Just one week into the season, college basketball has already had a couple of mammoth matchups (like Michigan State/Kentucky and Duke/Kansas) that have given us a barometer of where the top teams are. But there is more to the college basketball landscape than those four programs. Here’s an early view of the 10 best.
10. Michigan (2–0)—This ranking may be a bit generous, given the condition of 6-foot-10, 265-pound sophomore forward Mitch McGary’s back. McGary hasn’t played yet this year because of back issues, but after averaging 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in the NCAA tournament as a freshman last year, expectations are high on him entering his sophomore season. Fellow sophomore Glenn Robinson III is averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds through two games this season.
9. North Carolina (1–0)—Roy Williams’s program has had a couple of “down” years, by Carolina standards, of late but this looks like a bounce-back season. The Tar Heels brought in a pair of highly rated frontcourt players in Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, as well as four-star point guard Nate Britt, to bolster the team—and the early returns are pretty positive. In Carolina’s opener against Oakland the Tar Heels had a 58–21 halftime lead before cruising for the win.
8. Ohio State (2–0)—The Buckeyes have had several NBA prospects come through in the past few years, but one player who seems to be a constant is point guard Aaron Craft. Now in his fourth year as a starter, Craft’s defensive skills (he averages 2.2 steals per game at Ohio State) are a big part of Thad Matta’s success. Not coincidentally, the Buckeyes are 96–19 with Craft.
7. Syracuse (2–0)—If the first two games are any indication, it should be a wild ride at Syracuse this season. In the opener against lightly regarded Cornell, the Orange rallied from a 14-point deficit to win going away by 22 points. Leading the way was guard Trevor Cooney, who scored 28 while hitting 7 threes. Then against Fordham, the Orange won 89–74 despite Cooney scoring just 2 points.
6. Louisville (2-0)—Though the defending champions lost some parts of last year’s team to the NBA, like guard Peyton Siva and center Gorgui Dieng, they still have guard Russ Smith as well as two-time NCAA champion coach Rick Pitino on the sidelines. Smith has continued his shooting tear that started in last season’s postseason run, averaging 25.5 points per contest through two games this year.
5. Oklahoma State (2–0)—If games against inferior competition are any measure, the preseason predictions about the Cowboys may be correct. Oklahoma State, which arguably boasts the best returning player in guard Marcus Smart, has averaged a 54-point margin of victory through two games—both of which were over by halftime. Smart has scored in double digits in both wins and had a remarkable nine steals against Utah Valley.
4. Kentucky (2–1)—The Wildcats may have the best freshman class in history, but as Michigan State proved Tuesday night, they still have to execute a little better to win. The good news is that it’s still November and the team has plenty of time to get into form. One player who looks like he’s already in form is highly touted freshman forward Julius Randle, who put up 27 points and 13 rebounds against the Spartans in the 78–74 loss.
3. Duke (1–1)—Though the Blue Devils lost to Kansas Tuesday night, they sure looked good doing it. Freshman forward Jabari Parker was sensational in putting up 27 points and 9 rebounds—this after torching Davidson for 22 points and 6 rebounds. As a team, Duke still hit 51.7 percent of its shots against KU’s notoriously stingy defense but were victimized by 12 missed free throws and 29 fouls.
2. Kansas (2–0)—After struggling to put away Louisiana–Monroe in the opener, the young Jayhawks certainly turned it around in a hurry to beat Duke. Though freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins (22 points, 8 rebounds) put up some great numbers against the Blue Devils, it was sophomore forward Perry Ellis’s 24-point performance that kept them in the game until Wiggins took over late. Ellis was a highly touted freshman himself, just a year ago, as this Kansas team has just scratched the surface on how great it can be.
1. Michigan State (2–0)—An interesting tidbit in the aftermath of Michigan State’s win over Kentucky is that the Wildcats actually outrebounded Izzo’s Spartans 44–32—a rarity for a Tom Izzo squad. In fact, it’s rare to even win at all with that big of a rebound deficit.
