Another week of college basketball is in the books. Here is my college basketball Top 25 after Week 5 of the season:
1. Michigan State Spartans (5)
Record: 9-0
Week Record: 2-0
The Spartans had another good week, and knocking off Louisville at home did not hurt. They have quality wins all over their schedule, and with Kentucky’s loss, deserve the No. 1 spot in college basketball right now. Watch for senior guard Bryn Forbes to get hot on any given night.
2. North Carolina Tar Heels (3)
Record: 7-1
Week Record: 2-0
North Carolina with Marcus Paige is a much better team than without him, and it showed this week. He made an immediate impact in their win over Maryland, and their blowout win against Davidson. The Tar Heels can lock up on defense when they want to, and that can be their biggest weapon come conference play.
3. Duke Blue Devils (2)
Record: 8-1
Week Record: 2-0
Duke exposed Indiana and their awful defense at Cameron early in the week, winning by 20 and scoring 94 points. The most important takeaway from that game from Duke’s perspective was freshman Brandon Ingram. He is one of the youngest players in the country and had quite the performance, scoring 24 points.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (4)
Record: 5-0
Week Record: 1-0
Oklahoma only had one game this week, as they dismantled an overwhelmed Central Arkansas team. The Sooners continue to be my “sleeper pick” in the polls, though it is no secret that they are a very talented team.
5. Kentucky Wildcats (1)
Record: 7-1
Week Record: 1-1
The young Kentucky team got its first loss out of the way early this year, but there was no expectations of a repeat performance from last year. They did lose to a talented UCLA team, so things could be worse. This is a good opportunity for head coach John Calipari to hit the reset button for his Wildcats.
6. Villanova Wildcats (6)
Record: 7-0
Week Record: 1-0
Like Oklahoma, the Wildcats only had one game this week, which was a solid win at St. Joe’s. Villanova uses teamwork and continuity to beat teams, so it will be fun when the rest of the country gets to see them in a big time game soon.
7. Kansas Jayhawks (8)
Record: 6-1
Week Record: 2-0
Although Kansas had a not-so-comfortable win over Harvard late in the week, but every win counts in college basketball. The addition of freshman Cheick Diallo has helped the Jayhawks’ frontcourt, and it will only improve as Diallo gets comfortable.
8. Iowa State Cyclones (9)
Record: 6-0
Week Record: 1-0
Another team to only have one game this week, the Cyclones have not done anything to deserve to be dropped in my rankings. It is the same old, same old for Iowa State, as their bench continues to improve game by game.
9. Maryland Terrapins (7)
Record: 7-1
Week Record: 1-1
I thought Maryland played its best game of the season against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, even though they lost that game. If Jake Layman or Diamond Stone play better, the Terrapins may leave that game with a win. They need to get Jared Nickens involved off the bench early.
10. Purdue Boilermakers (13)
Record: 8-0
Week Record: 2-0
The new addition to the top 10 this week, Purdue has built their way up to this ranking the whole year. Their win at Pittsburgh was solid, and raised a few eyebrows as people are finally starting to recognize Purdue as being for real. They have the best front court in the country, and freshman Caleb Swanigan has been better than expected.
- Virginia Cavaliers (11) (7-1)
- Vanderbilt Commodores (10) (6-2)
- Arizona Wildcats (14) (7-1)
- Xavier Musketeers (18) (8-0)
- West Virginia Mountaineers (22) (7-0)
- Cincinnati Bearcats (17) (8-1)
- Baylor Bears (24) (6-1)
- Utah (UnR) (7-1)
- Miami (19) (7-1)
- Gonzaga (12) (5-2)
- Butler (25) (6-1)
- UNLV (UnR) (7-1)
- Louisville (UnR) (6-1)
- SMU (UnR) (6-0)
- Oregon Ducks (15) (6-1)
T26. Providence, George Washington, Texas A&M, Connecticut
Dropped out: No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 20 Syracuse, No. 21 Indiana, No. 23 California
