NBA arenas. Expect to see more chaos in the next six weeks.

Games to mark on your calendar:

With that, here’s the latest edition of my men's college basketball rankings, as of Jan. 18.

INDIANAPOLIS: Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. drives to the basket against Indiana's Conor Enright at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 6, 2025. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Everyone is still waiting for when point guard Mikel Brown Jr. will return from a back injury, forcing him to miss eight straight games. Even without him, this Louisville team is very solid and ranked 16th by KenPom. Guard Ryan Conwell had 24 points in a blowout win on the road against Pitt. The Cardinals play Duke in eight days.

The Tigers have won eight straight games and own the 14th most efficient defense in the sport. They are 6-0 in ACC play, with four of those wins coming by double digits. Utah Valley transfer forward Carter Welling (team-high 18 points vs. Miami) has been a solid big man all season.

The Bilikens are 17-1, and that lone loss came off a miracle 3-pointer by Stanford. However, their schedule ranks 300th, and their best win is a neutral-court victory over Santa Clara. I like this group, though, and it has six guys averaging double figures in points, led by their big man, Robbie Avila.

A brutal week for the Tar Heels, as they traveled more than 2,600