College Basketball Rankings 2015-16: Bleacher Report's Week 3 Top 25
Kentucky is the unanimous No. 1 team in Bleacher Report's first official college basketball Top 25 of the 2015-16 regular season. The Wildcats took care of business against Duke and a few others while virtually every other elite team fell by the wayside.
Beyond No. 1, though, we had all sorts of dissension. Maryland, Michigan State and Villanova each received second-place votes from one of our experts, as we struggled to find a team worthy of wearing the label of "Top Challenger to Kentucky."
For all the chaos of the first 10 days of the season, our unordered set of the top 25 teams didn't change all that much. Vanderbilt and SMU arguably did nothing to merit dropping from the poll—and would have been Nos. 26 and 27 if it went that deep—but there had to be two sacrificial lambs to make room for Cincinnati and Oregon.
With 15 early-season tournaments taking place in the next seven days, though, it'd be wise to expect major changes to next week's poll. It has already been a crazy start to the 2015-16 season, but things are about to get really wild.
Teams Dropped from Preseason Rankings: Vanderbilt (20), SMU (23)
Others Considered: SMU, Vanderbilt, LSU, West Virginia, George Washington, Tulsa, Xavier, Louisville, Iowa
Our experts participate in weekly voting for B/R's Top 25. Once a vote is cast for a specific team, it's assigned a value—25 points for the No. 1 team in the rankings, 24 points for the second spot and so on. The point totals are then added up to create the Top 25.
Nos. 25-21: Utah-Texas A&M
1 of 17
25. Utah
Record: 4-1
Previous rank: 21
It's hard to fault the Utes for falling victim to the early-season buzzsaw that is Miami, but they didn't exactly dominate their other competition, struggling to pull away from Southern Utah, Texas Tech and Temple. They'll probably hang around the back end of the poll until their big mid-December games against Wichita State and Duke.
24. Butler
Record: 3-1
Previous rank: 16
Did we mention there's no shame in losing to the Hurricanes? Both Utah and Butler stood in their path to the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship and paid the price for it. But Butler really struggled with Temple on Friday, and that 144-point explosion in the season opener against The Citadel feels like a lifetime ago.
The Bulldogs will need more nights of Good Tyler Lewis. The North Carolina State transfer had 13 assists and no turnovers in the first two games, but he had no assists against Temple and was a complete nonfactor against Miami.
23. Notre Dame
Record: 3-0
Previous rank: 22
The Fighting Irish haven't faced much of a challenge yet, but the Demetrius Jackson (20.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds) and Zach Auguste (17.0 points, 10.0 rebounds) duo is putting up strong numbers all the same. We'll get an extended look at them this week in the Advocare Invitational, where they would likely need to go through Monmouth, Iowa and Wichita State to win the title.
22. Connecticut
Record: 3-0
Previous rank: 24
Like Notre Dame, fellow former Big East affiliate Connecticut has feasted on cupcakes thus far, but is about to run into quite the gauntlet in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Graduate transfers Sterling Gibbs and Shonn Miller are averaging a combined 28.3 points per game, and Amida Brimah already has 13 blocked shots.
21. Texas A&M
Record: 4-0
Previous rank: 19
To say the Aggies haven't been challenged yet would be an understatement. Through four games, their average score is 93.5 to 59.8. They're shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range as a team, led by potential SEC Player of the Year Danuel House. We're really looking forward to seeing what they can do against some real opponents this week in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Nos. 20-16: Baylor-Wichita State
2 of 17
20. Baylor
Record: 2-1
Previous rank: 17
The Bears destroyed Stephen F. Austin by a 42-point margin before laying an egg against an Oregon team playing without two of its starters. Lester Medford—the key to pretty much everything for Baylor with Kenny Chery and Royce O'Neale now out of the picture—had a nightmare of a time against the Ducks. He and Taurean Prince will need to be more consistently productive for the Bears to really contend in the Big 12 this year.
