NCAA Basketball Top 25 for 11/25
The Top 25 could (will?) look different next week, as the schedule this week is filled with top matchups. Many of those matchups are in the Players Era Festival, where good teams can easily go winless in three guaranteed contests.
That said, traditional tournaments such as the Maui Invitational, Battle for Atlantis, and ESPN Events Invitational still offer intriguing fields. Many of the teams in these fields are looking to enhance their NCAA Tournament resumes. While the committee looks at total body of work, it doesn’t hurt if you have “Battle 4 Atlantis Champions” on your list of accomplishments.
Top 25:
1. Arizona (5-0) (4) – The Wildcats have the nation’s 18th-ranked schedule with wins over Florida, UCLA, and UConn. Their remaining non-conference schedule includes Auburn and Alabama.
2. Purdue (6-0) (3) – The Boilermakers knocked off Texas Tech to take the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas. The KenPom ranks their offense #1 in the nation.
3. Duke (7-0) (5) – For now, the knock is their 276th-ranked schedule. This is due to games against Niagara and Howard, which featured Blue Devils’ alumni coaching against each other. The schedule ranking is about to change, however, as their next three are against Arkansas (neutral – Thanksgiving Challenge), Florida (home in the ACC/SEC Challenge), and Michigan State (road).
4. Houston (5-0) (1) – The Cougars did nothing wrong. They have the nation’s #1-ranked defense. Like Duke, their schedule strength is lacking (283rd). They are in the Players Era Festival, which begins tonight.
5. Gonzaga (5-0) (6) – Their schedule is middling thus far, but every win has been by double digits. Their Players Era Festival journey starts with Alabama.
6. Louisville (5-0) (7) – The fast-paced Cardinals were slowed down by Cincinnati, but still won by ten. Guard play is key in the NCAA, and Louisville has two good ones: Ryan Caldwell (20.4 PPG; 45.2% 3-point) and Mikel Brown Jr. (19.8 PPG; 6.6 assists).
7. Alabama (3-1) (9) – Their 4th-ranked schedule features wins over St. John’s and Illinois and a 7-point loss to Purdue. As always, the tempo is fast, the offense is strong, but there are questions on defense.
8. UConn (5-1) (2) – Positives: A close win over BYU and a close loss to Arizona. Negative: The furthest they have traveled thus far is Boston. They’ll take a trip to Madison Square Garden to take on Illinois.
9. Illinois (5-1) (8) – The Illini are balanced, with five players averaging double digits. 6’9″ freshman David Mirkovic averages a double-double.
10. Florida (4-1) (10) – Circle those back-to-back games against Duke (12/2) and UConn (12/9).
11. Michigan (4-0) (11) – A lot of teams will get an early read on their squads in the Players Era Festival. Michigan’s preliminary round games are against San Diego State and Auburn. They are 6th in the country in defensive efficiency (KenPom).
12. Michigan State (5-0) (15) – Two wins over ranked SEC schools (Arkansas, Kentucky) define their early-season. The ACC offers them Duke and North Carolina.
13. Iowa State (4-0) (13) – The offensive and defensive metrics are there. Their 355th-ranked schedule weighs them down, but it’s time to prove how good they are. In the Players Era Festival, they play St. John’s and Creighton. Coming soon is a road game against Purdue.
14. St. John’s (3-1) (16) – If the Red Storm can maintain their Top 20 offensive rating, they will be dangerous. Their defense is currently below last season’s level, but there is plenty of time for it to improve.
15. North Carolina (5-0) (14) – Honestly, the metrics don’t overwhelm, and closer-than-expected wins over Radford and Navy don’t help their cause. I said it last week: The ACC is desperate for teams to step up this year. The Tar Heels are in that mix.
16. Tennessee (5-0) (17) – Positive: 3rd-ranked defense. Negative: 348th-ranked schedule. How bad is that schedule? Only Mercer is in the KenPom Top 200. The good news? This will change. Their first two games in the Players Era festival are Rutgers and Houston. Beyond that, they play Illinois and Louisville in early December.
17. Auburn (4-1) (18) – I see two approaches to scheduling before the Players Era Festival, with many teams choosing “tune-up” games against lesser competition. To Auburn’s credit, they scheduled a game against Houston and lost by only a point.
18. BYU (4-1) (19) – The KenPom is bullish, and it is easy to see why. They travelled across the country to play a close game against UConn before easily handling ranked (not anymore) Wisconsin by 28 in a Bad Boy Mowers Series contest. Their offense will be there – it’s all about having a good enough defense.
19. St. Mary’s (6-0) (22) – I can’t rank teams based on disappointing past NCAA Tournament results. They are one of the favorites in the Battle 4 Atlantis. They need a good showing there, as their non-conference slate beyond that isn’t strong.
20. Vanderbilt (5-0) (25) – The Commodores will join St. Mary’s as a favorite in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The competition hasn’t been stellar, but they do have four 100+ point efforts (KenPom ranks their offense 5th).
21. Kentucky (4-2) (12) – The Wildcats have played four cupcakes and a pair of top teams. Guess which teams they have lost to? KenPom likes their offense and defense. Can they earn a few solid non-conference wins?
22. Arkansas (5-1) (23) – Their 3-point loss at Michigan State helps more than hurts. There are reasons to be skeptical, and we will soon find out if those concerns materialize. Four of their next six games are against ranked opponents. Three of them are against teams that are currently amongst the country’s best (Duke, Louisville, Houston).
23. North Carolina State (4-0) (NR) – VCU is never an easy team to play, and they gave the Wolfpack all they could handle. A trip to the Maui Invitational awaits. They should be the favorites to win it, but the field isn’t terrible. Using the KenPom, the field includes #24 USC, #41 Texas, #60 Boise State, #85 Arizona State, and #87 Seton Hall (NC State’s first opponent).
24. Indiana (5-0) (NR) – Their schedule impresses nobody, though Louisville and Kentucky await.
25. Utah State (6-0) (NR) – The Charleston Classic had multiple brackets, with Utah State winning the “Lowcountry” bracket. They are the Mountain West’s final unbeaten team.
Just Missed:
Clemson (6-1) – The Tigers won the Palmetto Bracket in that same Charleston Classic, defeating West Virginia and Georgia in close contests. Their lone loss was by five at Georgetown.
UCLA (5-1) – A weak schedule (the only tough game was a 4-point loss to Arizona), but their defense looks solid again.
Baylor (3-0) – The Players Era Festival will give us a read on many teams. The Bears play Creighton and St. John’s (yes, the same two squads Iowa State is playing).
Dropped Out:
Wisconsin (4-1) (20) – No shame in losing to BYU, but the game wasn’t even close.
Texas Tech (4-2) (21) – The loss to Illinois was close. The loss to Purdue (in the Baha Mar title game) was not.
Kansas (3-2) (24) – I applaud tough schedules, but the Jayhawks lost to North Carolina and Duke by double digits.