What similarities exist between Duke and Mississippi Valley State? At first glance, not much, except for the shared use of the term “Devils” in their nicknames. Duke’s basketball team boasts an impressive record, winning five national championships since 1991, while Mississippi Valley State has yet to secure a victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke currently holds a 14-4 record, ranking No. 18 in the NET, while Mississippi Valley State is at the opposite end of the spectrum with a 0-19 record and a NET ranking of 362. Despite these vast differences in performance and history, an interesting commonality emerges in their identical records in Quad 2 games.
Although Duke may seem leagues ahead with its 0-3 Quad 2 record, matching that of the worst team in college basketball, Mississippi Valley State, adds an unexpected twist. Among the 40 teams sporting an 0-3 mark in Quad 2 opportunities, Duke stands out as the only one ranked in the top 115 of the NET. What further complicates Duke’s profile is its unique position as the sole major conference team in the NET’s top 35 with a losing record in Quad 2.
Despite a commendable 3-1 record in Quad 1, featuring notable wins over Michigan State and Baylor at neutral sites, Duke exhibits a concerning tendency to underperform against seemingly weaker opponents. This inconsistency reflects in their current standing, trailing behind in the power rankings and facing challenges in keeping up with North Carolina in the ACC race, underscoring the enigmatic nature of their season.
With that, here are the latest CBS Sports power rankings.
College basketball power rankings
| 1 |  UConn |
| UConn is 100% capable of becoming the first program to repeat as national champion since Florida did it in 2007 and 2008. Finally operating at full health, the Huskies (17-2, 7-1 Big East) are also on track to do something last year’s team didn’t: win the Big East. Last week: 1 | |
| 2 |  Purdue |
| Anything can happen in March, as Purdue fans know all too well. But the improvement of Zach Edey’s supporting cast is providing significant reason for optimism that these Boilermakers (18-2, 7-2 Big Ten) are primed to avoid postseason catastrophes. Last week: 2 | |
| 3 |  N. Carolina |
| RJ Davis is on another planet offensively, and the Tar Heels are thriving defensively as a team. UNC (16-3, 8-0 ACC) already owns a two-game edge in the league standings and is a No. 1 seed in the latest Bracketology from Jerry Palm. After a bewildering few years of ups and downs, the Tar Heels are officially back. Last week: 3 | |
| 4 |  Tennessee |
| Tennessee throttled metrics darling Alabama 91-71 on Saturday. The Volunteers (14-4, 4-1 SEC) are elite defensively, per usual. This year, they actually have an offense, too. With Dalton Knecht shining on the wing as one of the nation’s top transfers, this team will be more dangerous than usual in March. Last week: 8 | |
| 5 |  Houston |
| Houston has bounced back from a 1-2 start to Big 12 play with three straight victories. The two losses both came on the road as the Cougars got their first taste of life away from home in the Big 12. That’s why Tuesday’s win at BYU stood out. It showed Houston (17-2, 4-2 Big 12) can go into a hornet’s nest and execute against a quality foe. Last week: 9 | |
| 6 |  Kansas |
| This isn’t the most inspiring team of coach Bill Self’s 21-year tenure. The Jayhawks (16-3, 4-2 Big 12) lack depth and don’t make many 3-pointers. But with freshman wing Johnny Furphy still growing into his new starting role, KU isn’t a finished product yet. That’s scary when you consider this team owns victories against Kentucky, Tennessee and UConn. Last week: 4 | |
| 7 |  Arizona |
| Arizona beat UCLA 77-71 on Saturday after trailing by 19. Things aren’t coming quite as easily as expected for the Wildcats (14-4, 5-2 Pac-12) in the unimpressive Pac-12, but Saturday’s comeback was a gutty display of resilience. Last week: 10 | |
| 8 |  Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin is still atop the Big Ten standings after wins against Indiana and Minnesota over the past week. The Badgers (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten) haven’t played Purdue or Illinois yet, but this could be the the program’s best team yet under eighth-year coach Greg Gard. Last week: 11 | |
