1. Auburn Tigers
The Tigers own the top spot in our Power Rankings after a complete domination of the Maui Invitational. Wins over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina, and Memphis are too hard to ignore this early in the year. Johni Broome continues to lead the early race for National Player of the Year
2. Kansas Jayhawks
Bill Self and company picked up a major win over Duke last week, even with their star, Hunter Dickinson, getting ejected. The Jayhawks are Top 10 in the country in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
3. Tennessee Volunteers
The Vols blew the doors off Tennessee-Martin in their only contest. The backcourt of Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier continues to dazzle. We know this team is going to play defense, when it gets scary is when they have the offense to match.
4. Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats continue to take care of business with wins over Western Kentucky and Georgia State. Everyone underrated this defense, and I’m not sure why. Amari Williams has been fantastic as the Hub-5 for Coach Pope’s system.
5. Marquette Golden Eagles
Shaka Smart continues to dominate the first half of every year. With so many Big East teams taking their lumps over the last few weeks, the Golden Eagles look like the cream of the crop.
6. Iowa State Cyclones
The Cyclones finished out Maui strong after a last-second loss to Auburn with victories over Dayton and Colorado. Keshon Gilbert has been fantastic on both ends of the floor. A big matchup with Marquette is coming up this Wednesday.
7. Oregon Ducks
The Ducks blast into our Top 25 with one of the best resumes in the sport. Oregon was able to win the inaugural Players Era Tournament in Vegas with wins over Texas A&M, San Diego State, and Alabama. It’s nice to see oft-injured big man Nate Bittle playing at an elite level.
8. Wisconsin Badgers
While Oregon takes over the honors as the biggest surprise to begin the year from the Badgers, all Coach Gard’s team does is keep winning. John Tonje continues to play out of his mind, and this team takes care of the ball.
9. Florida Gators
There is no question that this Gators team is for real. They are coming off blowouts over Wake Forest and Wichita State. Walter Clayton is the tip of the spear, but this team is deep.
10. Gonzaga Bulldogs
A surprising first-round loss in the Bahamas knocks the Bulldogs down a few pegs. They did recover nicely with wins over Indiana and Davidson as they get ready for a heavyweight showdown this week against Kentucky.
11. Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils dropped one on the road to Kansas with a turnover in the final seconds, rearing its ugly head again. Still, Duke has one of the best rosters in the country and will look completely different when its freshmen grow up over the next couple of months.
12. Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats continue to roll through a pretty weak non-conference schedule, notching their latest win over Alabama State. That’s not to sell this team short against future competition, as they were one of the most undervalued rosters coming into the year.
13. Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers picked up quality wins over NC State and Ole Miss last week. Guard Braden Smith continues to play at an All-American level, but they may have found a budding star in Myles Colvin, who had a big game in the two-point victory over the Rebels.
14. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Tide will eventually make their way back into the Top 10, but we’ve reached the point in the season where some teams ahead of them have accomplished a bit more. It was nice to see Mark Sears find his game again last week after the goose egg against Illinois.
15. Memphis Tigers
Well, hello, Penny as the Tigers are off to another fantastic start. They picked up big wins over UConn and Michigan State before falling to Auburn in the Maui Championship game. Tyrese Hunter and PJ Haggerty are one of the top backcourt duos in the country.
16. Pittsburgh Panthers
A game winning shot at Ohio State this past weekend continues a masterful start by Coach Capel and company. They are playing solid on both ends of the floor and look like a problem in the ACC. Guards Jaland Lowe and Ish Leggett have been awesome.
17. Oklahoma Sooners
If anyone had the Sooners winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, they are probably rich now. Coach Moser has this team rolling with wins over Providence, Arizona, and Louisville last week. Jeremy Fears has been one of the best freshmen in the country.
18. Illinois Fighting Illini
The influx of international talent has the Illini back in the mix nationally. Guard Kasparas Jakucionis is proving to be a lottery pick, and center Tomislav Ivisic has been outstanding. They picked up a big win over Arkansas this weekend and look like a player in the Big Ten.
19. Houston Cougars
Weird seeing the Coogs with three losses this early, but two of those were in overtime to Alabama and San Diego State, while the other one was a five-point loss to Auburn. Kelvin Sampson knows how to get the most out of his guys, and their metrics support another strong season.
20. San Diego State Aztecs
There were question marks for the Aztecs and how good they would be after key roster turnover this offseason. Miles Byrd and BJ Davis have elevated their game after playing sparingly last year. Coach Dutcher has another dangerous squad in the Mountain West.
21. Ole Miss Rebels
Tough loss on a putback to Purdue otherwise the Rebels would be 7-0. Transfer guard Sean Pedulla has been spectacular. Tough test against Louisville this week, but the Rebels should head into conference play with no more than two losses.
22. Baylor Bears
Feels like we haven’t seen much of Scott Drew’s team lately. That all changes with a matchup against UConn this week, which will only strengthen a non-conference schedule that already ranks inside the Top 20.
23. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies seem to be following a similar path to last year, which is strong defense/guard play. The problem is their three-point shooting has not improved this year which limits their ceiling. Still, they have a Top 20 roster in the country and will be a challenge for anyone in the SEC.
24. Michigan Wolverines
Coach May already has this team rolling heading into conference play this week. The Wolverines picked up good wins over Xavier and Virginia Tech last week. Transfers Danny Wolf, Roddy Gayle, and Tre Donaldson have given this program a shot in the arm offensively.
25. North Carolina Tar Heels
Tough losses to Auburn and Michigan State (overtime) in Maui drop the Heels in our Power Rankings to the final spot. Still, this team has RJ Davis and have played a Top 10 non-conference schedule. It only gets tougher with Alabama coming to town on Wednesday.
