School basketball energy rankings: UConn goes to No. 1 prematurely of perhaps one of the best Saturday of standard season

1 File: 11-0 | Final week: 2. At this level, UConn has the resume and the look of one of the best group in faculty basketball. No. 1 group in a number of predictive metrics, together with the wide-ranging Massey Composite. Dan Hurley’s not uncomfortable with lengthy successful streaks. In 2017-18, his last 12 months at Rhode Island, the Rams peeled off 16 straight. And in 2011-12, his last season at Wagner, the Seahawks had a span the place they received 17 out of 18 video games. In contrast to these two spurts, this one isn’t signaling Hurley’s last season at this specific job. 2 File: 10-0 | Final week: 1. The Boilermakers are second right here however No. 1 on this week’s AP Prime 25, which accomplished a plot twist within the first six weeks of the season that had by no means occurred earlier than and one thing we’d not see once more for many years. By no means earlier than had a group gone from preseason No. 1 to unranked by Week 5 (UNC), however past that, by no means earlier than had a group gone from unranked within the preseason to No. 1 in six weeks, as Purdue has executed. Boiler followers are loving it, Tar Heel followers are annoyed, however these storyline surprises are precisely why I like faculty hoops. (And we should always’ve given Matt Painter extra credit score within the preseason.) 3 File: 8-0 | Final week: 3. No outcomes for the Wahoos since final week’s Nineteen. As talked about above, the Cavs have a big-time recreation awaiting on Saturday. I do not suppose you are conscious simply how momentous this recreation truly is. Fifth-ranked Houston represents the primary top-five foe to play at John Paul Jones Enviornment since … ever. In actual fact, get this: Virginia has NEVER hosted a top-five non-con opponent in its historical past. Till Saturday. 4 File: 9-1 | Final week: 10. If Alabama beats Gonzaga this weekend, it is going to have one of the best NCAA tourney file heading into Christmas. An undefeated Purdue could be second, adopted by UConn at third (supplied the Huskies win at Butler). If Alabama can beat Gonzaga for a second straight season (received final 12 months in Seattle), it is going to need to do it with out sophomore guard Nimari Burnett (7.9 ppg), who’s going to be out for fairly some time after present process wrist surgical procedure. One much less guard to wreak havoc is a bonus for Gonzaga, which might want to beat the Tide to get again into these rankings. 5 File: 9-1 | Final week: 5. The Vols have the top-ranked per-possession protection at KenPom.com, permitting opponents an adjusted 81.3 factors per 100 possessions. That is stifling. It is most likely not sustainable (SEC competitors will trigger that quantity to most likely nudge as much as 85 or 86 factors by March). However it’s factor UT is so stout; the group is capturing 47.1% in efficient discipline objective capturing, rating 279th nationally as of Thursday morning. After taking part in 5 video games away from house to date, the primary street take a look at awaits on Saturday towards Arizona. 6 File: 9-1 | Final week: 8. The group behind the Vols is the group that misplaced to the Vols 64-50 on Nov. 25 within the Battle 4 Atlantis championship recreation. Final week, the reigning nationwide champs went into Mizzou Enviornment and received 95-67, giving KU its second-largest margin of victory in that constructing in historical past. (It received by 33 again within the ’50s.) It was additionally one of the best capturing efficiency (57.4%) by an opponent in that joint since not less than the mid-Nineties. The Border Battle is … technically again! 7 File: 9-1 | Final week: 9. Vibes are swell in Tucson proper about now. The basketball group is high 10-good and this system obtained phrase Wednesday that no main sanctions will probably be coming within the long-overdue IARP case decision. On the court docket, an enormous thank-you to Ken Pomeroy for digging up this nugget after I requested him Wednesday night time. Saturday’s Tennessee-Arizona recreation will mark the eighth time the No. 1 KenPom protection has performed the No. 1 KenPom offense relationship again to 2010, with 4 of these matchups previous to the NCAA Match. 8 File: 8-1 | Final week: 7. The horrible and horrifying alleged particulars of Chris Beard’s arrest is not going to have an effect on how Texas is ranked on this house shifting ahead. The Longhorns wanted time beyond regulation at house to beat Rice 87-81 on Monday night time and stave off a second loss in three video games. The group travels Sunday to play Stanford in Dallas. 9 File: 10-1 | Final week 4. It is somewhat little bit of a dip for the Coogs, given they blew a 15-point house result in Alabama and gave up a season-high 71 factors. Alabama outscored Houston 42-21 within the last 17 minutes. I promise you this group isn’t permitting one other group to attain 42 factors in a 17-minute span the remainder of this season. I do not know what is going on to occur in Charlottesville on Saturday, nevertheless it would not shock me if Houston responded to that loss by not taking part in an in depth recreation for one more month. 