A true rare occurrence in college basketball, this week ranked teams almost went a perfect chalk. Furthermore, only one team in last week’s Power 16 suffered a loss and it was to another ranked team. While nobody should get used to this type of week as conference play will surely shake things up a bit, it made for what will be one of the most relaxing weeks of the season. Here are this uneventful week’s Power 16 and Players of the Week.
Rank (Last week’s rank) | Record | Comment |
1. Duke | 6-0 | Coach K both tied and broke the record for coaching wins by a No. 1 ranked team this week with wins over California and Georgetown. Duke cruised to an easy win over Cal before beating Patrick Ewing’s crew thanks a strong second half. Vernon Carey has emerged as the big man Blue Devil fans hoped he would be, bringing back memories of players like Marvin Bagley and Jahlil Okafor. While Duke should handle their next two games by a margin of 20+ points, a looming matchup with Michigan State could cause a scare in a look-ahead situation. |
2. Louisville | 6-0 | The Cardinals survived a late-comeback scare against Akron to improve to 6-0 on the season. Louisville doesn’t have a quality win as of yet, but with upcoming matchups with Michigan and Texas Tech in two weeks, we will see what this team is really made of. As of now, they seem to be legit. The team checks all the boxes in what you want out of a contender, we just need to see it translate from paper to the hardwood. |
3. Michigan State | 3-1 | Michigan State only played one game this week, to a pitiful Charleston Southern team. Early in the season we like to have a takeaway from the team each week based on what we saw, unfortunately that is impossible with the Spartans. We know the team is talented and coached exceptionally well, but tilts against Virginia Tech and Duke around the corner we will see if they avenge their season-opening loss to Kentucky and rattle off a couple quality wins. |
4. Kansas | 3-1 | Similarly to Michigan State, the Jayhawks only played one game this week against an underwhelming opponent in ETSU. Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson both played well and will continue to be the heart and soul of the Kansas offense. Those two alone are good enough to lead Bill Self’s team deep into the postseason, it’s just a matter of what role players can step up and potentially launch them over the edge into greatness. |
5. Gonzaga | 6-0 | The Zags were in a 6-point game against UT Arlington, however I would argue the score didn’t reflect how the game really went, especially in the second half. Outside of that game, Gonzaga has been dominant against the weaker opponents they’ve faced. We will have the luxury of seeing Mark Few’s squad go up against the likes of Washington, Arizona and North Carolina is the upcoming weeks to get a sense of if this is the year Gonzaga regresses or not. |
6. Kentucky | 5-1 | The Wildcats have done about a good a job as you can recovering from the embarrassing loss to Evansville. Kentucky blew out Mt. St. Mary’s and Lamar by 20 and 25 points, respectively. Nick Richards has been a pleasant surprise for Big Blue Nation, rounding up a handful of impressive performances and providing a much-needed presence in the post. John Calipari has yet another team loaded with potential. |
7. North Carolina | 4-0 | Although it was against Elon, Armondo Bacot had the type of game UNC needs at a consistent level with 22 points and 14 boards. Despite how great Cole Anthony may be, he will need help for the team to succeed in the long run and Bacot has now shown the ability to be that key piece. The ACC is stacked with contenders once again and UNC has an outside shot of being the best of the bunch. |
8. Arizona | 6-0 | Arizona is absolutely crushing everybody in their path so far this year. Five of six games have been won by 20+, while four of six games have been won by 30+, even adding a 48-point win in there. However, the Wildcats have not faced a real opponent yet. They will get the chance to meet up with Baylor and Gonzaga, so we’ll see if the trend of dominance can hold up. |
9. Maryland | 5-0 | Maryland is very comparable to Arizona so far. They’re wiping the floor with everyone, but the competition is laughable for a Power 5 team. For now, we believe the Terps have the best shot at taking down Michigan State in the Big Ten, but we can’t be positive as of yet. Maryland will get their shot to prove their worth in the near future, and I’m sure they will, but it’s college basketball, you never know. |
10. Oregon | 5-0 | The Ducks built off of their win over Memphis with two easy wins over UT Arlington and Houston. Arguably the team’s biggest challenge awaits early this week with Seton Hall in the Battle 4 Atlantis. We know Oregon is a solid and respectable team, and a win over the Pirates should cement them as a top-ten team in the country. As of today, the Conference of Champions is Oregon’s to lose. |