19. Cincinnati
Record: 4-0
Previous Rank: Not Ranked
After failing to hit 85 points in a single game last season, the Bearcats are putting up 96.3 per contest while holding opponents to just 54.0 points per game. They are averaging 14.3 steals and 7.3 blocks and committing just 15.8 fouls per game. But it's hard to be too impressed with a team for stomping the likes of Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Bowling Green. Bring on the Butlers, Xaviers and Iowa States that they'll face in December.
18. Oregon
Record: 4-0
Previous rank: Not Ranked
The Ducks probably deserve to be ranked even higher than this for winning games against both Baylor and Valparaiso without two of their starters, Dylan Ennis and Jordan Bell.
However, we gotta give them room to grow. Otherwise, "poll logic" will mandate that we bump them comfortably into the top 10 if they can handle good-not-great upcoming opponents like Fresno State, UNLV, Boise State and Alabama. And we're simply not prepared to buy the Ducks as an Elite Eight type of team until we see how they fare against a couple of the other top-notch teams in the Pac-12.
17. Wichita State
Record: 2-1
Previous rank: 8
The warts are already apparent for the Shockers. In the 67-77 loss to Tulsa, Anton Grady had 18 points and nine rebounds, Ron Baker had 23 points and four steals and Fred VanVleet had 11 points, three assists and no turnovers. In other words, the primary trio did about everything one could ask for, and Wichita State still lost by double digits to an unranked team. How the Shockers fare this week in the Advocare Invitational will likely dictate how we view them the rest of the year.
16. Purdue
Record: 5-0
Previous Rank: 18
The Boilermakers made mincemeat of Old Dominion and Florida in the HOF Tip-Off this weekend. They're shooting 42 percent from three-point range as a team, and their frontcourt Cerberus of Isaac Haas, A.J. Hammons and Caleb Swanigan is kicking butt and taking names.
Most noteworthy, though, has been the emergence of sophomore point guard P.J. Thompson. He appears to have bypassed Johnny Hill on the depth chart and should be starting before long. Through five games, he has 34 points, 12 assists, five steals and zero turnovers. Lack of an established point guard was the biggest thing holding Purdue back in the preseason prognostications. If Thompson can be that guy, look out.
15. California Golden Bears
3 of 17
Record: 3-0 (29 points)
Previous rank: 15
Results since last poll: vs. Rice (W 97-65); vs. UC Santa Barbara (W 85-67); vs. East Carolina (W 70-62)
Games this week: vs. Sam Houston State; Las Vegas Invitational [vs. San Diego State; vs. West Virginia or Richmond]
Led by Tyrone Wallace's 21.3 points, 5.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, California's starting five has been pretty incredible.
Stud freshmen Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown haven't played all that much, but their combined stat line through three contests is 45.0 minutes, 29.0 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.3 assists per game. It's safe to say they're both living up to the hype of ranking top 10 in their class.
The "role playing" wings (Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews) are both averaging double digits per game, rounding out an excellent unit.
However, as we anticipated all summer, things really drop off a cliff beyond the starting five.
Despite a fairly significant amount of playing time in the blowout wins over Rice and UC Santa Barbara, California's bench has scored a grand total of 35 points. No individual reserve has scored as many total points as California's lowest scoring starter is averaging per game.
As long as everyone stays healthy, California should be really solid. But that's a very thin sheet of ice to skate on for several months. And if the Golden Bears plan on going through San Diego State and West Virginia/Richmond on back-to-back days to win the Las Vegas Invitational, those five starters are going to need some help.
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14. Iowa State Cyclones
4 of 17
Record: 2-0 (42 Points)
Previous rank: 9
Results since last poll: vs. Colorado (W 68-62); vs. Chicago State (W 106-64)
Games this week: vs. Chattanooga; Emerald Coast Classic [vs. Virginia Tech; vs. UAB or Illinois]
There's not much game data yet for the Cyclones, but the good news out of the early returns is that Abdel Nader appears to have developed into the player they need him to be.
