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

9. Memphis (4-0)

We don’t know yet if Memphis will live up to the hype, but it’s so far so good for the Tigers and their two freshman phenoms. Both Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren have made a profound impact on this team in the early-going. This past week consisted of two more wins, both double-digit decisions over a pair of solid mid-major programs at home. Memphis handled a talented Saint Louis squad by 16 points before getting a fantastic 22-point, 19-rebound effort from Duren in a win over Western Kentucky.

The 4-0 start is great, especially with the way the Tigers are winning games, but some tougher opponents are looming on the schedule. Memphis has played very good defense these first two weeks, but the offense is struggling with turnovers and wasn’t hitting their long-range shots against the Hilltoppers. They can survive these struggles early in the season, but the next few weeks are full of top 100 opponents, including dates with Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

8. Baylor (4-0)

LJ Cryer has now scored 20 points in three straight games leading this Baylor team to a 4-0 start as they attempt to defend their national championship. The week began with a pair of easy wins over local mid-majors, knocking off Nicholls 89-60 before a 45-point win versus Central Arkansas. Their Saturday win was the most impressive of the season, taking care of Stanford 86-48 in their first game against a power conference opponent.

Certainly, Stanford is not one of the tougher opponents the Bears will face this season, but they still dispatched of the Cardinal as easily as they took out teams like Central Arkansas. The defense has been smothering, and both the offense and defense rank in the top 6 in efficiency at this point in the season. Next week’s game against Arizona State should pose a slightly bigger challenge, though the Bears certainly look like a top 10 team already this year.

7. Texas (3-1)

In the opening week, Texas got their big test against Gonzaga and couldn’t slow down the Bulldogs, but this past week has been a decent bounce back. The Longhorn took care of Northern Colorado on Wednesday and then knocked off San Jose State by 34 points on Saturday evening. A pair of solid games from Timmy Allen and Tre Mitchell has got the Longhorns in solid shape moving forward, even if these wins didn’t come over the strongest of opponents.

The Longhorns look like one of the teams to beat in the Big 12, even after their troubles with Gonzaga, but don’t get much of a shot to stand out in the coming weeks. They’ve got a slew of home games with some mid-majors before taking on Seton Hall nearly three weeks from now. The Longhorns, who have allowed less than 50 points in all of their non-Gonzaga games, have a real chance to stockpile wins before Big 12 play.