NCAA Basketball top-25 rankings: Arizona, Ohio State rise, Kentucky, Texas fall
By Joey Loose
20. Colorado State (10-0)
With ten straight wins to open a year with expectations aplenty, Colorado State is making itself known around the country. The Rams haven’t exactly played the toughest schedule, though their last two wins have been the most impressive thus far. After last week’s big home win over Saint Mary’s, the Rams picked up that 10th win at the Hall of Fame Classic against a tough Mississippi State squad, winning 66-63 and getting 19 points from David Roddy.
Colorado State is doing good work early this season, with their offense looking fantastic ten games into the year. It’s easy to wonder how good this Rams team really is since they haven’t played any games against top-level opponents, but they’re taking care of business this season, and looked really good against Saint Mary’s a few weeks ago. This upcoming week gives them another decent opponent in Tulsa, but the real test will be Alabama, as a matchup with the Crimson Tide looms nearly two weeks from now.
19. Texas (6-2)
There’s been a lot of hype around Texas since Chris Beard arrived this offseason, hoping to get the Longhorns back on track, especially in the Big 12. While they have picked up six wins to this point, they’ve come up empty in their two games against solid opponents, including in their only game this past week. On Thursday night, they traveled to Seton Hall and departed New Jersey with a tough 64-60 loss, a game in which the Longhorns shot just 1 of 13 from long-range.
We still don’t know what to expect from Texas this season. In the long run, Beard is going to do great things with the Longhorns program, but it’s a bit much to expect such a step forward in his first month. Texas couldn’t hang with Gonzaga and didn’t take care of business at Seton Hall, but not all hope is lost.
Next week’s only game comes at home against Arkansas Pine Bluff, yet another addition to a somewhat weak home slate for the Longhorns. They’ll have plenty of chances to prove themselves once SEC play begins; for now, we’re left to wonder what exactly the ceiling is for this team.