A woefully inefficient scorer for his first three seasons, Nader is shooting 57.1 percent from the field and averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. And while his conventional contributions improve, his defense has remained as strong as ever. He leads the team in blocked shots and ranks second in steals.
If he keeps it up, Nader could be the missing link on a roster that had a pretty big hole at small forward after losing both Dustin Hogue and Bryce Dejean-Jones.
With Nader playing well thus far, Iowa State has five players averaging at least 13 points per game despite an uncharacteristically bad team three-point percentage of 28.6. Once Naz Long and Georges Niang start to turn that number around, Iowa State will reassume its annual role as one of the most fun-to-watch teams in the country.
13. Arizona Wildcats
5 of 17
Record: 4-0 (43 Points)
Previous rank: 14
Results since last poll: vs. Pacific (W 79-61); vs. Bradley (W 90-60); vs. Boise State (W 88-76); vs. Northwestern State (W 61-42)
Games this week: Wooden Legacy [vs. Santa Clara; vs. Evansville or Providence; likely vs. Michigan State]
A lot of new players have been making a major impact for Arizona.
Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson missed Sunday's game with an injured ankle, but he's averaging 13.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. JUCO transfer Kadeem Allen is also filling up the box score with 7.5 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. And highly rated freshman Allonzo Trier is scoring 13.3 points per game.
But it's a returnee who's really steering the ship so far.
Gabe York was relegated to sixth man in the middle of last season, but he has been Arizona's No. 1 option this year. York is averaging 16.0 points per game and has connected on 13 of his 26 three-point attempts. Against Boise State and Northwestern State, he was evaluated as the MVP of the game by both KenPom.com and common sense.
Arizona's real strength, though, is its depth.
York has been great, but the Wildcats should be able to survive his occasional cold nights because they entered play Sunday with eight players averaging at least 7.3 points per game. They also have three players averaging at least seven rebounds per game and three players tallying at least three assists per game.
Put another way, they're loaded with diversification, never forced to rely too heavily on an individual player in a specific category or position. There will be nights when the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts, but this should be one of the most consistently solid teams in the country throughout the 2015-16 season.
12. Gonzaga Bulldogs
6 of 17
Record: 2-0 (45 Points)
Previous rank: 11
Results since last poll: vs. Northern Arizona (W 91-52); vs. Mount St. Mary's (W 101-56)
Games this week: Battle 4 Atlantis [vs. Washington; vs. Texas or Texas A&M; likely vs. Connecticut or Syracuse]
Domantas (Domas) Sabonis has been nothing short of a monster in the paint.
It's one thing to average 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. It's another thing entirely to do so while averaging just 22.0 minutes per game.
Hate on per-40 minutes numbers all you want, but 37.3 points and 19.1 rebounds is absolutely ridiculous, regardless of how weak Northern Arizona and Mount St. Mary's are. Sabonis has made 19 of his 23 field-goal attempts as the minor-conference foes have had no one capable of keeping up with him.
If Domas the Dominant continues putting up huge numbers in the Battle 4 Atlantis, it will all but cement his status as a 2016 lottery pick. Assuming Gonzaga draws a schedule of Washington, Texas A&M and Connecticut, Sabonis will be facing a very talented post presence each step of the way.
Elsewhere on Gonzaga's roster, senior guard Kyle Dranginis has gotten out to a great start, shooting 60 percent from three-point range and racking up 10 assists against just one turnover.
He doesn't need to be much of a scorer. As long as Dranginis and Josh Perkins can defend and distribute without making too many mistakes, the Zags should be very much in the conversation for another No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
9. (Tie) Oklahoma Sooners
7 of 17
Record: 2-0 (46 Points)
Previous rank: 6
Results since last poll: at Memphis (W 84-78); vs. McNeese State (W 85-56)
Games this week: vs. Incarnate Word; vs. Wisconsin
On the one hand, we have to give some credit to Oklahoma for being the only highly ranked team to actually win its true road game. The Sooners didn't look very good against Memphis, but they escaped without a loss, which is more than North Carolina, Virginia and Wichita State can claim.
