College Basketball Top 25: 11/15/2021

We’re about to tip-off the Gavitt Tip-Off Games, so what better way to begin your night by reading my top 25 after an incredible first week of college basketball. We’ve had upsets, games living up to its hype, and one new team entering my top 25. I’ll save you some time. Here is my top 25:

  1. Gonzaga (2-0) (PREV: 1)

Gonzaga has been the clear #1 team, beating a very good Texas team by 12. Chet Holmgren hasn’t needed an offensive presence thanks to the dominance Drew Timme has brought. Gonzaga has already shown that they are the top offensive team, but they could be better on defense despite being #13 on KenPom on that. This week they have two buy games leading up to my next ranking: Alcorn State and Bellarmine.

  1. UCLA (2-0) (PREV: 2)

UCLA has shown that they are not slowing down after their legendary Final Four run last season. The home court advantage is real, but that only shows in a few big games this year. Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have been terrific so far, showing out in the overtime win over Villanova. The Bruins have two buy games until my next edition: Long Beach State and North Florida.

  1. Duke (3-0) (PREV: 7)

Everyone was talking about Paolo Banchero before opening night. Now, we see that the team is a lot more than that. Trevor Keels had a big night in their win over Kentucky and Wendell Moore was the MVP in the last two games for the Blue Devils. They’re one of the three teams with a top 10 win. They play Gardner-Webb and Lafayette for their next two games. They should win those.

  1. Kansas (2-0) (PREV: 5)

Kansas dominated in their big win against Michigan State on Tuesday, with Ochai Agbaji standing out. He has been the best player through the first two games for the Jayhawks. Remy Martin started slow in the first half of the Michigan State game, but scored 15 points in the second half. If he wants to live up to his “Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year” status, he has to step up when the games get more difficult. Stony Brook is their next opponent until the next rankings come out.

  1. Michigan (2-0) (PREV: 6)

Michigan is off to a strong start despite giving up 76 points to Buffalo in their first game. Hunter Dickinson has played a huge role so far, continuing to impress us from last season to now. According to KenPom, the Wolverines are top 5 in both offense and defense, but that will certainly change once more players get involved and the games get harder. Their next game is a difficult one: hosting Seton Hall. They’ll also travel out west to play UNLV in Las Vegas.

  1. Villanova (1-1) (PREV: 4)

Villanova has looked terrific despite losing in overtime to UCLA in Los Angeles. Justin Moore looks like he could have a breakout season, which makes the Wildcats scary to play against. With Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels helping lead the Wildcats, they remain in my top 10 despite the loss to UCLA. They have a tough rest of the week: hosting Howard, facing Tennessee, and either Purdue or North Carolina the next day.

  1. Purdue (2-0) (PREV: 8)

Purdue averages nearly 96 points per game in their first two games of the season. However, this comes against two easy teams: Bellarmine and Indiana State. The duo of Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey has been terrific so far, I’m interested to see the improvement throughout the season. They may have a strong offense so far, but their defense has given up 67 in each game to bad teams. They host Wright State on Wednesday before taking on North Carolina and either Villanova or Tennessee this weekend.

  1. Texas (1-1) (PREV: 3)

Texas suffered their first loss on Saturday as Gonzaga beat the Longhorns by 12. Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen, and Tre Mitchell are all big contributors to the team, but they will need more out of them as they face teams just as tough as Gonzaga. They host two buy games in Austin before next week: Northern Colorado and San Jose State. Win out up until at least the Seton Hall game, and they will be in a good spot.

  1. Baylor (2-0) (PREV: 10)

Baylor, ranked top ten in offense and defense, had a strong start to the season, with two blowout wins at home. However, both of those teams didn’t even crack the top 200, so there’s not a lot of strength in their first two opponents. We can’t make any assumptions based on those two games. There was a lot of star power for Scott Drew’s National Championship team last year. Now, it will be a much more team contribution. The Bears face Central Arkansas and Stanford at home now. Both should be wins for Baylor.

  1. Illinois (2-0) (PREV: 11)

Yes, this top 10 looks very similar to the AP Poll. However, they did get it nearly right. Illinois has the #1 ranked defense on KenPom, holding each of their first two opponents to less than 55 points. Kofi Cockburn, their star center, is still suspended until after the Marquette game tonight, so the Fighting Illini will look at Andre Curbelo and Coleman Hawkins to lead their team. They will still contribute after Cockburn returns from his suspension, but more limited. They won’t face anyone else until the next rankings come out, so they are looking to impress tonight.

  1. Kentucky (1-1) (PREV: 9)

Kentucky lost their opening game against a very good Duke team on Tuesday, which should not take away from how terrific their offense looked in the first half of that game. Coach K and the Blue Devils made adjustments that stopped the Wildcats in their tracks. There’s a lot of potential in this team, and the top players through the first two games have turned out to be Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe. Two of the top transfers in college basketball. Oscar Tshiebwe has been raved about in the college basketball world, with people already calling him the best rebounder. Wheeler has been a good playmaker for John Calipari’s team, which gives the Wildcats lots of offensive potential. Kentucky faces Mount St. Mary’s and Ohio this week. Must-win games for the Wildcats.

  1. Alabama (2-0) (PREV: 13)

Alabama’s offense has led them to be top 10 in that category, but their defense is what worries me. The Crimson Tide let South Dakota State score 88 points on them. Not good when the Jackrabbits aren’t good compared to Alabama. Keon Ellis was the best player on the floor for both of their first two games. I’m interested to see if that progression continues for the rest of the season. I also like seeing how Jaden Shackleford and Jahvon Quinerly contribute to this team. Those three players are the keys to success for Nate Oats and the Tide. They have South Alabama and Rick Pitino’s Iona Gaels upcoming.

