16. Louisville
Health, health, health. If this team were fully healthy, they would probably be top-10 in the nation. But Mikel Brown, Ryan Conwell, and Khani Rooths are all dealing with injuries, and Kesean Pryor is still recovering from a torn ACL from last season. We’ll be able to evaluate this team more effectively when they have everyone back.
17. Alabama
The Crimson Tide is another team that has taken some losses and dealt with injuries. Yet, they still sit here in a solid position to be in the upper echelon of the SEC yet again. I am interested to see the development of London Jemison if he continues to be a part of the starting lineup.
18. Tennessee
Talk about a week for the Volunteers. They looked like world-beaters against Texas, and looked like a borderline NCAA Tournament team against Florida. That’s going to happen to a team that relies so much on the offense of three freshmen, including stud Nate Ament.
19. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders took a small tumble in my ranks this week, not because they lost to Houston, but because they only beat a short-handed Colorado team by two! We know what we’re going to get from JT Toppin and Christian Anderson, but the wild cards for the Red Raiders are the other guards – Atwell, Petty, and Bryan.
20. Arkansas
Over the weekend, Auburn really exposed Arkansas’ weaknesses defensively en route to a 95-73 win. But I still believe in this freshman core of Darius Acuff and Maleek Thomas, and their continued development will keep Arkansas as a legitimate threat to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
