NCAA Basketball: BYU, Seton Hall rise, Michigan falls in latest top-25 power rankings

21. Connecticut (4-0)

First and foremost, yes the Huskies have opened the season by winning their first four games, but what exactly have these games showed us? This past week began with an absolute beatdown, a 93-40 win over Long Island in which Connecticut’s defense shined. They then got a 15-point, 11-rebound effort from Tyrese Martin in another easy win, toppling Binghamton by 24 points on Saturday. The bottom line is that the Huskies have won four games against very weak opponents.

You can fault the Huskies for playing a weak schedule out of the gate, but this team looks the part as a top 25 squad. The defense has held their opponents in check and gets a bigger chance to shine against Auburn this upcoming week. As a whole, the Big East has looked phenomenal early on this season, though some of the other teams in the league are certainly getting more battle-tested than the Huskies.

20. Illinois (2-1)

While it was a bit of a surprise to see Kofi Cockburn return to Illinois, it was even more surprising to see him suspended for the first three games of the season. It’s fair to say that the Illini should be able to adjust to playing without Cockburn, but they certainly needed him this past week. Illinois dropped their only game of the week, a 1-point loss at Marquette in the Gavitt Tip-off Games. The Illini did not take care of the ball and played sloppy all night, blowing a game they very much should’ve won even without Cockburn.

The early blemish certainly puts a damper on Illinois’s season, but getting Cockburn back will mean the world to this program. It’ll be interesting to see how Cockburn impacts this team, whose defense has actually been phenomenal in the early going, sitting atop the nation in defensive efficiency. Cockburn’s presence will clearly help the interior offense, and they’ll get their first taste at that in an intriguing game against Cincinnati on Monday.

19. Florida (3-0)

Last week Florida proved they belonged among the top 25 teams in the nation by taking out then-ranked Florida State, their bitter rivals, in a 16-point victory. This week, they got another excellent performance from Colin Castleton and blew out Milwaukee by 36-points in their only game of the week. Florida has handled their first three opponents by double digits and has looked particularly strong in the early going.

Defense has been the carrier these first two weeks, while a pair of Castleton double-doubles helped lead the Gators in their two most recent victories. They haven’t necessarily needed strong offense in these defensive blowouts, but we’ll have to see how that side of the ball develops for Florida, who has an early SEC All-First Team candidate in Castleton. The upcoming week provides potential, with a Fort Myers Tip-Off matchup with California on Monday and then either Ohio State or Seton Hall two days later.