College Hoops Top 25
Last Week's Position: 1
Results: W vs Furman (92-63), W vs Portland State (99-81), W vs Texas (85-78 OT), W vs #7 Florida (87-84)
Now up to an 8-0 mark through three weeks, the Duke Blue Devils took care of business out in Portland, winning the Motion Bracket in the new PK80-Phil Knight Invitational. Don't think for a second that this was an easy feat for the Blue Devils, though. They trailed Texas for nearly the entire first half (aside from a 2-0 lead), and found themselves down 66-52 with 7 minutes left in the game. It took a superstar effort by the top freshman in nation Marvin Bagley III (34 points and 15 rebounds) to secure the win in overtime. Then, just two days later, the Blue Devils trailed at the half AGAIN, this time to Florida. Another double-digit second half deficit was extinguished by Bagley, posting 30 points and 15 rebounds. This team may be number one and wins are wins. Duke is just finding, umm, entertaining ways to keep their season perfect and add to their growing resume.
Last Week's Position: 2
Results: W vs Texas Southern (114-71), W vs Oakland (102-59)
The Jayhawks stay fixed as the number two team in the country. Opting to bypass any Thanksgiving week tournaments, Bill Self had his squad set to matchup with a pair of mid-major programs. Everything seemed to be falling from behind the arc Tuesday night against Texas Southern. Kansas shot 19-36 from deep, good for 52.8% and half the team's total points scored. Senior guard Devonte' Graham and junior guard Lagerald Vick each had a double double, with Graham going for 17 points and 11 assists and Vick totaling 19 points and 11 rebounds. While a convincing win, I was much more impressed with the thumping that the Jayhawks put on Oakland, who is the early season favorite to win the Horizon League. Once again, Kansas topped 100 with the seven footer Udoka Azubuike leading the way. He had 21 points to go along with 10 boards. Graham has yet to find his rhythm from beyond the three point line. When he does, this team will be scary.
Last Week's Position: 4 (+1)
Results: W vs DePaul (73-51), W vs Connecticut (77-57), W vs #9 North Carolina (63-45)
With Duke skating through the Motion Bracket, Michigan State handled the Victory Bracket in the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational. Without preseason All-American Miles Bridges for the win against DePaul and most of the win against Connecticut, the Spartans were able to dominate off of the play of Cassius Winston. The sophomore guard from Detroit, Michigan, broke out against the Huskies, dropping 28 points while going 12-15 from the floor. Sunday's championship matchup with the defending National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels turned into an impressive defensive performance by Tom Izzo's crew. The Spartans limited North Carolina to just 45 points, leading to Izzo's first win against Roy Williams in his time coaching at UNC. Joshua Langford hit five treys, cashing in for 23 points. This smothering defense will face a tough task this Thursday when the Spartans host Notre Dame in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Last Week's Position: 6 (+2)
Results: W vs Alabama A&M (100-57), W vs Massachusetts (69-51), W vs #25 Alabama (89-84)
Part of me has a hard time moving the Gophs up any spots after the near collapse suffered on Saturday afternoon. If you are unaware of what I'm referring to, Minnesota nearly lost to three guys. That's right, THREE. In one of the most bizarre scenes I have every seen in all of sports, Alabama was forced into playing with just three players for the final 10 minutes of the second half. Ejections, fouls, and injuries led to this, and Minnesota still struggled to put away the Tide. In fact, while the game was played 5-on-3, Alabama managed to outscore the Golden Gophers 30-22. As I like to say, a win is a win and there were certainly good takeaways from this game. However, one would have to look to the first 30 minutes to find anything positive. Jordan Murphy continues to thrive in his breakout junior year, averaging 22.0 ppg and 12.3 rpg. He has yet to play a game this season without recording a double double. Wednesday night brings the Miami Hurricanes into "The Barn" for what should be a fantastic game.
Last Week's Position: 7 (+2)
Results: W vs Troy (70-62), W vs Fort Wayne (86-67), W vs UIC (107-73)
A scary eight point against a hungry Troy team that made a run late in the game was followed up with two convincing victories later in the week. The eight point win against Troy made it three games now that the Wildcats have won by 10 points or less (Utah Valley and Vermont make up the other two.) Freshman forward Kevin Knox is blossoming right in front of our eyes, taking on the role of leading scorer that many thought he would entering the season. He had a career high 25 points on Sunday against UIC, bringing his points per game average up to 16.1. Besides Knox, freshman big Nick Richards exploded for 25 points and 15 rebounds against the much smaller Fort Wayne Mastodons. Coach Cal's young squad is finally starting to click it seems. They have only four games scheduled between now and Christmas, each on Saturday. This extra time off should allow for Calipari to really bring out the best in his guys through practice.
