Feast Week has come and gone, and it once again did not disappoint. Top teams #2 Wisconsin and #4 Arizona showed the nation why they are thought of as some of the nation’s best. The Badgers took home the Battle 4 Atlantis title after scoring victories over UAB, Georgetown, and #16 Oklahoma. Sean Miller’s Wildcats took home the title at the Maui Invitational with wins over Missouri, Kansas State, and #13 San Diego State. #9 Villanova also turned in an impressive week. Jay Wright’s squad was victorious at the Legends Classic, as it secured notable wins over #23 VCU and #15 Michigan. With the ACC/Big Ten Challenge set to take place this coming week, expect a lot more great action on the court and even more fluidity in the RTC25.
This week’s Quick N’ Dirty after the jump…
- Kentucky remains the unanimous #1. The Wildcats kept to their winning ways with sizable victories over UT-Arlington and Providence. Early returns on John Calipari’s “platoon” system are quite positive, as his squad is 7-0 and averaging 82.5 points and 45.8 rebounds per contest. Kentucky will face its stiffest test of the young season this Friday, as it will play host to #7 Texas. The Longhorns have the size and athleticism to compete with the Wildcats, but do they have the talent and depth? We will be able to answer that pressing question at this time next week.
- North Carolina falls to #12. The Tar Heels knew they would be tested at the Battle 4 Atlantis, but few figured they would fall at the hands of #23 Butler. The Bulldogs led throughout their quarterfinal matchup with North Carolina on their way to a very impressive upset victory. Roy Williams’s squad did rebound from the defeat by finishing the week with rather dominating performances over UCLA and Florida.
- Kansas recovers, yet remains at #11. One week after suffering an embarrassing 32-point trouncing to Kentucky, the Jayhawks completed a 4-0 week that saw them gain back a good amount of confidence. A blowout victory over Rider set the tone for Bill Self’s squad, as it completed a tear through the Orlando Classic with wins over Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Michigan State. Even with this impressive week on record, it was not enough for our pollsters to elevate the Jayhawks past their previous standing at #11.
- Florida falls out. The Gators opened their season with a surprising home loss to #19 Miami (FL), which led to them falling from their #9 preseason ranking to #17 in last week’s RTC25. This past week was not any kinder to Billy Donovan’s squad, as it finished just 1-2 at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The season is still very young, but a 3-3 start in Gainesville has not been experienced since Donovan’s first season in 1996-97.
Game of the Week. #2 Wisconsin vs. #3 Duke. The annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge is once again filled with many enticing match-ups, but none more so than when the Blue Devils travel to Madison on Wednesday to take on the Badgers. Bo Ryan and Mike Krzyzewski each have extremely talented offensive units, so expect this one to be very high scoring. The individual match-up to keep an eye on is between a pair of RTC Preseason First Team All-Americans in Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky and Duke big man Jahlil Okafor. Whichever post presence reigns supreme should have a major impact on which team emerges victorious.
Keep Tabs On. #5 Louisville vs. #14 Ohio State; #16 Michigan vs. Syracuse; #19 Miami vs. Illinois; #12 North Carolina vs. Iowa; #10 Virginia vs. #22 Maryland; #18 Michigan State vs. Notre Dame; #16 Iowa State vs. #20 Arkansas; #1 Kentucky vs. #7 Texas; #4 Arizona vs. #6 Gonzaga.
Conference Call: ACC (5), Big 12 (5), Big Ten (5), Pac-12 (2), SEC (2), Big East (2), Missouri Valley (1), Mountain West (1), Atlantic 10 (1), WCC (1).