With the early season tournaments now wrapped and December officially underway, the schedule has shifted into yet another stretch defined by high-level nonconference matchups that are already reshaping both the March Madness bracket projections and the national picture. The ACC/SEC Challenge delivered some of the week’s biggest swings, highlighted by Duke’s gritty late win over defending national champion Florida, North Carolina’s narrow road victory at Kentucky, Arkansas’s emphatic statement against Louisville, Auburn’s strong showing against NC State, and Tennessee’s surprising stumble at Syracuse. Beyond the Challenge, where the SEC narrowly topped the ACC, heavyweight clashes across the Top 25 kept the momentum rolling, from Duke’s comeback at Michigan State to Arizona’s dominant win over Auburn, and Gonzaga’s blowout of Kentucky in Nashville. Illinois added another headline by overpowering Tennessee in the same building, but no result sent a stronger shockwave than Iowa State overwhelming the nation’s top team in Purdue on the road, moving them up significantly in the rankings. With marquee wins piling up and resumés beginning to separate, the fifth edition of my power rankings arrives at a pivotal point in the season, so without further ado, here they are:

1. Arizona (8-0)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. 20 Auburn

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 12 Alabama (in Birmingham, AL) (12/13)

2. Duke (10-0)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. 15 Florida, @ 7 Michigan State

Losses: None

This Week: None

3. Michigan (8-0)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. Rutgers

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Villanova (12/9), @ Maryland (12/13)

4. Iowa State (9-0)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. Alcorn State, @ 1 Purdue

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Iowa (12/11), vs. Eastern Illinois (12/14)

5. UConn (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: @ 21 Kansas, vs. East Texas A&M

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 18 Florida (in New York, NY) (12/9), vs. Texas (12/12)

6. Michigan State (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 1-1

Wins: vs. Iowa

Losses: @ 4 Duke

This Week: @ Penn State (12/13)

7. Gonzaga (9-1)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. 18 Kentucky (in Nashville, TN), vs. North Florida

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 25 UCLA (in Seattle, WA) (12/13)

8. BYU (7-1)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. California Baptist

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Clemson (in New York, NY) (12/9), vs. UC Riverside (12/13)

9. Houston (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. Florida State (in Houston, TX)

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Jackson State (12/10), vs. New Orleans (12/13)

10. Purdue (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 1-1

Wins: @ Rutgers

Losses: vs. 10 Iowa State

This Week: vs. Minnesota (12/10), vs. Marquette (12/13)

11. Louisville (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. 22 Indiana (in Indianapolis, IN)

Losses: @ 25 Arkansas

This Week: vs. Memphis (12/13)

12. Alabama (7-2)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. Clemson, vs. UTSA

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 1 Arizona (in Birmingham, AL) (12/13)

13. Illinois (7-2)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. 13 Tennessee (in Nashville, TN)

Losses: None

This Week: @ Ohio State (12/9), vs. 23 Nebraska (12/13)

14. North Carolina (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: @ 18 Kentucky, vs. Georgetown

Losses: None

This Week: vs. USC Upstate (12/13)

15. Vanderbilt (9-0)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. SMU

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Central Arkansas (12/13)

16. Nebraska (9-0)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. Creighton

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Wisconsin (12/10), @ 13 Illinois (12/13)

17. Texas Tech (7-2)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. LSU (in Fort Worth, TX)

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 17 Arkansas (in Dallas, TX) (12/13)

18. Arkansas (7-2)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. 6 Louisville, vs. Fresno State

Losses: None

This Week: vs. 19 Texas Tech (in Dallas, TX) (12/13)

19. Kansas (7-3)

Last Week’s Record: 1-1

Wins: vs. Missouri

Losses: vs. 5 UConn

This Week: @ NC State (12/13)

20. Tennessee (7-3)

Last Week’s Record: 0-2

Wins: None

Losses: @ Syracuse, vs. 14 Illinois (in Nashville, TN)

This Week: None

21. Florida (5-3)

Last Week’s Record: 0-1

Wins: None

Losses: @ 4 Duke

This Week: vs. 5 UConn (in New York, NY) (12/9), vs. George Washington (in Sunrise, FL) (12/13)

22. Auburn (7-3)

Last Week’s Record: 1-1

Wins: vs. NC State

Losses: @ 2 Arizona

This Week: vs. Chattanooga (in Atlanta, GA) (12/13)

23. Oklahoma State (9-0)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: vs. Sam Houston, vs. Grand Canyon (in Phoenix, AZ)

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Oklahoma (in Oklahoma City, OK) (12/13)

24. Virginia (8-1)

Last Week’s Record: 2-0

Wins: @ Texas, vs. Dayton (in Charlotte, NC)

Losses: None

This Week: vs. MD Eastern (12/9)

25. St. John’s (5-3)

Last Week’s Record: 1-0

Wins: vs. Ole Miss

Losses: None

This Week: vs. Iona (12/13)