On the other hand, we're no closer to knowing Oklahoma's best option at power forward than we were two weeks ago.
Khadeem Lattin started both games, but he has played a grand total of 18 minutes, racking up five fouls and just one point. Akolda Manyang made his D-I debut against McNeese State and wasn't much better, committing three fouls in 10 scoreless minutes. Redshirt freshman Dante Buford has been their best guy thus far, and he was absolutely abused by Memphis' Dedric Lawson (22 points and 15 rebounds) in the opener.
Buddy Hield is awesome (27.0 points per game, 9-of-15 from three-point range), but he can't always do everything for this team. The Sooners really need to figure out who is going to be Ryan Spangler's primary running mate in the paint sooner than later. If they don't, they could be in some serious trouble against the more complete teams in Big 12 play.
9. (Tie) Virginia Cavaliers
8 of 17
Record: 4-1 (46 Points)
Previous rank: 5
Results since last poll: vs. Morgan State (W 86-48); at George Washington (L 68-73); vs. Bradley (W 82-57); vs. Long Beach State (W 87-52); vs. George Mason (W 83-66)
Games this week: vs. Lehigh
For 80 percent of its season, Virginia has looked like the team we've grown accustomed to watching over the past two years. The Cavaliers completely stifled four of their five opponents on defense and decimated them on offense by scoring at least 82 points in each win.
But then there's that loss to George Washington in which they couldn't stop anyone from getting to the rim and really struggled to put the ball in the hoop.
How much stock should we be putting on each side of that fence?
Yes, the Wahoos have looked really good more often than not, but George Washington is also the only team they've played thus far with any realistic NCAA tournament aspirations. What happens, then, when Virginia faces teams with eyes on the 2016 national championship like Villanova (Dec. 19), California (Dec. 22) or half of the ACC?
For the time being, we're mostly sticking to our preseason faith in head coach Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers had to drop a bit for losing to an unranked team, but they aren't plummeting down the poll like Wichita State did. But thanks to some pretty aggressive scheduling, we'll get plenty of chances to reassess Virginia in the next 30 days.
9. (Tie) Duke Blue Devils
9 of 17
Record: 4-1 (46 Points)
Previous rank: 10
Results since last poll: vs. Siena (W 92-74); vs. Bryant (W 113-75); vs. Kentucky (L 63-74); vs. VCU (W 79-71); vs. Georgetown (W 86-84)
Games this week: vs. Yale; vs. Utah State
Here's pretty much everything you need to know about Duke:
- Grayson Allen in Duke's wins: 29.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 58.6 FG%, 94.4 FT%
- Grayson Allen in Duke's loss: six points, three rebounds, one assist, 18.2 FG%, 33.3 FT%
There are other important players for the Blue Devils. Senior forward Amile Jefferson has been phenomenal in his own right, averaging 12.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while also doing a million little things that don't show up in the stat sheets. Marshall Plumlee has been almost equally valuable in the paint during the rare stretches that he isn't dealing with foul trouble. Forgotten starter from the 2015 national championship game Matt Jones is shooting 14-of-29 from three-point range.
But Allen has been the key to everything, including being the reason Duke lost to Kentucky when he couldn't get anything going whatsoever.
With each game, a different Duke player seems to make a major stride in the right direction. Jefferson and Allen exploded in Game 1. Plumlee's breakout came against Kentucky. Derryck Thornton had a huge game against VCU. Chase Jeter had some crucial contributions during a pivotal stretch late in the first half against Georgetown. And, eventually, the lights are going to come on for Luke Kennard and Brandon Ingram.
It was easy to write off Duke's chances of a repeat after the rough showing against Kentucky, but in winning the 2K Classic, the Blue Devils are already beginning to regain their status among the nation's elite teams.
8. Miami Hurricanes
10 of 17
Record: 5-0 (47 Points)
Previous rank: 25
Results since last poll: vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley (W 86-59); vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (W 93-77); vs. Mississippi State (W 105-79); vs. Utah (90-66); vs. Butler (W 85-75)
Games this week: vs. Northeastern
It's getting to the point where we might as well just put Miami in the preseason Top 25 and see what happens.