| 9 |  Auburn |
| Auburn’s 11-game winning streak ended with a 79-75 loss at Alabama on Wednesday night. The Tigers (16-3, 5-1 SEC) are now 0-3 in Quad 1 games and could use some validation in the form of quality wins. With four of their next five games on track to be of the Quad 1 variety, the opportunities are coming. Last week: 5 | |
| 10 |  Kentucky |
| Kentucky’s youth was evident in a 79-62 loss at South Carolina on Tuesday. The Wildcats (14-4, 4-2 SEC) are immensely talented offensively but have a lot of work to do defensively if they are going to challenge for the SEC title and make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Last week: 6 | |
| 11 |  Marquette |
| Marquette has rebounded from a 2-3 start to league play with three consecutive victories, including a 73-72 thriller at St. John’s on Saturday. The Golden Eagles (14-5, 5-3 Big East) may still be the league’s top challenger to UConn; showdowns against the Huskies await in the second half of conference play. Last week: NR | |
| 12 |  Illinois |
| Terrence Shannon Jr. has been charged with rape but is playing basketball anyway after a judge struck down his university suspension. It’s an ugly situation, but his presence on the court makes Illinois (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) a better basketball team and one with the requisite talent to win a national title. Last week: NR | |
| 13 |  Iowa St. |
| T.J. Otzelberger can really coach. That’s the big-picture takeaway with Iowa State as the Cyclones sit at 15-4 (4-2 Big 12) following consecutive wins at TCU and against Kansas State. He took over a team that went 2-22 the year before his arrival and has it tracking for a third straight NCAA Tournament bid. Last week: 14 | |
| 14 |  Creighton |
| Creighton has won six of its last seven since a stretch of three losses in four games to end December. The Bluejays (17-5, 6-3 Big East) should continue the hot streak since their next two games are at home against DePaul and Butler. Last week: NR | |
| 15 |  Duke |
| Duke crushed Pitt 75-53 on the road on Jan. 9 but lost to the Panthers 80-76 at home on Saturday. The talent and glimpses of potential from the Blue Devils (13-4, 4-2 ACC) are inspiring. The lack of consistency and bizarre 0-3 record in Quad 2 games is not. Last week: 7 | |
| 16 |  Baylor |
| Baylor has lost two straight by a combined six points at Kansas State and at Texas. The K-State loss went to overtime, and the Longhorns won on a buzzer-beater. At 14-4 (3-2 Big 12), the Bears remain firmly in the conference title hunt with a nice mix of veterans and young talent. Last week: 16 | |
| 17 |  Utah St. |
| Mountain West hype is an annual rite of passage in college basketball that is typically overdone and a bit fatiguing. Not this year. The top six teams in the league could compete in any conference. Utah State (17-2, 5-1 MWC) is atop the heap heading into a showdown for first-place at Boise State on Saturday. Last week: NR | |
| 18 |  Dayton |
| Dayton now owns the nation’s longest winning streak at 13 games following Samford’s loss at Furman on Wednesday night. The Flyers (16-2, 6-0 A-10) will put it on the line Saturday at Richmond in a battle of the final two A-10 teams without blemish in conference play. Last week: 19 | |
| 19 |  Northwestern |
| Northwestern owns victories against four of the top 21 teams in the NET after avenging an earlier blowout loss at Illinois with an overtime takedown of the Illini on Wednesday. The only reason the Wildcats (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) aren’t higher here or in other rankings and metrics is because of an utterly senseless Dec. 13 loss to a Chicago State team ranked No. 288 in the NET. Last week: NR | |
| 20 |  Alabama |
| At long last, Alabama finally beat someone of note. Before Wednesday night’s 79-75 win over Auburn, the Crimson Tide’s best wins were against bubble teams. Alabama (13-6, 5-1 SEC) may end up challenging Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee for league supremacy after all. Last week: NR | |
