As the Christmas break approaches and full-bore conference play is right around the corner, a look at who’s up and who’s down in college basketball:
Up: Trae Young. The Oklahoma freshman guard and former Kentucky target not only leads the nation in scoring at 28.8 points per game, he’s third in assists at 8.9 per game. After the Sooners’ upset of Wichita State last weekend, Oklahoma jumped into the AP Top 25 at No. 17.
Down: Florida. After an impressive 5-0 start catapulted the Gators all the way to No. 5 in the AP poll, Mike White’s club has fallen apart, losing four of its last five. A frequent-flyer schedule with stops in Portland for the PK80 and New Jersey for a win over Cincinnati, may have contributed to the Gators’ undoing.
Up: Arizona State. Looks like the third year is the charm for ex-Duke point guard Bobby Hurley, who after going 15-17 and 15-18 his first two seasons in Tempe has the red-hot Sun Devils off to a 10-0 start. ASU was unranked when the year started, but wins over then-No. 15 Xavier and then-No. 2 Kansas, in Lawrence, have skyrocketed the Devils all the way to No. 3.
Down: Kansas. Speaking of the Jayhawks, an unsettled roster has caused things to go sideways on Bill Self’s squad. Back-to-back losses to Washington in Kansas City and Arizona State at Allen Fieldhouse dropped KU all the way to No. 14 in the rankings. Reinforcements could be coming, however. Self hopes to get freshmen Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa eligible before Big 12 play begins.
Up: Texas A&M. Kentucky was the media’s preseason pick for SEC champ, but the Aggies have had the better non-conference season. So far, anyway. Billy Kennedy’s club was 9-1 before Tuesday’s game against visiting Northern Kentucky. Ken Pomeroy’s numbers rank A&M No. 3 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 4 overall. Those Cats-Aggies matchups on Jan. 9 (Lexington) and Feb. 10 (College Station) should be special.
Down: Cody Riley and Jalen Hill. The freshman duo of 6-7 power forwards was supposed to bring immediate help to a UCLA team that lost Lonzo Ball, T.J. Leaf and Bryce Alford off of last year’s squad. Alas, Riley was one of three Bruins indefinitely suspended after being accused of shoplifting in China. LiAngelo Ball withdrew from school, but head coach Steve Alford hopes a decision on the status of Hill and Riley will be made soon, maybe even in time for Saturday’s game against Kentucky.
Up when you thought it would be down: Missouri. Michael Porter Jr., considered the top freshman in all the land, played all of two minutes before being taken under the knife for back surgery. No problem. First-year coach Cuonzo Martin has Mizzou at 9-2 entering Tuesday night’s game. Last season, the Tigers won eight games.
Down when you thought it would be up: Vanderbilt. After a strong finish secured the Commodores a spot in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Bryce Drew may have overscheduled for his second season in Nashville. Off to a 3-7 start, Vandy has lost to USC, Virginia, Seton Hall and Arizona State, all of whom are or have been ranked.
Up, but now back down: Indiana. So far, new coach Archie Miller’s first year in Bloomington has been a roller-coaster ride. The Hoosiers lost to Indiana State 90-69, but later went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Duke before losing 91-81. Last weekend, they upset No. 18 Notre Dame in overtime, then turned around Monday and lost to Fort Wayne for the second straight season — this time by 20 (yes, 20) at home.
Down, but now back up: It was a horrific start for Arizona. Sean Miller’s top recruiter was snagged in the FBI investigation. Ranked No. 3 in the preseason, the Wildcats dropped successive games to North Carolina State, SMU and Purdue (by 25). Miller appears to have pulled the car out of the ditch, however, with wins over Texas A&M, Alabama and at New Mexico.
John Clay: 859-231-3226, @johnclayiv
Associated Press Top 25
- 1. Villanova
- 2. Michigan State
- 3. Arizona State
- 4. Duke
- 5. North Carolina
- 6. Miami
- 7. Kentucky
- 8. Texas A&M
- 9. Xavier
- 10. West Virginia
- 11. Wichita State
- 12. Gonzaga
- 13. Virginia
- 14. Kansas
- 15. TCU
- 16. Purdue
- 17. Oklahoma
- 18. Arizona
- 18. Baylor
- 20. Cincinnati
- 21. Tennessee
- 21. Texas Tech
- 23. Seton Hall
- 24. Florida State
- 25. Creighton
Comments