NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, UCLA on top of latest top-25 power rankings
15. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0)
The Crimson Tide was one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country last year and is on its way to repeating that this season after dominating both Louisana Tech and South Dakota State. Guards Jaden Shackelford, JD Davison, and Jahvon Quinerly playing well isn’t a surprise but the early emergence of Keon Ellis, who had a double-double in the win over the Jackrabbits only adds to the firepower in the backcourt.
Alabama will be favored in this week’s matchup against Oakland and South Alabama but neither will be an easy win. Oakland upset Oklahoma State this past week, while South Alabama took Wichita State down to the wire on the road on Saturday. Both have the potential to make things tough but they might not have the offense to keep up with the juggernauts.
14. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-0)
Slow starts continue being a theme for the Razorbacks, trailing at some point against both Gardner-Webb and Mercer. But so are second-half explosions and elite scoring guards, including JD Notae going for 30 points in the season-opening victory. Au’Diese Toney has been solid on both ends, while Connor Vanover went for 19 points in 17 minutes versus the Bulldogs.
Their next opponent is Northern Iowa, a team that has started out 0-2 despite having former Missouri Valley Player of the Year AJ Green back after missing last season. They still have the talent to cause problems for Arkansas, especially if another slow start occurs.
13. Illinois Fighting Illini (2-0)
The Illini were without All-American big man Kofi Cockburn, currently serving a suspension to start the season. Yet even underhanded, the team dominated both Jackson State and Arkansas State without any issue. Two players who didn’t play much last year, Coleman Hawkins (15.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg) and Jacob Grandison (17.5 ppg), have put up numbers and look to be part of the main rotation once everyone gets back.
Illinois has just one game and it’s on the road at Marquette. the Golden Eagles have a new head coach and revamped roster but could pose a big threat to the Big Ten program at home, with Cockburn still out for one more game.