Three years ago, the Hurricanes suffered an early loss to Florida Gulf Coast, but they won 22 of their first 25 games en route to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Last year, they won at Florida very early in the season and jumped out to an 8-0 record before starting to fall apart at the seams.
This year, Miami is merely the hottest team in the country after 10 days.
The Hurricanes manhandled a pretty good Louisiana-Lafayette team before rolling through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. They trounced Mississippi State and Utah and fairly comfortably handled Butler in a championship game that oscillated between being a good battle and being a good old-fashioned rout.
The crazy part is they're just now getting Kamari Murphy into the mix after a three-game suspension to start the season. The addition of said Oklahoma State transfer was viewed by many as the biggest reason Miami would be better than it was last year, so the 'Canes might only further improve once he's fully implemented into the rotation.
Sheldon McClellan is averaging better than 17 points per game, building on what was a great individual second half of the 2014-15 season. Tonye Jekiri is averaging a double-double, and Angel Rodriguez is making all sorts of contributions. Really, though, take your pick from any Hurricane playing regular minutes and there are good things to be said.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
11 of 17
Record: 3-1 (58 Points)
Previous rank: 3
Results since last poll: vs. Temple (W 91-67); vs. Fairfield (W 92-65); vs. Wofford (W 78-58); at Northern Iowa (L 67-71)
Games this week: CBE HOF Classic [vs. Northwestern; vs. Kansas State or Missouri]
Everyone assumed North Carolina wouldn't be playing its best basketball with Marcus Paige sidelined for the first few weeks of the season with a broken bone in his nonshooting hand, but no one thought the Tar Heels would actually lose to Northern Iowa, right?
They even held a 16-point lead early in the second half before the Panthers went nuts from beyond the arc, cutting the deficit to two points in a span of less than five minutes.
Paige or not, it was a very disturbing sequence for the Heels. They went 7:24 without grabbing a single rebound that didn't immediately result in a turnover, as Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks failed to capitalize against an undersized opponent.
Prior to Saturday, though, North Carolina looked pretty darn good. Meeks and Johnson were double-double machines while Theo Pinson and Joel Berry were doing a fantastic job of picking up the slack in Paige's absence. The Tar Heels won each of their first three games by a margin of 20 or more points.
But those wins have already been long forgotten, as the loss to Northern Iowa will serve as the lasting image of a crazy start to the season. The Tar Heels will turn things around, but they're now in a position of needing to regain our trust rather than simply getting the benefit of the doubt.
6. Indiana Hoosiers
12 of 17
Record: 3-0 (60 Points)
Previous rank: 12
Results since last poll: vs. Eastern Illinois (W 88-49); vs. Austin Peay (W 102-76); vs. Creighton (W 86-65)
Games this week: Maui Invitational [vs. Wake Forest; vs. St. John's or Vanderbilt; likely vs. Kansas or UCLA]
Leading up to the start of the season, everyone had Indiana head coach Tom Crean on the hottest seat in the country.
Thus far, he is leading one of the hottest teams.
The Hoosiers have slaughtered everything in their path, averaging 92 points per game and winning each contest by a margin of at least 20 points.
Much of Indiana's success is stemming from precisely who and what you would expect. Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr. and Troy Williams are leading the team in scoring. As a whole, Indiana is shooting 42.7 percent from three-point range and averaging 11.7 made triples per game.
In addition to those norms, there are a few additions that have made Indiana particularly scary. Freshman Thomas Bryant is averaging 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game and shooting 80.0 percent from the field. Graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt has entrenched himself in the primary eight-man rotation with a solid start to the year.
Perhaps most noteworthy, though, is the Hoosiers are averaging 9.7 steals per game. The early competition has hardly proved to be anything special, but this was one of the worst turnover-forcing teams in the country last year. If the Hoosiers are still racking up eight or more steals per game in conference play, it could be what puts them over the top to win the Big Ten.
