NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Duke rises, newcomers snag spots
10 others to watch
(Reminder: Not everyone I considered for this top-25 is shown/discussed here. There are simply too many teams I considered to write about for this piece. This section includes 10 that I am especially intrigued by so far this season. These are not exactly the teams I have ranked 26-35 and they are listed in alphabetical order.)
Butler Bulldogs: No movement from the Dawgs here. Butler played one game in the opening week and eviscerated Miami (OH) from seemingly the opening tip. The Bulldogs shot better than 60% from the field in the 22-point home victory. Four players scored in double-figures, including sophomore big man Joey Brunk, who dropped in 17 points on flawless 7-for-7 shooting.
Houston Cougars: With UCF and Cincinnati losing this week, Houston jumps to the best current team in the AAC, in my opinion. The Cougars took care of business in their lone game of this week, destroying Alabama A&M by 47 points. Houston, thanks in large part to Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis, knocked in 15 3-pointers in that contest.
NC State Wolfpack: After two dominant wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Maryland-East Shore, NC State remains knocking on the door for the top-25 power rankings. The Wolfpack are very talented and seem to still be flying under-the-radar as one of the better teams in the ACC. They shouldn’t be seriously tested until later in the month.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Never bet against Chris Holtmann. One of the best coaches in the nation, Holtmann has already helped guide the Buckeyes to a resume-building road win over Cincinnati. Ohio State is clearly off to a strong start this season and it will be interesting to see how they build off that victory. The Buckeyes are young and should only get better.
Purdue Boilermakers: Speaking of Big Ten teams, Purdue had a minor scare against Ball State during the opening week but still stands at 2-0. Carsen Edwards is the man but it seems that there is plenty of balance behind him. We will find out just how talented that depth is, though, once their competition level increases.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits: One of the only six teams in the nation with three wins already, South Dakota State’s start deserves recognition. Behind the play of Mike Daum and David Jenkins Jr., the Jackrabbits also have an underrated win over Grand Canyon already on their resume. South Dakota State is impossible to beat at home so they may creep into the top-25 soon.
Vanderbilt Commodores: Vanderbilt is a young team but they looked incredibly poised in a road victory over USC to end the opening week. Darius Garland looks like one of the best freshmen in the nation so far and senior Joe Toye has been solid thus far. Watch out for when sophomore Saben Lee starts to hit his stride.
Texas Tech Red Raiders: Balance. Balance. Balance. Texas Tech lost a lot of its star power this offseason but head coach Chris Beard has won with his balanced scoring so far this year. The Red Raiders have not been truly tested yet but they have won games by 50 and 32 so far. They could move into the top-25 before long.
Washington Huskies: A preseason top-25 team in my book, Washington struggled tremendously on the road against Auburn. And while losing to the Tigers is far from a bad loss, it dropped them out of the early top-25. With strong performances, the Huskies can easily work back in.
West Virginia Mountaineers: I was lower on West Virginia than most heading into this season and their loss to Buffalo showed some of their weaknesses. Buffalo is a very good team but West Virginia still should have won at home. Coach Huggins and Co. will have plenty of chances to return to the full rankings, though.