NCAA Basketball: Alabama, Ohio State rise, Gonzaga, BYU fall in top-25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
21. Ohio State (5-2)
On opening night, Ohio State struggled with Akron, but in the weeks since, the Buckeyes have played some fantastic games against strong competition. At the same time, they’ve also had their share of disappointments. With recent losses to Xavier and Florida in mind, the Buckeyes really got back on the wagon this week, upending #1 Duke at home 71-66 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. A big second-half push propelled Ohio State to the win, getting 14 points and 14 rebounds from EJ Liddell.
At their best, Ohio State looks like a great team that can continue near the top of the Big Ten, especially after Tuesday’s win over the Blue Devils. The Buckeyes are still figuring things out, but it is hard to find a team with such a tough slate of games in recent weeks. You can figure losing to Xavier and Florida away from home, but we’ll have to see how that prepares the Buckeyes when Big Ten play begins in earnest. For this upcoming week, they’ll get a road game at Penn State and home dates with Towson and Wisconsin to prove themselves.
20. Auburn (7-1)
Aside from a double-overtime loss to Connecticut in the Bahamas, the Tigers have looked the part of a fantastic team in the first month of the season, following that up with two more solid wins this past week. First, they got a solid home win over UCF on Wednesday, getting 20 points from Jabari Smith and 17 points from Walker Kessler. Five Tigers were in double-digits in scoring in Saturday’s nice 86-64 win over Yale, giving the Tigers the clean week and getting them to seven wins.
Those wins over Loyola-Chicago and Syracuse in the Bahamas will look even better as the season goes along. Auburn can certainly claim to be one of the many contenders near the top of the SEC this season. Next week, they’ll only get one test, playing Nebraska on Saturday in a game they should win, even if the Cornhuskers are a Big Ten team. Aside from that bizarre double-overtime game, the defense has been great for Auburn; can that trend continue when SEC play begins just over three weeks from now?
19. USC (8-0)
Last year’s Elite Eight run was a welcome surprise for USC, and winning the first eight games this season is an excellent way to continue that success. The Trojans haven’t faced many challenges early on but did pick up two keys wins this past week in conference play. That success began on Wednesday, as the Trojans got their first conference win at home against Utah, getting 21 points from Isaiah Mobley in the win over the Utes. On Saturday, USC picked up the road win against a resurgent Washington State team, winning 63-61 for the 2-0 start in Pac-12 play.
The Trojans have played very well to start the season, with their defense especially standing out. They haven’t been as challenged as some of the other top teams in the nation but took care of feisty teams like San Diego State along the way to an 8-0 start. Things settle down over the next few weeks, as the Trojans welcome Eastern Kentucky, Long Beach State, and UC Irvine for home dates in the near future. Do the Trojans have what it takes to slog through Pac-12 play and become one of the nation’s better teams?