College Hoops Top 25
Last Week's Position: 1
Results: W vs Elon (97-68), W vs Utah Valley (99-69)
It's tough to find a freshman in recent memory who had a better first two games of his college career than the sensational Marvin Bagley III. A 25 points, 10 rebounds game on Friday against Elon followed up with a near identical 24/10 line on Saturday against Utah Valley puts Bagley, and Duke, at the top of the college basketball world.
Last Week's Position: 2
Results: W vs Northern Arizona (101-67), W vs UMBC (103-78)
Bagley III may be the most impressive player in college basketball so far but Allonzo Trier is not far behind. I hope no one forgot how lethal of scorer this guy is. He put up 32 and 30 points in wins over Northern Arizona and UMBC. Top freshman Deandre Ayton has 38 points and 25 boards through 'Zona's first two games.
Last Week's Position: 3
Results: W vs North Florida (98-66)
Every starter scored in double figures for Tom Izzo's Spartans. Miles Bridges, who passed up on an NBA lottery pick in last summer's draft, put up a double double (20 points and 10 rebounds) in 27 minutes of action. It was also nice to see freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. get off to a good start, contributing 13 points and 13 boards along with 4 blocks.
Last Week's Position: 4
Results: W vs Tennessee State (92-56)
Like Michigan State, Kansas had every member of the first unit score double digits. Guard Lagerald Vick paced the team with 23 points, knocking down 4 three's. Freshman Marcus Garrett received the start over Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman, who lost the job after a poor week of practice. Freshman Billy Preston was also punished, receiving a suspension for missing curfew Thursday night and skipping class Friday.
Last Week's Position: 6 (+1)
Results: W vs UMKC (109-57)
Coach Gregg Marshall was able to give his reserves some quality playing time after Darral Willis Jr. (19 points and 10 rebounds), Landry Shamet (17 points) and company were able to get out to any early 62-23 lead at the half. This team will be fun to watch all season and move up a spot from their preseason rank after Kentucky struggled this weekend.
Last Week's Position: 5 (-1)
Results: W vs Utah Valley (73-63), W vs Vermont (73-69)
I usually don't put too much emphasis on these early season games with mid-major schools, but Kentucky's first two games were certainly worrisome. As I said in my season preview, Coach Cal has one of his youngest teams ever. The Wildcats seemed slow and sluggish defensively against Utah Valley before squeaking out a four point victory over American East favorite Vermont. An matchup with Kansas on Tuesday is coming up very fast for this young team.
Last Week's Position: 7
Results: W vs CS Fullerton (84-42)
There are no major concerns after the Trojans 42 point stomping Friday night against CS Fullerton. Junior Chimezie Metu led USC with 18 points and 10 rebounds. I'm excited to see what this team does throughout the rest of the season. Their style of play is fun and up-tempo with a lot of returning talent that knows what they're doing.
Last Week's Position: 8
Results: W vs South Carolina Upstate (92-77)
Jordan Murphy. Remember the name. I realize that it was against South Carolina Upstate, but the junior forward WENT OFF for 35 points and 15 rebounds. He has a legitimate chance to be the first Golden Gopher drafted since Kris Humphries in 2004. Reggie Lynch also showed up, tallying 4 blocks to go with 15 points and 10 boards.
Last Week's Position: 9
Results: W vs Columbia (75-60)
Jay Wright's team played with balance and poise against Columbia, exactly what you'd expect from a program that has made a winning a habit over the past few years. Freshman forward Omari Spellman was a welcome addition to the starting five, recording a double double in first collegiate game (11 points and 11 rebounds).
Last Week's Position: 10
Results: W @ DePaul (72-58)
After a tight first half that saw the Fighting Irish clinging to a four point lead at the half, Bonzie Colson and company pulled away in the second half for a 14 point victory. Colson, an early favorite for National Player of the Year, poured in 18 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and handed out 5 assists.
Last Week's Position: 11
Results: None
Florida has yet to play. They will get going Monday night against Gardner-Webb.
Last Week's Position: 12
Results: W vs Memphis (82-70)
Freshman sensation Collin Sexton was inactive Friday night after receiving a one game suspension for violating NCAA rules. With only a two point lead at the half, Alabama relied on others to step up and contribute down the stretch against Memphis. Sexton will be back Tuesday night when Alabama hosts Lipscomb.
Last Week's Position: 13
Results: W vs Savannah State (107-77)
This Cincinnati squad is going to be a lot of fun to watch this year. Any one of the starters can go off on any given night. Jacob Evans led the team with 19 points, followed closely by Sacred Heart transfer Cane Broome with 17 and reserve Justin Jenifer contributing 15 points.
Last Week's Position: 14
Results: W vs Gardner-Webb (77-45), W vs Navy (89-55)
Miami had no problems through the first weekend, winning both games by a combined 76 points. Bruce Brown Jr. lit up the stat sheet against Gardner-Webb with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. In both games, the Hurricanes boasted double figure numbers from five players.
