NCAA Basketball: Alabama, Ohio State rise, Gonzaga, BYU fall in top-25 power rankings

3. Villanova (6-2)

To this point, Villanova has played two of the very best teams in the nation, losing a pair of games away from home. They’ve taken care of business in the rest of their games and are a very talented team, showing that with three more wins this week. The Wildcats knocked off La Salle 72-46 on Sunday and defeated Penn 71-56 on Wednesday, with both wins coming on the road. Collin Gillespie had 26 points in the win over the Quakers and added 23 points in a home win over Saint Joseph’s on Saturday afternoon.

The offense has been very efficient for the Wildcats, and that trend applied to the defense as well this past week. These three games against their Philadelphia rivals certainly weren’t some of the toughest on the schedule, but this three-game streak gets Villanova back on track. An intriguing game against Syracuse in New York looms this upcoming week and presents a prime opportunity to get a nice win against a power conference foe. Villanova’s only impressive win to this point was against Tennessee two weeks ago.

2. Baylor (8-0)

The Bears have been nothing short of brilliant so far this season, taking care of business as they attempt to defend their national championship. This week didn’t provide big opportunities, but a team with three power conference wins already doesn’t need to prove itself every week. There was just a single game on the schedule, as Baylor picked up a drama-free 99-54 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff, with LJ Cryer’s 20 points leading the way.

Once more, Baylor looks like the real thing, not only as a top team in the nation but as a potential favorite to repeat their title, even after some roster turnover. The offense has played inspired basketball in recent weeks, and the defense has yet to allow more than 63 points in a game. They don’t play another game until December 12th, but it’s a pretty big one against Villanova, and another chance for Baylor to show off before Big 12 play begins in January.

1. Purdue (8-0)

With the calendar hitting December, Purdue has truly looked like the best team in the country, coming along quite nicely over the past twelve months or so. With big wins already on their resume, they got two more big ones this past week. On Tuesday, they got a big 93-65 win over Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They then got Big Ten play off to a solid start with a 77-70 win over then-unbeaten Iowa, with Trevion Williams’ 13-point, 18-rebound performance standing out.

After getting a big lead early, the Boilermakers had a rough finish against the Hawkeyes, but survived and picked up their eighth straight win to begin the season. The offense has been dynamic to this point and these Boilermakers have the lineup to win some of these key games down the stretch. Their only test next week is their first road conference game, a matchup at Rutgers on Thursday night. Seeing how they’ve handled business (and how Illinois handled Rutgers), a 9-0 start is well within reach.