College Basketball Rankings: CBS Sports shakes up Top 25 and 1 after pair of Top 10 upsets

Wednesday night’s college basketball slate delivered two Top 10 upsets. No. 4 Arizona defeated No. 3 UConn and No. 11 Alabama downed No. 8 Illinois. Naturally, CBS Sports‘ Gary Parrish couldn’t help but shake up his Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings.

Guards stole the show in both outings, with Arizona’s Jaden Bradley tallying a team-high 21 points and Alabama’s Labaron Philon scoring 24. In turn, Parrish dethroned Purdue as his top team despite the Boilermakers not suffering a loss.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. With so much to cover, let’s dive into Parrish’s updated Top 25 and 1 rankings.

1. Arizona Wildcats (+4)

We’re barely two weeks into the season and Arizona already boasts three wins against ranked opponents. On Wednesday, the Wildcats defeated UConn, 71-67.

Bradley wasn’t the only star for the Wildcats. Freshman center Koa Peat dominated, recording a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double on 7-14 shooting. In total, Arizona reeled in 43 rebounds compared to UConn’s mere 23.

2. Purdue Boilermakers (-1)

Purdue’s slip in Parrish’s college basketball rankings is no fault of its own. On Sunday, the Boilermakers handily defeated Akron, 97-79. The team was still riding high from its 87-80 triumph over Alabama just three days earlier.

In the win against the Crimson Tide, All-American point guard Braden Smith was spectacular, logging 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn posted a double-double, recording 19 points and 15 rebounds.

3. Houston Cougars (-1)

On Sunday, Houston narrowly defeated Auburn, 73-72. In the win, the Cougars held Auburn to 39% shooting from the field, but only forced eight turnovers.

In a twist, it was Houston’s offensive prowess that ultimately guided it to a victory. Freshman Kingston Flemings was a standout, notching a team-high 22 points, along with five rebounds and seven assists.

4. UConn Huskies (-1)

Parrish didn’t punish UConn for falling to Arizona in a nail-biting finish on Wednesday. Instead, the Huskies only fell one spot in the college basketball rankings. After all, UConn put up an excellent fight despite its lackluster performance on the glass.

Notably, UConn recorded 15 assists compared to just five turnovers. The Huskies’ offense was well-distributed, with four of the team’s five starters scoring double figures.

5. BYU Cougars (-1)

BYU hasn’t taken the court again since falling 86-84 to UConn on Saturday. Nonetheless, Parrish hasn’t lost confidence in the Cougars. How could he with AJ Dybantsa on their roster?

In the loss on Saturday, Dybantsa scored a game-high 25 points. Assist-to-turnover ratio was the deciding factor of the game. BYU recorded just seven assists compared to 14 turnovers. Meanwhile, UConn logged 21 assists in the win.

6. Florida Gators

Last Tuesday, Florida edged out a 78-76 win over Florida State. Transfer guard Boogie Fland hit two-game winning free throws with 15.8 seconds remaining against the Seminoles.

Florida didn’t allow its next in-state opponent to get nearly as close. The Gators dominated Miami in an 82-68 effort on Sunday. Alex Condon led Florida with 19 points. The reigning national champions will look to build on their momentum before they take on Duke and UConn in early December.

7. Michigan Wolverines

After two stressful wins over Wake Forest and TCU last week, Michigan cruised to a comfortable 86-61 victory over Middle Tennessee State on Wednesday. In the victory, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg was everywhere.

The UAB transfer stuffed the stat sheet with team-highs of 25 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Aday Mara added 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Wolverines.

8. Duke Blue Devils

On Tuesday, Duke secured a convincing 78-66 win over Kansas in the Champions Classic. The Jayhawks were without star freshman Darryn Peterson, but the Blue Devils’ performance was stunning nonetheless.

Freshman Cameron Boozer was particularly excellent, notching 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Duke sophomore Isaiah Evans piled on 16 points as well in the triumph.

9. Louisville Cardinals

Louisville strolled to a 106-81 win over Ohio on Saturday, but the victory paled in comparison to its 96-88 victory over Kentucky earlier in the week. The Cardinals dominated Kentucky for much of the game, leading by up to 20 points.

The Wildcats ultimately clawed back into the game to keep it competitive, but didn’t have any answers for Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who exploded for 29 points. Ryan Conwell didn’t trail far behind, scoring 24 points of his own.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide

After falling to Purdue last Thursday, Alabama bounced back with a 90-86 win over Illinois on Wednesday. Labaron Philon was far from the Crimson Tide’s only standout performer.

Keitenn Bristow and Amari Allen combined for 19 points and 19 rebounds off the bench. Allen also shot 2-4 from beyond the arc.

11. St. John’s
12. Iowa State (+1)
13. Gonzaga (+1)
14. Illinois (-2)
15. Texas Tech
16. UCLA
17. Michigan State
18. Oregon
19. Arkansas
20. North Carolina
21. Kentucky
22. Tennessee
23. Auburn
24. Wisconsin
25. Ole Miss
26. Kansas