Last Week's Position: 15
Results: W vs Northern Iowa (86-69)
Last year's tournament hero Luke Maye got it going early this season, pouring in 26 points and snagging 10 rebounds Friday night against Northern Iowa. Freshman Garrison Brooks also looks like he will be a big part of this team, as the 6' 9" big man scored 14 points to go with 6 rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
Last Week's Position: 16
Results: W vs Fairleigh Dickinson (90-68), W vs Monmouth (75-65)
I've been saying it all preseason: watch out for Angel Delgado. Through two games, Delgado has 27 points and 21 rebounds, posting a double double in each game. This is not something that is going to end any time soon. The Pirates get Indiana on Wednesday.
Last Week's Position: 17
Results: W vs Morehead State (101-49)
Trevon Blueitt is a big time scorer, showing that off Friday night when he dominated Morehead State with 25 points (9-12 from the field, 5-7 from three). While Blueitt was busy scoring, scrappy guard J.P. Macura was everywhere else, swiping the ball 5 times.
Last Week's Position: 18
Results: W vs SIU-Edwardsville (105-74), W vs Chicago State (111-42)
I was happy to see the 7' 3" Matt Haarms get significant playing time in Purdue's early season blowouts. He made the most of it with an 11 point, 5 rebound game against SIU-E and a 9 point, 7 rebound game against Chicago State. Carsen Edwards was impressive with 25 points last night.
Last Week's Position: 19
Results: W vs UNC Asheville (84-60)
A 16 point halftime lead allowed head coach Dan Hurley to give some of the reserves playing time down the stretch. Senior guard Stanford Robinson was the biggest beneficiary of this extra time, scoring 18 points and 7 steals. That's right, SEVEN steals. He might have just earned a larger role moving forward.
Last Week's Position: 20
Results: W vs George Mason (72-61)
The Cardinals looked off in the first half as the entire team struggled to find a groove offensively. A 48-34 second half was enough to get past George Mason. Deng Adel played nearly the entire game, finishing with 20 points. It was freshmen Darius Perry (17 points) and Jordan Nwora (10 points) that can be thanked for saving Louisville from an early season embarrassment.
Last Week's Position: 26 (+5)
Results: W vs #11 West Virginia (88-65)
Maybe I should have Texas A&M higher. After all, they did beat #11 West Virginia by 23! I was not nearly as high on the Mountaineers as the AP was, though (I had them as the 30th best team in college basketball). The win does get A&M into my top 25, however. Tyler Davis (23 points and 13 rebounds) and Admon Gilder (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists off the bench) were exceptional. This win has the potential to look even better later in the season.
Last Week's Position: 22
Results: W vs Houston Baptist (84-55)
No one really stood out in Providence's convincing 29 point win over Houston Baptist, although Kyron Cartwright did post a quiet double double (10 points and 10 assists) and senior leader Rodney Bullock added 7 points and 6 boards. The Friars get an early season test at home tonight when they take on #15 Minnesota.
Last Week's Position: 21 (-2)
Results: W vs Loyola-MD (79-75)
I normally don't move schools down my rankings when they win, but I had to slide Northwestern down a very spots after a shaky win Friday night. Loyola-MD was right in this game after the Wildcats blew a 17 point lead. The "Big Three" of McIntosh, Lindsey, and Law were on point, with Lindsey scoring 26 points and collecting 9 rebounds. There's no reason to freak out. The Wildcats just have to realize that the games are 40 minutes long.
Last Week's Position: 23 (-1)
Results: W vs Omaha (108-89)
A lot of people are going to fall in love with freshman guard Trae Young this season. The Oklahoma boy, despite poor shooting, finished with 15 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. Allowing Omaha to score 89 points can be seen as a red flag. I guarantee you that head coach Lon Kruger will be stressing the importance of defense in practice this week.
Last Week's Position: 24 (-1)
Results: W vs Georgia Tech (63-60)
With the fiasco going on in China after three UCLA freshman decided to steal some clothing from a Louis Vuitton store, the Bruins were able to put the distractions behind them en route to a tight three point win over Georgia Tech. Freshman guard Kris Wilkes led the way with 18 points for coach Steve Alford's squad.
Dropped out of Rankings: Texas (Previously 25)
Moved into Rankings: Texas A&M (Previously 26)
Games to Watch Tonight (Monday, November 13)
#15 Minnesota at Providence
5:30 PM CT, FS1
This is a big matchup to get the first full week of college basketball underway. I have both of these programs ranked higher than their AP Poll ranking, with Minnesota #8 for me and Providence at #22. I'm intrigued to see the point guard battle between Nate Mason and Kyron Cartwright.
Charleston at #7 Wichita State
8:00 PM CT, CBSSN
Charleston is one of the best mid major schools in college hoops this season. In my early Big Dance prediction, I have them getting a #12 seed come March. Wichita State needs to be on guard tonight for a team that is hungry. Without Markis McDuffie, Landry Shamet can't afford to miss a beat.
Rhode Island at Nevada
10:30 PM CT, ESPN U
The late game out west ends the evening. Rhode Island is in my top 25 (#19) and Nevada is a team good enough to get an automatic bid without winning the Mountain West this year. We'll get to see just how good Rhode Island can be this year. This is a very underrated game if there is such a thing.
That wraps up the double dose of my updated Top 25 rankings and games to watch tonight. Check back tomorrow for a look at what Tuesday night games to watch.
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