Last Week's Position: 9 (+3)
Results: W vs Chaminade (83-56), W vs LSU (92-53), W vs #6 Wichita State (67-66)
Notre Dame moves up thanks in large part to huge win over Wichita State out in Hawaii. It was no easy task coming away from Maui with the Maui Invitational title though. A 44-29 second half brought the Fighting Irish back from a 14 point halftime deficit. Senior forward Bonzie Colson showed everyone why he was a preseason All-American with his 25 point, 11 rebound effort. That now boosts his season average to 20.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg. If Colson is the heart of this Notre Dame team, then Matt Farrell is the soul. The scrappy guard's play doesn't always show up in the box score (still posting a respectable 15 points and 4 assists), but the way he hustles after loose balls and makes things difficult on his opponents makes him very important to the success of the Irish. Notre Dame turns all attention to a Thursday night meeting at Michigan State.
Last Week's Position: 11 (+4)
Results: W vs Stanford (108-87), W vs #17 Gonzaga (111-105 2OT), L vs #1 Duke (87-84)
From a spectator's viewpoint, Florida and Gonzaga was very dramatic and highly entertaining. From a basketball standpoint, this was one of the greatest games I've watched in a long time.
Last Week's Position: 8
Results: W vs Western Kentucky (66-58), W vs Tennessee (85-76), W vs Northern Iowa (64-50)
Coach Jay Wright's Wildcats took care of business in the Bahamas, knocking off three solid programs over the Thanksgiving week. While they did their part, potential matchups against Purdue and Arizona did not come to fruition as many had hoped. Still, we were able to learn some more about this experienced crew as they added solid wins to their resume against programs that the chance to excel over the course of the season. For most of the week, it was junior guard Jalen Brunson taking charge, putting up point totals of 18, 25, and 16 in the three games. He'll be consistent all season, but the play of Mikal Bridges, who averaged 18.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, is the key to pushing this team to the next level. Also, a word of advice: don't sleep on Donte DiVincenzo. The sophomore guard can fly and puts up points quickly off the bench (11.8 ppg in 27.0 mpg).
Last Week's Position: 5 (-4)
Results: W vs California (92-82), W vs Marquette (80-66), L vs #13 Notre Dame (67-66)
Last Week's Position: 21 (+11)
Results: W vs Oklahoma State (72-55), W vs Penn State (98-87), W at #10 USC (75-59)
Last Week's Position: 15 (+4)
Results: W at Stanford (96-72), W vs Portland (102-78), W vs Arkansas (87-68), L vs #4 Michigan State (63-45)
Luke Maye continues his unprecedented rise. The junior forward, who averaged just 5.5 ppg and 3.9 rpg last season, is averaging 20.6 ppg and 10.4 rpg through six games this season. He's not doing it against soft competition either. The Tar Heels came away with three wins over Thanksgiving break, with Maye's biggest game against Arkansas where he poured in 28 points and corralled 16 rebounds. An 18 point loss to Michigan State on Sunday stunted the Tar Heels rise, a game where they shot a brutal 1-18 from behind the arc. The experience is there though and Maye's ascension is promising for this group.
Last Week's Position: 10 (-2)
Results: W vs Lehigh (88-63), L vs #16 Texas A&M (75-59)
Last Week's Position: 12 (-1)
Results: W vs UT Arlington (77-76), W vs BYU (71-59), L vs #14 Minnesota (89-84)
Last Week's Position: 13 (-1)
Results: W vs Buffalo (73-67), W vs Richmond (75-48), W vs Wyoming (78-53)
Despite nearly squandering away a 13 point halftime lead against Buffalo in a game that saw the Bulls pull within four late in the second half, Cincinnati was able to hold steady and pick up the W. Gary Clark was phenomenal, scoring 24 points and retrieving 14 rebounds. Against Richmond, it was junior guard Jacob Evans who led the team in scoring with 12. Later in the week against Wyoming, senior forward Kyle Washington impressed with a double double (16 points and 11 rebounds), bringing the Bearcats record to 6-0 on the season. They'll take on Xavier and Florida over the next two Saturday's in what will be their first true test.
