2024 College Basketball Power Rankings (Dec. 16)

College basketball season is back, which means it’s time to search for betting edges on the hardwood. 

Below, you’ll find FTN’s college basketball power rankings for the 2024 season. These will be updated every week after games, adjusting for results, news and injuries. We can use these ratings to create a point spread between any two teams in the country on a neutral court. Just subtract the lower team’s rating from the higher-ranked team’s rating. If you compare that number to the spread of a particular game, you can find situations where FTN identifies a betting edge. We will also keep track of teams that are trending up or down, helping to further identify value compared to the public’s perception on media polls.

Make sure to take advantage of our early-bird special for Fantasy Baseball, which ends tonight in just six hours!  

Here is the latest iteration of the FTN College Basketball Power Rankings for the 2024-2025 season!

Key Takeaways 

• Houston remains the top team in our CBB Power Rankings despite its three losses against a brutal non-conference schedule. The Cougars battled Auburn throughout their matchup and suffered two overtime losses to Alabama and San Diego State. Those overtime losses are relatively fluky, reinforcing our belief in the Cougars at the top spot. Houston has not played science December 10 due to final exams but starts the brutal Big 12 schedule on Monday, December 30 at Oklahoma State. The Cougars still rank 11th overall in offense and third overall in defense, per KenPom. 
• Auburn and Duke are now No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in our FTN CBB Power Rankings, boasting a combined record of 17-3. Duke’s two losses to Kentucky and Kansas were games decided in the final possessions. Auburn is 9-1 overall and fresh off a dominant 28-point win over Ohio State in Atlanta on Saturday. 
• Gonzaga actually rose one spot to No. 4 overall despite two consecutive losses to Kentucky in a semi-home game and UConn at Madison Square Garden. The Bulldogs got terrible performances from Nolan Hickman (0 points) and Graham Ike (3 points). Outside of its season-opening win against Baylor, Gonzaga has not looked like a Final Four team. 
• Kansas rose three spots to No. 7 overall after its 75-60 home win over North Carolina State. The Jayhawks righted the ship after two straight road losses and have one more home game (Brown) before opening the conference schedule against West Virginia. 
• Another big riser of the week was Kentucky, which continues to roll in Mark Pope’s first year as head coach. The Wildcats defeated Colgate and Louisville in Lexington to move to 10-1 on the season. Kentucky will play Ohio State at Madison Square Garden this Saturday in a penultimate tuneup before SEC play. 
• The biggest riser overall was Ohio State, which rose up 11 spots to 18 overall, despite three losses in its last four contests. The Pittsburgh overtime loss is fluky, but two 20-plus point blowouts to Maryland and Auburn are causes for concern. A win on Saturday against Kentucky would go a long way to assuage the minds of Buckeye fans.