Then again, if they continue averaging 18 turnovers per game, it'll really negate all of the hard work they're doing on defense.
5. Michigan State Spartans
13 of 17
Record: 3-0 (63 Points)
Previous rank: 13
Results since last poll: vs. Florida Atlantic (W 82-55); vs. Kansas (W 79-73); vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (W 92-46)
Games this week: vs. Eastern Michigan; Wooden Legacy [vs. Boston College; vs. Boise State or UC Irvine; likely vs. Arizona]
It certainly didn't take long for Denzel Valentine and Michigan State to prove they belong at the forefront of all discussions about the best player and/or team in the country.
Thanks in part to his otherworldly 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the Champions Classic win over Kansas, Valentine has a ridiculous line of 16.3 points, 10.7 assists and 9.0 rebounds per game.
It wasn't all the game against the Jayhawks, either. He has posted a seven or better in all three categories in all three games. Had he played more than 28 minutes each against Florida Atlantic and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, we're probably losing our minds over a dude who opened the season with three consecutive triple-doubles.
The crazy part is he should only get better. A 40.4 percent three-point shooter over the past two years combined, Valentine is shooting just 30.0 percent from downtown thus far. When those buckets start falling, his per 36-minute numbers might be better than those of Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.
Though Valentine is deservedly getting all of the attention, this hasn't been a one-man show by any means.
Bryn Forbes and freshman Matt McQuaid are lights out from three-point range. Matt Costello and freshman Deyonta Davis are averaging a combined 42.0 minutes, 19.7 points, 16.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game in the post. Sophomore Javon Bess is already one point away from matching his total from last year. And while West Virginia transfer Eron Harris hasn't amounted to much yet, the guy put up 17.2 points per game two years ago.
Once Harris starts heating up, you're probably looking at the second-best team in the country.
Too bad the Champions Classic isn't a tournament. Would have been awesome to see Kentucky and Michigan State square off.
4. Maryland Terrapins
14 of 17
Record: 3-0 (64 Points)
Previous rank: 4
Results since last poll: vs. Mount St. Mary's (W 80-56); vs. Georgetown (W 75-71); vs. Rider (W 65-58)
Games this week: Cancun Challenge [vs. Illinois State; vs. Rhode Island or TCU]; vs. Cleveland State
Once upon a time 10 days ago, everyone under the sun was picking Maryland to win the Big Ten. While the likes of Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue were very worthy contenders, they would all be valiantly battling for second place behind one of the nation's top challengers for the 2016 title.
Field those Big Ten predictions again right now, though, and the Terrapins wouldn't be nearly the same unanimous favorite.
At least half of that is due to the red-hot starts from Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue and Iowa. For all the preseason hubbub over the three best teams in the ACC and Big 12, the top tier of the Big Ten might be the best in all the land.
But a significant portion of the sudden hesitance to crown the Terps is because of their own uninspiring play.
It's one thing to struggle with Georgetown, but Maryland trailing Rider by 14 points at home at the first media timeout of the second half was quite possibly the most concerning thing we've seen thus far this season.
A lot of top teams lost or nearly lost away from home against quality mid-majors, but really? At home against Rider? The Broncs are shooting 25.5 percent from three-point range and allowing opponents to shoot 57.8 percent from inside the arc. With Robert Carter Jr. and Diamond Stone to dominate down low, Maryland should have won this game by 40 points.
Instead, the Terrapins will enter the Cancun Challenge with something to prove in advance of their big showdown with North Carolina on Dec. 1.
3. Kansas Jayhawks
15 of 17
Record: 1-1 (66 Points)
Previous rank: 2
Results since last poll: vs. Northern Colorado (W 109-72); vs. Michigan State (L 73-79)
Games this week: Maui Invitational [at Chaminade; vs. UNLV or UCLA; likely vs. Indiana or Vanderbilt]
It's problematic that the Jayhawks had no answer whatsoever for Denzel Valentine on Tuesday, but it's also pretty impressive that they led for almost the entire game while Valentine was putting together maybe the best individual performance we'll see all season.
