NCAA Basketball top 25 rankings: Gonzaga, Providence rise, Alabama falls
By Joey Loose
16. LSU (11-0)
Eleven straight wins is a fantastic way to start the season, even if the toughest of those games has been against Wake Forest and Belmont. The Tigers look like a contender in a tough SEC and their defense has been dazzling in these first eleven games. This past week, they picked up two of those wins, beginning with an 89-49 laugher against Northwestern State on Tuesday. Over the weekend, they were challenged a bit further by Louisiana Tech, with Tari Eason (21 points) helping to lead a furious second-half comeback to win 66-57 and preserve their unbeaten start to the year.
Again, the SEC has some great teams this year, and LSU hasn’t exactly had the toughest slate of games to prepare them for that stretch. Still, if the Tigers can translate this level of defensive play into the conference season, they are going to make some noise, even against better foes. The Tigers have Lipscomb on the docket next week, but that’s the final game before SEC play begins at the end of December.
15. Seton Hall (9-1)
The play of Seton Hall has started to turn heads, and they may be the best team in the Big East at the current time. The Pirates got some big wins over Michigan and Texas, and took care of their business this past week, for the most part. On Sunday, they got a solid 77-63 win over nearby Rutgers, with Bryce Aiken’s 22 points leading the way. Unfortunately, the Pirates are now on COVID pause, which cancelled their game with Iona this weekend and will threaten more of their schedule.
The Pirates have been given a forfeit for next week’s game at St. John’s, but despite technically being 0-1 in the Big East, this is the team playing the best basketball in the league. Their defense has been terrific, and the offense has been efficient, even with their long-range shooting struggling the last week. The Pirates have road games at DePaul and Providence in the next week or so, two games they can hopefully play and win if their pause comes to an end.