Arizona, Baylor rise in first men’s college basketball Power 36 of March

The first week of March featured more upsets and breath-taking moments as the competition amps up — inching closer and closer to Selection Sunday on March 17. Andy Katz is back to break down his latest Power 36 rankings.

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Power 36 | March 4

1. Houston (1): The Cougars’ Jamal Shead hit the game winner at Oklahoma to keep Houston in pursuit of the Big 12 title.
2. UConn (2): The Huskies got the outright Big East title with a win over Seton Hall.
3. Purdue (3): The Boilermakers clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title.
4. Iowa State (4): The Cyclones are peaking at the right time for a potential deep March run.
5. Tennessee (5): The Vols had a tremendous week with wins over Auburn and Alabama.
6. Arizona (8): The Wildcats have hit reset and bounced back to be on schedule still for a No. 1 seed.
7. Baylor (9): The Bears got revenge against Kansas and are primed for a Big 12 tournament run.
8. Kentucky (10): The Wildcats continue to show they can score at will.
9. North Carolina (12): The Tar Heels are in position to be a high 2 or a No. 1 seed in two weeks.
10. Duke (13): The Blue Devils destroyed Virginia and are ready to earn a piece of the ACC regular-season title with two wins this week.
11. Illinois (14): The Illini beat Minnesota by scoring over 100 and then went to Madison and got an impressive road win.
12. Creighton (15): The Bluejays have the offense to reach the Big East title game and beyond in March.
13. Marquette (7): The Golden Eagles lost to Creighton with a depleted roster. Big week ahead with a showdown with UConn.
14. Alabama (11): The Tide hung with the Vols and are still in contention for a top-two SEC finish.
15. South Carolina (32): The Gamecocks are back to being in the chase for a top-two seed in the SEC tournament.
16. South Florida (17): The Bulls are the outright American champs.
17. Gonzaga (19): The Zags won at Saint Mary’s and should be a lock for the NCAA tournament.
18. Washington State (18): The Cougars got a home sweep of the LA schools to remain tied with Arizona atop the Pac-12.
19. Saint Mary’s (16): The Gaels dropped their first game in the WCC, but still won the league outright.
20. BYU (34): The Cougars won two in a row, including at Kansas, to jump into the top four in the Big 12.
21. Auburn (26): The Tigers bounced back with a dominating win over Mississippi State.
22. Utah State (24): The Aggies head into the final week on a three-game win streak and a…