Which NCAA Basketball programs have stood out the most in the first couple of weeks?
We’ve officially made it through a second Saturday of the 2020-21 NCAA Basketball. And while there were plenty of games that did get played, we, unfortunately, missed out on a mega matchup between the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs and No. 2 Baylor Bears.
That game was supposed to tell us who the true No. 1 team in the country was going to be in the rankings. Hopefully, it’ll be rescheduled for sometime later in the month. But while the battle between the top of the polls was delayed, mayhem happened everywhere else.
Just 10 days into the season, we’ve already seen a number of upsets within the top-10, including several to unranked teams. Many already have a loss and with conference challenges set to occur, expect that number to rise. It makes it hard to know who really are the contenders in this early part of the season.
It’s the start of a new week and here at Busting Brackets, we’ll be presenting new top-25 power rankings. It was a collective effort, featuring the combined rankings of eight of our following writers:
Tristan Freeman – @hoopsnut351
Drew Tineo – @D_Tineo4
Benjamin Zacker – @beezacher
Jacob Zinkula – @1Perfectbracket
Joe Casey – @Joe_Casey1
Jacob Stevenson – @stevejac002
Adam Bernstein – @AdamBernstein18
Drew Schmelzer – @DrewSchmelzer
There were 32 NCAA Basketball teams that received at least one vote into the top-25. Here are the six teams that just missed the cut.
*Rankings were compiled through Dec. 5 so the Sunday games are not counted
Honorable mentions
32. Arkansas Razorbacks
Solid 4-0 start for the Razorbacks, although their best opponent to date has been North Texas. Freshman Moses Moody (17.8 ppg) leads the team in scoring, one of five players currently with double-figure averages. 11 players currently play 10+ minutes a night, so we’ll have to wait until the competition gets better to see who’ll be part of the true rotation.
31. UConn Huskies
The Huskies are 3-0, thanks to an ugly victory over USC in the Legends Classic. James Bouknight (18.7 ppg) is having that sophomore breakout campaign many expected and Isaiah Whaley has become the top frontcourt player for UConn while Akok Akok is still out.
30. Michigan Wolverines
There hasn’t been much competition in the Wolverines’ 3-0 start, although they needed overtime just to get past winless Oakland a week ago. Isaiah Livers ( 20.0 ppg) has been great so far, while big man Hunter Dickinson is developing quite nicely early on.
29. Saint Louis Billikens
Despite not having forward Hasahn French so far, the Billikens look like one of the best mid-majors out there. They got a huge win against LSU already, thanks to the gaudy play of guard Javonte Perkins. He’s averaging 23.0 ppg so far and could go from A-10 6th Man of the Year to Conference Player of the Teat.
28. Florida Gators
The Gators made up for nearly losing to Army to open the season by beating Boston College handily. Keyontae Johnson and Tre Mann have looked fantastic early on, while Cleveland State guard transfer Tyree Appleby is replacing some of the production lost when Andrew Nembhard transferred.
27. Oregon Ducks
The loss to Missouri doesn’t look as bad considering how good the Tigers have themselves looked. It overshadowed Eugene Omoruyi’s 31-point debut with the Ducks, while also being noted that St. John’s transfer LJ Figueroa wasn’t cleared to play until after the game. He’ll be needed, with guard Will Richardson out for the next 4-6 weeks.
26. San Diego State Aztecs
Great 3-0 start for the Aztecs, who have shown that they can replace former Mountain West Player of the Year Malachi Flynn and others and still be top-25 caliber. It’s been a true team effort, with eight players averaging between 7-12 ppg. They have a win over UCLA but will be tested in the next two weeks to prove that they belong in the top-25.