18. USC (6-0)
All in all, it’s been a great start for USC, running off six straight victories to start the season. This past week started with a 27-point win at home against Dixie State before participating in the Wooden Legacy. There, the Trojans scored a pair of 15-point wins, first surviving 70-55 against Saint Joseph’s and then suffocating San Diego State in an impressive 58-43 struggle.
The defense has been impressive and the offense has done just enough as USC has turned in six solid performances on the season. Isaiah Mobley’s 18-point, 12-rebound performance on Friday helped lead the Trojans to their most impressive victory to date with that win over the Aztecs. This team gets a taste of Pac-12 play in the coming week, with games against Utah and Washington State, and get their first chance to impose their will. USC was a surprise Elite Eight team last year, but will they be a big surprise this season after this solid start?
17. Connecticut (6-1)
After four wins against uninspiring competition, the Huskies took their show on the road and were pretty impressive at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Their first game was a double-overtime thriller in which Adama Sanogo scored 30 points in a win over Auburn. The following day, the Huskies fell 64-60 to Michigan State in another thriller. Their final game in the Bahamas was a 70-63 overtime victory over VCU, giving them a pair of wins on the week.
The Huskies have been good on defense, though their offense struggled in their last two games at Atlantis. Struggles behind the 3-point line cost them their game against the Spartans, otherwise, they could’ve been in that title game against Baylor. Still, Connecticut proved that they’re for real against some actual competition, though they won’t get a shot to do that this week, with two more easy games at home on the schedule.
16. Iowa State (6-0)
Iowa State won just two games all of last season, but new head coach T. J. Otzelberger has these Cyclones looking like a contender three weeks into the season. They’ve won the games they were supposed to win early in the season, but really stepped it up at the NIT Season Tip-Off this week. On Wednesday, they dispatched of #25 Xavier 82-70 and then took it to #9 Memphis, knocking out the Tigers 78-59 in one of their best defensive efforts of the season.
The Cyclones have put forth some dynamic performances this past week, running out to an impressive 6-0 mark. It’s too early to know if this team has what it takes to compete in the top rung of the Big 12, but they certainly looked the part in that dominant second half against Memphis. This upcoming week provides opportunity, as the Cyclones travel to Creighton for a date on Saturday, though a simple home game with Arkansas Pine Bluff awaits them before that.