10 File: 9-1 | Final week: 13. In our Wednesday Dribble Handoff publish, the CBSSports.com faculty hoops foursome of myself, Kyle Boone, Gary Parrish and David Cobb picked the participant who’s shocked them probably the most. Parrish went with Arkansas’ Ricky Council (19.2 ppg), and he is pretty much as good of a alternative as anybody at this level. Council’s contributions will probably be much more crucial shifting ahead, now that Trevon Brazile is finished for the season (ACL). 11 File: 7-2 | Final week: NR. I almost put UCLA within the high 10 after what it did on the street towards Maryland on Wednesday night time. What a bludgeoning that was: 87-60. The Bruins led by as many as 38. It was their largest win over a ranked group since 2000 — a 105-70 win over, welp, Maryland, within the NCAA Match. That is the way you tune up for Kentucky. I am all of the extra wanting to see this group in particular person on the Backyard.  12 File: 8-0 | Final week: 14. It is a tender and somber week in Starkville after the loss of life of soccer coach Mike Leach. Small consolation will be discovered within the males’s hoops group, which is off to one among its finest begins in program historical past. The Bulldogs obtained struggle on Wednesday towards Jackson State — in Jackson, Mississippi — earlier than successful 69-59. JSU’s 59 factors are probably the most scored towards MSU this season. 13 File: 10-1 | Final week: 15. The Hurricanes have been included within the first three editions of this season’s Hey Nineteen, however they’re nonetheless floating beneath the radar for the time being regardless of their high quality file. That can finish Tuesday, when The U welcomes in Virginia. Jim Larrañga’s itching to get a victory in that spot. Miami final received at house towards the Cavaliers in 2016. 14 File: 10-1 | Final week: 16. Bobby Hurley’s managed a semi-regular behavior of creating ASU a stylish December storyline. An enormous motive for that’s his willingness to schedule aggressively and repay with massive wins. The Solar Devils have performed seven top-10 groups in nonconference play beneath Hurley. Within the 17 years earlier than he obtained there, ASU had one such recreation. What’s extra, Hurley’s 15 video games towards ranked non-con groups is second-most within the Pac-12 since he obtained there, behind UCLA. 15 File: 10-2 | Final week: 18. Jon Scheyer’s not dashing this entire head teaching factor, and by that I imply: them Blue Devils are taking their time. Based on BartTorvik.com, the ultimate 4 seasons beneath Mike Krzyzewski, Duke averaged 70 possessions per recreation. By means of the primary near-third of this season, towards some opponents that will in concept give Duke motive to push the tempo, the Blue Devils are a lot slower general: 66.0 possessions, rankings 292nd within the nation. It is working to date, however I am undecided anybody thought this group would play with this a lot deliberation. 16 File: 10-1 | Final week: 19. Mike Younger’s loving life proper now. He is by no means gotten off to a 10-1 begin. I imply ever. On any group he is been a coach — head or assistant. How do I do know? I referred to as and requested him Wednesday, simply to double verify. His response? “Not an opportunity in hell.” Virginia Tech’s fairly rattling good and may be able to working its solution to a top-four seed come March. Wouldn’t stun me. 17 File: 8-0 | Final week: NR. The Mountain West has a troika of groups nonetheless with undefeated data. The perfect of them is Utah State, which ranks third within the KPI, twelfth within the NET, thirty third at Torvik and forty first at KenPom. My major remorse with this group is that I thought of placing it within the high 60 of my high 101 preseason rankings, solely to second-guess myself and slip all of it the best way all the way down to 82nd. Disgrace on me. 18 File: 9-0 | Final week: NR. Highway wins over SMU and Saint Mary’s, along with Monday’s neutral-court takedown of an honest San Francisco group, spotlight the profile for the Lobos, who final began out this scorching in 2012-13. On a loaded weekend of video games, one other enjoyable one will occur Sunday in The Pit when Rick Pitino’s 7-2 Iona Gaels are available to play. Iona is ranked larger in predictive metrics. I like that the Pitinos are doing this. And the winner will get a fabric increase to a fledgling at-large profile. 19 File: 9-0 | Final week: NR. Notice: The Hey Nineteen doesn’t listing nor give credit score for groups that file wins over non-Division I competitors. Thus, UNLV is 9-0. The Runnin’ Rebels final obtained off to a begin this good in 1990-91. You could recall that group went on to not lose a recreation till the Last 4. That will not be occurring with this group in 2023, and there’s no Larry Johnson-type in Rebs threads now, nevertheless it’s wanting like this group could have an excellent probability to bounce for the primary time since 2013.