  1. Houston (2-0) (PREV: 14)

Houston has started the year off being ranked as a top 10 defense through two games. Yes, those games were against Tennessee Tech and NC Central. However, they need to dominate those games. That’s what I expect in every buy game. If it’s close, it’s a bad look for you. Marcus Sasser has been a big contributor so far for the Cougars. I’d like to see more out of Josh Carlton and Kyler Edwards. Houston hosts Virginia on Tuesday.

  1. Memphis (2-0) (PREV: 15)

Memphis is ranked #3 in defense. There is some definite star power on this team, with Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren leading the way. Even though they’re dominant, I’d like to see some offense outside of those two. Will it come from DeAndre Williams, or maybe even Lester Quinones? We will find out very soon. The Tigers face Saint Louis and Western Kentucky this week.

  1. Tennessee (2-0) (PREV: 16)

Tennessee is ranked #4 in defense on KenPom. Even though they played easy teams, they held them to 62 each game. Kennedy Chandler, who could be the best freshman guard in the nation, stood out in the opening game against Tennessee Martin, Olivier Nkamhoua played the best out of the Vols in the second game against East Tennessee State. Now, the schedule gets challenging temporarily, with a game against Villanova on Saturday and either Purdue or North Carolina on Sunday. Those are two tests for Rick Barnes’s squad.

  1. Oregon (3-0) (PREV: 12)

Oregon beat each opponent by nearly 20 points, with a convincing win over SMU this weekend. Will Richardson is the clear best player on the floor for the Ducks so far, while I’ve liked the production out of Jacob Young and Eric Williams too. It’s early in the season, which means it’s too hard to tell what’s for real and what is just a fluke. The Ducks face a challenging BYU team this week, who had a convincing win over San Diego State days ago. That is their last game before they head for the Maui Invitational (in Las Vegas due to COVID-19 concerns).

  1. Maryland (2-0) (PREV: 15)

Maryland falls five spots because while they are 3-0, they did not perform as well as I expected them to. They had closer wins against George Washington and Vermont, which doesn’t look good for the Terps. I still think Maryland is one of my most interesting teams this year, I just don’t know how they will perform without Darryl Morsell and in difficult games (like Illinois or Michigan). The Terrapins take on George Mason and Hofstra before making their way to the Bahamas for an early-season tournament in Nassau.

  1. Arkansas (2-0) (PREV: 18)

While Arkansas only won by 13 against Mercer, the Razorbacks look good in some areas. They’re one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country so far, and JD Notae looks like the clear leader for Arkansas. Outside of defensive rebounding, they haven’t been able to keep the opponent’s score low, especially when they’re playing easy teams in Fayetteville. Arkansas has Northern Iowa before next week, where it suddenly gets a bit tougher.

  1. Auburn (2-0) (PREV: 20)

Wendell Green and Jabari Smith have been the top players so far for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. They look good on offense, not making unforced turnovers and scoring high numbers, especially against Louisiana Monroe. The Battle 4 Atlantis is right around the corner, but their only game this week is against USF in Tampa. Win that game, and you’re in good shape for Paradise Island.

  1. UConn (2-0) (PREV: 23)

UConn cracks the top 20 due to the bad performances of teams ahead of them. Their first two games were against Central Connecticut and Coppin State, but they showed clear dominance in both games. Adama Sanogo looks to be one of the best bigs in the country, not just the Big East. Let’s not jump the gun, however. UConn’s out-of-conference schedule isn’t impressive outside of St. Bonaventure (which is borderline impressive), West Virginia, and the Battle 4 Atlantis. Seriously, they couldn’t get a good non-conference home game? I’m curious to see who the Huskies want with the ball when the game is on the line late in the second half. You need a leader, which needs to emerge soon before Atlantis. UConn faces LIU and Binghamton before then.

  1. North Carolina (2-0) (PREV: 22)

North Carolina may have moved up in the rankings, but that is only because of Ohio State’s near loss to Akron. Brown was shooting unbelievably, but that gives the Tar Heels no right to nearly lose to them in Chapel Hill. There’s a reason why they’re #50 in KenPom. The road doesn’t get easier for Hubert Davis’s team, who has to face Purdue on Saturday and either Tennessee or Villanova on Sunday. Charleston should be an easy win, however. Clean up the work before you head to Mohegan Sun. 

  1. Ohio State (2-0) (PREV: 19)

Ohio State, how did you nearly lose to Akron? E.J. Liddell fouled out late and that almost cost the Buckeyes the game. Liddell has been solid so far for the Buckeyes, but they can’t have a scare like that the rest of the season. Ohio State has Bowling Green and a tough Xavier team next up.

  1. Indiana (2-0) (PREV: 25)

Trayce Jackson-Davis is supposed to be one of the top players in college basketball, which he certainly has done so far. The rest of his team needs to shake off the rust after beating Eastern Michigan by six on opening night. If they can do that, the Hoosiers can be alright. They have St. John’s this week and Louisiana on Sunday. St. John’s will give them trouble, with Julian Champagnie and Posh Alexander.

  1. Florida (2-0) (PREV: N/A)

Florida upset their rival Florida State in Gainesville yesterday, which was a huge win for the Gators. A strong start by them, led by Colin Castleton, deserves a spot in this top 25. I can’t wait to see how they perform the rest of the season if they live up to their hype. They have Patrick Baldwin and Milwaukee on Thursday before going to the Fort Myers Tip-Off.

  1. St. Bonaventure (2-0) (PREV: 24)

The Bonnies rolled past Siena, but a nine-point loss to Canisius is unacceptable. Kyle Lofton has had a strong start to this season, who should be the leader for the Bonnies. However, St. Bonaventure needs to steamroll their buy games now. They have Boise State to tip off the Charleston Classic.

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