11. Virginia | 6-0 | The defending national champions have been unimpressive to say the least. While they are undefeated and (inexplicably) have a first-place vote to their name, they just seem to be missing something. The defense is as good as ever, allowing under 60 points in each game thus far, but the offense doesn’t have the power to carry them as in past seasons. The Cavaliers have skated past Vermont and Arizona State by single digits and need to refine the offense in order to contend with the likes of Duke, UNC and Louisville. |
12. Texas Tech | 5-0 | The Red Raiders also have an elite defense, but lack the level of competition to justify a top-ten ranking as of today. Chris Beard has done a commendable job starting the year without Jarrett Culver and off of a loss in the National Championship and it will be exciting to see what this team can do in conference play. If you ask me, Texas Tech and Kansas will be neck and neck once again. |
13. Seton Hall | 4-1 | There’s not much to takeaway from the Pirates this week. They clobbered Florida A&M, as they should, and now look forward to a matchup with Oregon in which they will be looking to earn a ranked win after losing to Michigan State earlier this season. Myles Powell will likely need to be at his best for Seton Hall to take down the Ducks, but it’d be nice to see the team thrive even without a high output from Powell. |
14. Ohio State | 5-0 | It’s crazy how something can change so quick in the land of college basketball. A win over Villanova seemed to be a statement, now with Nova suffering another loss, it’s a question of how special that win was. Regardless, the Buckeyes are playing well and crushing everyone that stands across from them. The team has two more cupcake games before they get to clash with UNC in an important early season game. |
15. Memphis | 5-1 | We now know the fate of James Wiseman and will be anticipating his return on Jan. 12, but the team has slightly underperformed un his absence. This week the Tigers won by 10 against Little Rock and narrowly held off Ole Miss in the final seconds to win by one point. The young, talented team needs its big man and if they can just survive until his return, Memphis will stay on this list. |
16. Baylor | 5-1 | The Bears picked up a win over Villanova this week which tentatively puts them into the Power 16. They do have a loss to Washington, but I believe the win outweighs the loss. I do not think that Baylor is special or has the capabilities to cut down the nets in March, but they’re a gritty team who can easily hang around the bottom of this list in the coming weeks. Next Five: Utah State, Xavier, Tennessee, Washington, VCU |
Players of the Week:
1. Vernon Carey – Duke
The Blue Devil’s freshman came out of the gate strong this week, recording
a 31-point, 12-rebound, 4-block performance against California. He then tallied
20 points and 10 boards against Georgetown. It’s no secret that a pair
of 20+ and 10+ games will get you on this list, but the sheer dominance Carey
provided on the court can not be put into a stat sheet. This was a coming out
party for the big man.
2. Kofi Cockburn – Illinois
Another freshman big man find himself on the list, this time a 7-footer from
Illinois. Cockburn provided 18 points and 17 rebounds to start the week, and
closed the week by scoring 20 points and chasing down 13 boards. He was also
efficient, shooting 70 percent from the field in his two games.
3. Fatts Russell – Rhode Island
I always try and show some love to the smaller schools on this list and Fatts
Russell takes advantage of that this week. Outside of having one of the coolest
names in the country, he also has one of the most exciting games in the country.
This week he gave us a 24-point, 6-assisst, 5-steal performance, a 22-point,
3-steal outing and a 26-point, 8-assist, 3-steal showing. Keep an eye on Russell
moving forward.
4. Isaiah Stewart – Washington
Another freshman big man finds his way onto the list as Isaiah Stewart showed
why he coule be among the first names called in the next June’s NBA draft. He
put up 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks against Maine, scored 18 points in
just 15 minutes against Montana, and handed San Diego a 25-point, 7-rebound
showing all in one week.
5. Nick Richards – Kentucky
As mentioned above, Richards has been a force for the Wildcats this season.
He dropped 19 points on 7-10 shooting and added six rebounds against Mt. St.
Mary’s before a 10-point 13-rebounds outing against Lamar. Kentucky has
been in need of a big man and they might have found one.