Despite nearly squandering away a 13 point halftime lead against Buffalo in a game that saw the Bulls pull within four late in the second half, Cincinnati was able to hold steady and pick up the W. Gary Clark was phenomenal, scoring 24 points and retrieving 14 rebounds. Against Richmond, it was junior guard Jacob Evans who led the team in scoring with 12. Later in the week against Wyoming, senior forward Kyle Washington impressed with a double double (16 points and 11 rebounds), bringing the Bearcats record to 6-0 on the season. They'll take on Xavier and Florida over the next two Saturday's in what will be their first true test.
Last Week's Position: 14 (-1)
Results: W vs La Salle (57-46), W vs North Florida (86-65)
Last Week's Position: 29 (+13)
Results: W vs Wisconsin (70-65), W vs Creighton (65-59)
When looking around the college basketball world this week, it's difficult to find a program that had a better week than Baylor did. The Bears moved up 13 spots in my rankings which places them at #16 through three weeks of action. It was a tale of two games for Baylor though. In the first, a double digit advantage at the half quickly turned into a 2 point lead over Wisconsin in the second half. Guard Manu Lecomte came up big, leading the way with 24 points. Then, against Creighton, Baylor trailed for most of the game before taking the lead with just over three minutes to play. They would not look back, picking up their biggest win of the season. The Bluejays could not find an answer down low for the Bears' 7' 0" Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. He finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
When looking around the college basketball world this week, it's difficult to find a program that had a better week than Baylor did. The Bears moved up 13 spots in my rankings which places them at #16 through three weeks of action. It was a tale of two games for Baylor though. In the first, a double digit advantage at the half quickly turned into a 2 point lead over Wisconsin in the second half. Guard Manu Lecomte came up big, leading the way with 24 points. Then, against Creighton, Baylor trailed for most of the game before taking the lead with just over three minutes to play. They would not look back, picking up their biggest win of the season. The Bluejays could not find an answer down low for the Bears' 7' 0" Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. He finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Last Week's Position: 19 (+2)
Results: W vs #23 UCLA (100-89), L vs #22 Baylor (65-59), W vs SIU-Edwardsville (103-66)
Creighton managed to do something that I haven't seen done in a long time. After torching UCLA for 100 points on Monday night, the Bluejays took the floor Tuesday and produced just 59 points against Baylor's stout zone defense, looking like a completely different team. The 41 point difference in just one day is astounding but is a testament to the Bears. Creighton was able to bounce back in easy matchup with SIU-Edwardsville, but the loss to Baylor was upsetting. Still, with wins against UCLA and Northwestern plus the consistent play of senior guard Marcus Foster (18.0 ppg), Creighton stays in the top 20.
Creighton managed to do something that I haven't seen done in a long time. After torching UCLA for 100 points on Monday night, the Bluejays took the floor Tuesday and produced just 59 points against Baylor's stout zone defense, looking like a completely different team. The 41 point difference in just one day is astounding but is a testament to the Bears. Creighton was able to bounce back in easy matchup with SIU-Edwardsville, but the loss to Baylor was upsetting. Still, with wins against UCLA and Northwestern plus the consistent play of senior guard Marcus Foster (18.0 ppg), Creighton stays in the top 20.
Last Week's Position: 28 (+10)
Results: W vs Ohio State (86-59), L vs #7 Florida (111-105 2OT), W vs Texas (76-71 OT)
I must admit that I've been terribly wrong about Gonzaga this season. Coming into the season, I had them ranked outside the top 30 at #31. Now, just three weeks later, the Bulldogs have shot up to #18. Friday nights game against Florida was an instant classic. Although the Zags did not reign victorious after 50 minutes of play, they made sure that people, like me, knew they were for real yet again. Johnathan Williams had a career game, going for 39 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Josh Perkins also stood out, doing stuff across the board for a 17 point, 7 rebound, and 7 assist showing. Two nights later, Gonzaga had to fend off a tough Texas team that came back from a 21 point deficit. Despite blowing the lead late, Williams, Perkins, and NBA prospect Rui Hachimura (20 points and 9 rebounds) finished off the Longhorns in overtime.
