Week one is in the books and what a week it was. One of the great things about college basketball is that many of the elite teams play other elite teams early in the season, and that is what happened at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis last Tuesday. First, #2 Duke led the entire way in scoring a comfortable 11-point victory over #19 Michigan State, and in the nightcap, #1 Kentucky showed everyone why it will be the story of the year in college basketball, as the Wildcats thoroughly dismantled #11 Kansas. Duke’s win over Michigan State paired with its weekend victories over Temple and Stanford have the Blue Devils all the way up to the second slot in this week’s RTC25. #1 Kentucky remains in the top spot, but its style points in demolishing a talented Kansas squad earned the Wildcats every one of our pollsters’ number one votes. Outside of Kentucky, the team of the week had to be #7 Gonzaga, who rose from #11 after it impressively handled previously-#22 SMU and dominated its way to a 52-point thrashing of Saint Joseph’s.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump…
Quick N’ Dirty Analysis.
- Kansas and Florida each take a bit of a tumble. The Jayhawks were completely embarrassed by Kentucky in Indianapolis. Bill Self’s squad was dominated from the opening tip and headed back to Lawrence with a 32-point loss attached to its résumé. Our pollsters did not penalize Kansas too harshly, though, as it fell just six spots to #11. Florida opened its season by suffering a fairly stunning home defeat at the hands of upstart #20 Miami (FL). Due to that loss and some other struggles, Billy Donovan’s squad fell from #8 to #17 this week.
- Texas enters the top 10. It was not too long ago that national pundits were openly calling for a coaching change in Austin. That all changed when Rick Barnes led the Longhorns back to the NCAA Tournament last season, and he seems more than primed to do it again this season. Texas made its weekend trip to Madison Square Garden a success by notching double-figure victories over previously-#24 Iowa and Cal. It is not all good news for the Longhorns, though, as dynamic point guard Isaiah Taylor suffered a wrist injury in the victory over the Hawkeyes and is likely to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.
- Oklahoma and Connecticut remain ranked despite suffering upset losses. Expectations were high in Norman in the preseason, so it is easy to see why the Oklahoma faithful might be a bit anxious following the Sooners’ loss last week at Creighton. The season is still extremely young, but now-#22 Oklahoma needs to exhibit an ability to close out games on the road, as that is what did Lon Kruger’s squad in during its trip to Omaha. Defending national champion Connecticut hangs on at #25 this week after the Huskies fell to West Virginia in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off title game. Making matters even worse, the Huskies were without the services of four players after they were suspended for the title game for a violation of team rules.
- Miami (FL), UCLA, West Virginia, and Georgetown all enter the Top 25. The Hurricanes, Bruins, Mountaineers, and Hoyas all join the rankings after completing undefeated opening weeks. #20 Miami (FL) and #23 West Virginia were the most impressive of the four as they notched upset victories over Florida and Connecticut, respectively.
Game of the Week. #14 VCU vs. #12 Villanova. The Rams and Wildcats are set to do battle on Monday night at the Progressive Legends Classic at the Barclays Center. This highly-anticipated matchup should tell us plenty about both squads, as neither has been significantly tested early this season. The point guard match-up will be the one to watch here, as VCU point guard Briante Weber certainly brings the defensive intensity that can throw Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacono off his game. This should be a fun one and will undoubtedly serve as a solid appetizer to the rest of Feast Week.
Keep Tabs On. The Maui Invitational (Field: Kansas State, Purdue, Missouri, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Chaminade, San Diego State, BYU) and the Battle 4 Atlantis (Field: Wisconsin, UAB, Georgetown, Florida, UCLA, Oklahoma, Butler, North Carolina).
Conference Call – ACC (5), Big 12 (5), Big Ten (4), SEC (2), Pac-12 (2), Big East (2), AAC (1), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West (1), Atlantic 10 (1), WCC (1).