Whereas a lot of the males’s faculty basketball Associated Press Top 25 has seen numerous shuffling two weeks into the season, Kansas has remained No. 1.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from this week’s ballot, which was launched Monday:
1. UConn, Gonzaga shut behind Kansas
Receiving 49 first-place votes from the 61-person media panel, the Jayhawks stay on prime. After choosing up an enormous win at house in opposition to a top-10 North Carolina, Kansas held Michigan State to 34.8 p.c capturing and simply 3-of-24 from three-point vary within the Champions Traditional in a 77-69 victory.
Hunter Dickinson and South Dakota State switch Zeke Mayo have led the Jayhawks. Dickinson has posted two 20-point double-doubles and practically had one other double-double within the workforce’s win over Oakland on Saturday. Mayo performed a pivotal function in Kansas’ win over the Tar Heels with 21 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
If Kansas can keep its field-goal share of fifty.8 p.c and proceed getting manufacturing alongside Dickinson, the Jayhawks can be laborious to knock off.
2. Kentucky sees largest leap in rankings
Mark Pope didn’t take lengthy to get his first signature win as head coach of the Wildcats. After two blowout wins to open the season, Kentucky rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit and held Duke to 26 factors the remainder of the way in which. With a 77-72 win, the Wildcats moved up 10 spots within the ballot to No. 9.
The massive story for Kentucky is its 40 p.c charge from behind the arc. With 4 gamers averaging double figures and Amari Williams averaging 11.7 factors and 11.7 rebounds, the Wildcats have spectacular depth.
Kentucky will get a slight break in its schedule with house video games in opposition to Lipscomb, Jackson State, Western Kentucky and Georgia State earlier than a street recreation at Clemson on Dec. 3 and a contest in opposition to No. 3 Gonzaga on Dec. 7.
3. Purdue rises seven spots after assertion win over Alabama
Friday was a hot-shooting night time for the Boilermakers, now ranked sixth, in opposition to the Crimson Tide. Purdue received 87-78 behind Trey Kaufman-Renn’s 26 factors and ridiculous 56.3 p.c capturing from three.
With 17 factors and 10 assists, Braden Smith handed Tony Jones and Everette Stephens for the third-most assists in Purdue historical past (483), per Matthew Glenesk of the South Bend Tribune.
Regardless of dropping Zach Edey to the Memphis Grizzlies, this Purdue workforce seems to be a powerful contender as soon as once more, particularly if Kaufman-Renn and Smith hold making a excessive share of their pictures.
4. Alabama, Duke, Arizona see largest drop in rankings
The Crimson Tide slid to No. 8 after dropping to Purdue on Friday night time. Alabama couldn’t gradual Purdue, but it surely received one other robust efficiency from Mark Sears, who scored 15 factors. Sears has scored 15 or extra factors in every of his previous 9 video games in opposition to AP-ranked opponents.
Duke fell to No. 12 within the rankings after late miscues from freshman sensation Cooper Flagg within the workforce’s loss to Kentucky. However Flagg has nonetheless been spectacular, tallying 57 factors, 30 rebounds and 10 assists in his first three collegiate video games. He’s the primary Duke participant up to now 40 years to realize 50 factors, 25 rebounds and 10 assists in that timeframe.
After permitting 103 factors in a loss to Wisconsin, its most in a non-overtime recreation since 2009, Arizona heads into Friday’s enormous showdown in opposition to Duke ranked seventeenth. The Wildcats should enhance their protection and three-point capturing (27.4 p.c).
5. Wisconsin, Illinois be part of rankings
With its spectacular win over Arizona, Wisconsin enters the highest 25 at No. 19. The 103 factors, together with 41 by John Tonje, had been the Badgers’ most over an AP-ranked workforce. Wisconsin has the firepower to hold with virtually anybody.
The Combating Illini enter the highest 25 on the heels of a career-high 20 factors from Tomislav Ivisic. As Illinois prepares to face Alabama on Wednesday, the Combating Illini might want to shoot higher than their season common of 36.2 p.c from three if they’ll pull the upset.
