This is a weird part of the season. Teams look vulnerable in one game and dominant against another opponent on the same level. North Carolina was the preseason number 1 team in the country, and now they are out of the top 25. There’s also no clear top team right now, so Purdue dropped a spot to give another team the top spot in my ranking. Here is my top 25 this week:
- Texas (6-0) (PREV: 4)
These rankings will shake up a lot as I don’t think there is a clear number 1 team in the country. There are serious arguments for Houston, Purdue, UConn, and Virginia all to be the top-ranked team. Texas only had one game this week, beating Creighton at home 72-67. Texas will participate in the Jimmy V Classic tomorrow against Illinois, then host another buy game on Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff.
- Purdue (8-0) (PREV: 1)
Like I said above, Purdue could be considered the nation’s best team, but the strength of schedule the past week did not help their resumé. They earned a ten-point win at Florida State, a team that isn’t having a great season but giving some of college basketball’s best teams a lot to work for a win. The Boilermakers, with national player of the year candidate Zach Edey, won by 19 at home against Minnesota to begin their Big Ten schedule. Next up is Hofstra on Wednesday before a road game at Nebraska on Saturday.
- Virginia (7-0) (PREV: 2)
Virginia is the best team in the ACC but struggled to beat Florida State at home, winning by five. Reese Beekman led the Cavaliers to a big two-point victory at Michigan, leading the team with 18 points. Tomorrow they have a buy game against James Madison, then they don’t play another game for another 11 days after that.
- Houston (8-0) (PREV: 5)
Houston has one of the top defenses in college basketball. None of their opponents have even scored 60 points against them. National player of the year contender Marcus Sasser led the Cougars to a blowout victory over Norfolk State, with 25 points and seven three-pointers made. They won another low-scoring game on Saturday as they beat Saint Mary’s in Fort Worth. Tomorrow they host North Florida in a buy game, then have a terrific matchup against Alabama on Saturday at the Fertitta Center.
- UConn (9-0) (PREV: 6)
I didn’t think UConn played their best against Oklahoma State, but maybe it’s because the first eight games have been won by at least 15 points. Jordan Hawkins had an impressive performance, with 26 points and six three-pointers. The Huskies travel to Gainesville on Wednesday for their first true road game against Florida. I’m excited to see the matchup of Adama Sanogo and Colin Castleton in that game. On Saturday, they finish their non-conference schedule at Gampel Pavilion against LIU.
- Kansas (8-1) (PREV: 10)
Jalen Wilson is one of the best players in the country, and they gave the Big 12 a boost in the Big East-Big 12 Battle, routing Seton Hall, 91-65. They also blew out Texas Southern a few days before. The Jayhawks have Border War on Saturday on the road against Missouri.
- Arkansas (7-1) (PREV: 9)
Arkansas had weak competition this week as they had blowout wins against Troy and San José State. Ricky Council IV continued to impress, putting up 27 points in the 13-point win over Troy. Before their first test against Oklahoma in Tulsa on Saturday, the Razorbacks will host UNC Greensboro tomorrow night.
- Alabama (7-1) (PREV: 11)
The Crimson Tide move up two spots not because of any big game, which they didn’t have last week, but because teams in front of them keep losing. Noah Clowney led Alabama to a 13-point win over South Dakota State with 22 points and five three-pointers. The road gets tougher for Nate Oats and his team as they visit Houston on Saturday for possibly their most difficult non-conference game of the season.
- Maryland (8-0) (PREV: 24)
Maryland is undefeated after a huge win at home against Illinois to begin their Big Ten schedule. They also routed Louisville on the road. Kevin Willard’s transition from Seton Hall to Maryland is looking smooth so far. The Terps will have their first Big Ten road game tomorrow night against Wisconsin. They also have Tennessee in Brooklyn on Sunday. A big week coming up for the Terrapins.
- Tennessee (7-1) (PREV: 15)
Tennessee has one of the best defenses in college basketball, according to the KenPom ratings. They had two terrible opponents this week as they blew out McNeese State and Alcorn State. I need to see the Volunteers against better competition, which will start Sunday against Maryland at the Barclays Center. They host Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday.
- Arizona (7-1) (PREV: 3)
Arizona fell to Utah to open their Pac-12 schedule, and it wasn’t close. Utah is a fringe top-50 team in the country, but they looked better than that even with Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo each scoring at least 20 points. The Wildcats bounced back yesterday with a blowout victory against California, where Ballo and Tubelis each had great games. Their next game is not until Saturday in Las Vegas, where they have a difficult matchup against Indiana, who also suffered a loss to open their conference schedule.
- Indiana (7-1) (PREV: 12)
Indiana looked strong in their dominant win over North Carolina. However, they began the Big Ten schedule on the wrong foot, falling to Rutgers 63-48. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been phenomenal, looking like one of the best players in the country against the Tar Heels. However, he had a quiet 13 points in Piscataway on Saturday.
