NCAA Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Auburn, Tennessee still lead the pack

The meat and potatoes of the men's college basketball season is officially upon us.

The multiteam events and neutral-site showdowns were great, but there's nothing quite like the nightly grind of conference play over the next 10 weeks. And it doesn't take long to really get going. Here's a quick look at the most meaningful games in each of the major conferences -- in just the first week of 2025:

ACC: Pittsburgh at Duke on Jan. 7. Pitt can stake its claim as the second-best team in the ACC.

Big East: Creighton at Marquette on Jan. 3. Marquette might be the favorite, but Creighton has shown life despite the loss of Pop Isaacs.

Big Ten: Illinois at Oregon on Jan. 2. It wouldn't be a surprise if one of these teams is the Big Ten champ.

Big 12: Baylor at Iowa State on Jan. 4. Iowa State has its best team in recent years, while Baylor is finally at full strength.

SEC: Florida at Kentucky, Arkansas at Tennessee, Oklahoma at Alabama on Jan. 4. Take your pick -- this league is going to have marquee games every week.

1. Auburn Tigers (12-1)

Previous ranking:1