That said, there's plenty of cause for early concern in Lawrence.
Cheick Diallo still hasn't been cleared to play. Brannen Greene was just suspended for the next six games. 2016 NBA lottery prospect Svi Mykhailiuk isn't doing anything more as a sophomore than he did as a freshman. Throw in Devonte' Graham shooting an almost impossibly awful 4-of-20 from the field, and the Jayhawks have a whole lot of stuff that isn't yet up to snuff.
On the plus side, Wayne Selden might finally be starting to live up to the hype four years in the making. He's shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range and averaging 13.5 points per game—both of which are significant upticks from the previous two seasons.
It's still too early to have any kind of definitive read on this team, though.
With just two games under its belt, Kansas has played one home game against one of the worst teams in the country and one neutral-court game against one of the best teams in the country. The Maui Invitational should give us a much better feel for where the Jayhawks are headed, even though they'll be playing those three games without two guys (Greene and Diallo) who should be huge contributors later in the season.
2. Villanova Wildcats
16 of 17
Record: 4-0 (69 Points)
Previous rank: 7
Results since last poll: vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (W 91-54); vs. Nebraska (W 87-63); vs. East Tennessee State (W 86-51); vs. Akron (W 75-56)
Games this week: NIT Tip-Off [vs. Stanford; vs. Arkansas or Georgia Tech]
There is a very finite number of teams that haven't shown any red flags yet this season, and our preseason No. 7 team is one of them.
Villanova didn't play any remotely elite teams, but three of the Wildcats' four opponents were at least mildly respectable.
It didn't matter. Jay Wright's squad made them all look silly.
Nebraska might be a bottom-tier Big Ten team, but the fact remains that Villanova beat a Big Ten team by a 24-point margin. The Wildcats also slaughtered East Tennessee State, even though the Buccaneers surrounded that bloodbath with impressive wins over Green Bay and Georgia Tech. And Akron went on the road to beat Arkansas before going on the road to get crushed by Villanova.
In typical Villanova fashion, it has been a full-team effort fueled largely by three-point field goals. Heading into Sunday's game against Akron, six different Wildcats were averaging at least 10 points per game, with none tallying more than 15.0 per game.
Daniel Ochefu has been dominant on the glass to the tune of 10.8 rebounds per game. Do-it-all stud Josh Hart is also pitching in about seven boards per contest.
We already can't wait for Villanova's games against Oklahoma and Virginia on Dec. 7 and 19, respectively.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
17 of 17
Record: 4-0 (75 Points)
Previous rank: 1
Results since last poll: vs. Albany (W 78-65); vs. NJIT (W 87-57); vs. Duke (W 74-63); vs. Wright State (W 78-63)
Games this week: vs. Boston University; vs. South Florida
There's good, and then there's Kentucky.
There might be a couple of Maryland supporters who stick to their preseason guns by putting the Terrapins at No. 1, but thanks to a big win over Duke and all the early carnage elsewhere, Kentucky should be the near-unanimous No. 1 team in the country when the AP poll is released Monday afternoon.
The Wildcats are far from perfect, but they're closer than any other team.
Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe have been unstoppable in the backcourt, putting up a combined 40 points and 10 assists per game. They're only shooting a combined 26.2 percent from three-point range, but given Ulis' 42.9 percent clip last season and Murray's reputation as a great shooter, it would be foolish to expect that slow start from beyond the arc to perpetuate throughout the season.
Elsewhere, Marcus Lee has played very admirably in the post. He doesn't shoot well at all, but he was averaging 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game through Kentucky's first three contests.
Heading into the season, power forward was undoubtedly Kentucky's biggest unknown. So far, though, Lee and Alex Poythress (7.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG) have turned that potential weakness into one of the Wildcats' biggest strengths.
Once potential No. 1 draft pick Skal Labissiere learns how to play more than 10 minutes without getting into foul trouble, John Calipari is going to have the most unstoppable six-man rotation in recent memory.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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