Julius Randle, Kentucky

Why he’s No. 1 this week … Randle had a monster game against a plucky Belmont squad. The Bruins led by two at halftime, but had no answers for Randle, who scored 15 points (3-for-3 from the field, 9-for-11 from the free-throw line) in the second half. He finished the game with a career-high 29 points, to go with 10 rebounds.

Year-to-date averages: 18.2 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.1 steals

Kenpom.com: 115.0 offensive rating, 54.8 eFG, 29.8 percent of possessions used

On tap: December 28, vs. Louisville

Must-read: When Randle’s on his game and his teammates are feeding him in the post, sometimes neither Plan A nor Plan B works, writes Tim Sullivan of the Louisville Courier-Journal. [ READ MORE ]

In action: The best of Randle from the past two weeks. [ WATCH ] 

Twitter talk: “Belmont can’t guard Julius Randle. He should get the ball every trip” — @KySportsRadio (Matt Jones of kentuckysportsradio.com)

Jabari Parker, Duke

Why he’s No. 2 this week … Playing against UCLA at Madison Square Garden last Thursday, Parker was the best player on the court in an 80-63 win against Steve Alford’s squad. He had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against the Bruins, and only committed two turnovers and one foul in 37 minutes. The five assists were a career-high, and his four 3-pointer tied his best mark.

Year-to-date averages: 22.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 steals

Kenpom.com: 118.5 offensive rating, 60.9 eFG, 30.5 percent of possessions used

On tap: December 28, vs. Eastern Michigan. December 31, vs. Elon (in Greensboro)

Must-read: Jason King, the new lead college hoops guy at Bleacher Report, says Parker is the new “boss” at Madison Square Garden after that impressive game against UCLA. [ READ MORE ] 

In action: This is an interesting conversation between Parker and ESPN’s Jay Williams, who was a big star at Duke during his playing days, too. [ WATCH ] 

Twitter talk: “Per ESPN promo - Jabari Parker plays UCLA tomorrow. Not clear if he’ll have any teammates.” — @ACCSports (Jim Young of accsports.com)

Aaron Gordon, Arizona

Why he’s No. 3 this week … Some weeks, Gordon’s effort would have been enough for him to land atop this list, but Randle and Parker turned in their big games against better competition, so Gordon gets bumped down to the third spot. He scored a career-best 21 points in 29 minutes of a win against Southern last Thursday, to go with four rebounds and a pair of assists and steals. He’s now 15-for-22 from the field (68.2 percent) in his last two games, though he was just 4-for-10 from the free-throw line against Southern.

Year-to-date averages: 12.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.6 steals

Kenpom.com: 108.1 offensive rating, 53.8 eFG, 22.9 percent of possessions used

On tap: December 23, vs. Northern Arizona

Must-read: This is more of a must-listen than a must-read, but SN Hall of Fame writer Mike DeCourcy defends Gordon from NBA scouts who have been nitpicking at Gordon’s game. Skip ahead to 3:00 for his passionate thoughts. [ READ MORE ] 

In action: Highlights from the game against Southern. Not all Gordon-related, but he scored 21 so he’s featured prominently (including an alley-oop he makes look all too easy around the 12-second mark). [ WATCH ] 

Twitter talk: “Career-high 20 points for Aaron Gordon, who has turned the free throw into game’s most exciting moments in second half.” — @AGWildcatReport (Anthony Gimino of tucsoncitizen.com)

Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

Why he’s No. 4 this week … After back-to-back strong road games earlier this month at Colorado (22 points) and Florida (26 points), Wiggins struggled offensively against New Mexico (11 points) on December 14, and scored a dozen in a home win against Georgetown on Saturday. Kansas won both of those games by comfortable margins, but Wiggins combined to shoot just 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) from the field.

Year-to-date averages: 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.9 blocks

Kenpom.com: 114.1 offensive rating, 52.1 eFG, 24.1 percent of possessions used

On tap: December 30, vs. Toledo

Must-read: This is a great, in-depth piece from the K.C. Star’s Rustin Dodd on Wiggins’ path from Ontario to Lawrence. [ READ MORE ] 

In action: Highlights from Wiggins this season. He’s especially impressive with the basketball in transition, with those long strides making it nearly impossible for defenders to stop his path to the basket. [ WATCH ] 

Twitter talk: “Talked to a bunch of NBA guys before the game. The gap has closed between Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker for the No. 1 pick.” —@GoodmanESPN (Jeff Goodman of espn.com)

MORE: Arizona on top of latest polls