- Auburn (8-0) (PREV: 18)
Like many of the other schools on this ranking, Auburn didn’t necessarily play any talented teams. The teams in front of them just kept losing. The Tigers routed Colgate 93-66 in their only game last week. Finally, they will play some real competition against Memphis on Saturday in Atlanta.
- Baylor (6-2) (PREV: 8)
Baylor suffered their worst loss in quite some time, as Marquette upset the Bears by 36. Scott Drew’s team followed up by rallying to get a much-needed against Gonzaga in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The only game this week for Baylor is Tarleton State at home. Not much competition there.
- Duke (8-2) (PREV: 20)
Duke bounced back from their Phil Knight Legacy loss to Purdue with two encouraging wins. First, they got revenge against Ohio State from last year, winning 81-72 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On Saturday, the Blue Devils beat down Boston College, 75-59. Leading the way is Kyle Filipowski, who’s arguably the best freshman in the country. They have another test against a Big Ten opponent in the Jimmy V Classic against Kris Murray and Iowa tomorrow night.
- Iowa State (7-1) (PREV: 16)
St. John’s looked solid to start the year but had their undefeated record vanish after Iowa State handled the Red Storm yesterday. The Cyclones are a strong defensive team that needs to find more offense. It’s a rivalry on Thursday night as they travel across the state to take on Iowa. On Sunday, it’s McNeese State at home, so Iowa State is guaranteed at least one win.
- Kentucky (6-2) (PREV: 23)
Kentucky picked up a huge win yesterday against Michigan, pulling away with a four-point victory. They beat Bellarmine in a game where they struggled in the first half. Oscar Tshiebwe continues to be a double-double machine for the Wildcats. Kentucky has only one game this week, hosting Yale on Saturday.
- Illinois (6-2) (PREV: 14)
Terrance Shannon Jr. has been strong, especially leading the Fighting Illini to a 73-44 rout over Syracuse. However, Illinois started the Big Ten schedule off with a loss to Maryland on the road. I’m very excited to see them up against Texas tomorrow night, then they host Jalen Pickett and Penn State on Saturday. Two games that can boost Illinois’s resumé if they win.
- UCLA (7-2) (PREV: 22)
The Bruins began their Pac-12 schedule with two wins: at Stanford and home against Oregon. The latter has become UCLA’s best win this season. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had a great game against Stanford, with 27 points and three steals. They only have one game on their schedule this week, which is a Saturday buy game against Denver.
- Gonzaga (5-3) (PREV: 13)
Gonzaga is the best three-loss team, with wins over Michigan State, Kentucky, and Xavier. They had one game since my last top 25, against Baylor, where the Bears won 64-63 at the Sanford Pentagon. The Bulldogs don’t have many opportunities left to improve their NCAA Tournament resumé due to their weak conference. They host Kent State tonight, who’s sneaky due to them being in the top 75 on KenPom. Friday is a home game against Washington, who also has the potential to give the Zags trouble.
- Creighton (6-3) (PREV: 7)
Creighton is ice-cold right now, losing their last three games. Two of those games are quality opponents: Arizona and Texas. However, losing at home to Nebraska is unacceptable. The Bluejays need to figure out perimeter shooting, as they were 4-27 from three against Texas and 3-12 against the Cornhuskers. They have one game this week, a neutral site matchup against BYU. It’s a must-win in terms of resumé for Creighton.
- TCU (6-1) (PREV: 25)
TCU improved with a 13-point win at home against a well-coached Providence team, helping their non-conference schedule. The Horned Frogs, who are big on football right now, have a good basketball team that can make some noise once they get their buy games out of the way. They host Jackson State tomorrow, but then go to Dickies Arena, close by to their campus for a crosstown battle against SMU on Saturday.
- Iowa (6-1) (PREV: N/A)
Iowa enters my top 25 as a team that is very strong offensively. They’re the best team in terms of preventing turnovers. Kris Murray is one of the best players in the country, stepping into his brother’s role last year. They blew out Georgia Tech at home, but that’s nothing compared to a very difficult week ahead. All three games are tough for the Hawkeyes. In the Jimmy V Classic tomorrow night, Iowa takes on Duke. Then they have a rivalry game against Iowa State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Sunday marks the beginning of their Big Ten schedule, with Wisconsin at home.
- Ohio State (6-2) (PREV: N/A)
Despite a loss on the road, the Buckeyes are deserving of a top-25 spot, mainly because there are not many other options. They lost to Duke but bounced back with a 96-59 victory over St. Francis (PA) on Saturday. Thursday is Ohio State’s next game, against Rutgers, who just knocked off Indiana.
- Mississippi State (8-0) (PREV: N/A)
Mississippi State is unproven, with their best wins coming against Marquette and Utah in Niceville, Florida. This week it was two teams that aren’t even in the top 300, Omaha and Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs blew both opponents out. They wouldn’t be in my top 25 if there were other options, but there are not. Mississippi State will go on the road to take on Minnesota on Sunday. Their strength of schedule so far is quite weak.
Calhoun's Corner 