I must admit that I've been terribly wrong about Gonzaga this season. Coming into the season, I had them ranked outside the top 30 at #31. Now, just three weeks later, the Bulldogs have shot up to #18. Friday nights game against Florida was an instant classic. Although the Zags did not reign victorious after 50 minutes of play, they made sure that people, like me, knew they were for real yet again. Johnathan Williams had a career game, going for 39 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Josh Perkins also stood out, doing stuff across the board for a 17 point, 7 rebound, and 7 assist showing. Two nights later, Gonzaga had to fend off a tough Texas team that came back from a 21 point deficit. Despite blowing the lead late, Williams, Perkins, and NBA prospect Rui Hachimura (20 points and 9 rebounds) finished off the Longhorns in overtime.
Last Week's Position: 20 (+1)
Results: W vs Southern Illinois (84-42), W vs Saint Francis-PA (84-72)
Last Week's Position: 23 (+3)
Results: W vs Butler (61-48), L vs #1 Duke (85-78 OT), L vs #17 Gonzaga (76-71 OT)
Last Week's Position: 33 (+12)
Results: W vs Vanderbilt (68-42), W vs Rhode Island (70-55)
Maybe I've been too harsh on the Cavaliers this far. A team that isn't typically "fun" to watch picked up two more quality wins this week en route to a perfect 6-0 record. Lacking a go-to-guy, Virginia turned to sophomore guard Kyle Guy to lead the way against Vanderbilt. On the heels of a 29 point performance against VCU last Friday, Guy answered the call, dropping 18 points against the Commodores. However, he faded later in the week against Rhode Island, supplying just 5 points on 2-8 shooting. Still, Virginia has been one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 52.3 ppg.
Maybe I've been too harsh on the Cavaliers this far. A team that isn't typically "fun" to watch picked up two more quality wins this week en route to a perfect 6-0 record. Lacking a go-to-guy, Virginia turned to sophomore guard Kyle Guy to lead the way against Vanderbilt. On the heels of a 29 point performance against VCU last Friday, Guy answered the call, dropping 18 points against the Commodores. However, he faded later in the week against Rhode Island, supplying just 5 points on 2-8 shooting. Still, Virginia has been one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 52.3 ppg.
Last Week's Position: 16 (-6)
Results: L vs Rhode Island (75-74), W vs Vanderbilt (72-59)
Last Week's Position: 26 (+3)
Results: W vs Belmont (66-65), W vs Boston College (86-66)
Last Week's Position: 30 (+6)
Results: W vs Davidson (81-68), W at Hawaii (67-54)
Last Week's Position: 24 (-1)
Results: L vs Creighton (100-89), W vs Wisconsin (72-70), W vs UC Irvine (87-63)
Prince Ali has to be one of the coolest names in all of sports, and it could be a name that you begin hearing more often. In UCLA's three games this week, Ali averaged 16.3 ppg, receiving a start in the UC Irvine game after working off the bench the other two. Steve Alford's team is still led by Aaron Holiday, who layup gave UCLA a buzzer-beating win over Wisconsin. Thomas Welsh, who often gets no love, has also tallied four double doubles to push the Bruins to a 5-1 record. Say what you want about UCLA, but I still believe they're a top 25 team despite giving up 100 points to Creighton earlier in the week.
Prince Ali has to be one of the coolest names in all of sports, and it could be a name that you begin hearing more often. In UCLA's three games this week, Ali averaged 16.3 ppg, receiving a start in the UC Irvine game after working off the bench the other two. Steve Alford's team is still led by Aaron Holiday, who layup gave UCLA a buzzer-beating win over Wisconsin. Thomas Welsh, who often gets no love, has also tallied four double doubles to push the Bruins to a 5-1 record. Say what you want about UCLA, but I still believe they're a top 25 team despite giving up 100 points to Creighton earlier in the week.
Dropped out of Rankings: Arizona (previously 2), Xavier (previously 17), Purdue (previously 18), Oklahoma (previously 22), Maryland (previously 25)
Moved into Rankings: Baylor (previously 29), Gonzaga (previously 28), Virginia (previously 33), Providence (previously 26), Nevada (previously 30)
That's it for this week's addition of the Top 25 Rankings. Catch me again next week as I discuss which schools move in and out of my rankings. An exciting week of action featuring the ACC-Big Ten Challenge is about to tip-off!
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