Power Rankings: Tennessee takes down Gonzaga
Admiral Schofield’s 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter is the difference for Tennessee as it defeats top-ranked Gonzaga. (0:40)
When Grant Williams fouled out late against Kansas in late November, Tennessee’s offense disappeared. The Volunteers struggled to score down the stretch against the Jayhawks, and ended up losing in overtime.
On Sunday against unbeaten Gonzaga, Williams fouled out once again, this time with 2:30 remaining.
Admiral Schofield wasn’t going to let Tennessee lose this time, though. He scored Tennessee’s last 11 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute, to help the Volunteers hand Gonzaga its first loss of the season.
Tennessee now has a marquee win on which to hang its hat, and will likely roll into the New Year with just one loss on its ledger. Meanwhile, Gonzaga falls out of the mix for No. 1, leaving Kansas a little bit more comfortable in the top spot. The Bulldogs have to go to North Carolina next weekend, too.
It looked like Kentucky was starting to figure things out since the 34-point opening-night loss to Duke in Indianapolis. The Wildcats had won seven in a row, all coming by double figures. But none of those games were against high-major opponents.
And then came Saturday, when Kentucky fell in overtime to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats’ 3-point defense had been their weakness all season, and while the Pirates didn’t shoot a high percentage, Myles Powell (25 points after halftime) got loose late in the game and Myles Cale had a wide-open winner late in overtime.
John Calipari is still trying to find the correct fit for his pieces right now. Ashton Hagans went from being a rotation player to playing 28 minutes against UNC-Greensboro and 30 minutes on Saturday. Quade Green has played 18 minutes total in the last two games, with E.J. Montgomery totaling 23 and Nick Richards fading back to being a non-factor. It could be Calipari shortening his rotation, or it could be him still searching for the right fit.
At this point, Kentucky isn’t playing like a top-25 team. The Wildcats have lost to the two best teams they have played and still haven’t played a true road game. That will change soon. Here’s their final three nonconference games: home vs. Utah, neutral vs. North Carolina, at Louisville.
After Nevada’s dominant second half to come back and beat Arizona State on Friday, the narrative can officially turn toward unbeaten talk.
Is it premature? After all, for 20 minutes on Friday, the Wolf Pack looked as if they might get run out of Staples Center by Arizona State. Had that happened, the discussion would have centered on whether we will get a true gauge of how good Nevada is before the NCAA tournament because of its soft schedule the rest of the way.
But now, that weak schedule is the reason we can at least mention whether the Wolf Pack have a chance to go unbeaten.
Arizona State was probably Nevada’s toughest opponent all season, especially in the nonconference portion of the campaign. The Mountain West Conference, aside from Nevada, has been relatively unimpressive so far this season. That said, trips to Utah State, Fresno State and San Diego State won’t be easy, and no matter how down New Mexico is right now, games at The Pit are no cakewalk.
After Friday, though, the unbeaten question became a little bit more legitimate.
Chris Beard is doing it again.
Last season, Texas Tech was picked seventh in the preseason Big 12 poll — and went on to finish second in the league en route to an Elite Eight appearance. The Red Raiders then lost four starters, including All-Big 12 guard Keenan Evans and first-round pick Zhaire Smith, and were once again tabbed at the No. 7 spot in the preseason Big 12 poll.
One month into the season, though, and Tech sits at 8-0 as a consensus top-15 team nationally.
Jarrett Culver has developed into an All-American candidate as a sophomore, and graduate transfers Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens have been key additions. More important, the Red Raiders are guarding as well as anyone in the country. They rank No. 1 nationally in effective field goal percentage defense and have yet to allow an opponent to score more than 0.90 points per possession in a game.
The big test comes on Dec. 20: vs. Duke at Madison Square Garden.
We mentioned last week there were tiers already beginning to form at the top of the rankings in college basketball — but there are some questions on how many teams are in those tiers.
Kansas, Gonzaga and Duke are clearly in the top tier. But who’s next?
Michigan inched its way up the rankings over the first month of the season, but the Wolverines might be closer to that top tier than we think. They’ve been an absolutely overwhelming unit so far this season, shutting opponents down on the defensive end and then getting balanced contributions offensively. They’ve also got a budding star in freshman Ignas Brazdeikis.
Virginia could be considered elite, and, on offense, the Cavaliers are certainly more explosive and versatile than they’ve been in recent years.
The last team in the conversation for the top tier so far is Nevada. The Wolf Pack have handled every opponent so far with relative ease, and they have the most efficient offense in the country. There’s star power, there’s size, there’s depth — all the hallmarks of a high-level power conference squad. They also might have the best chance of anyone in the country to go unbeaten during the regular season.
1. Kansas Jayhawks (8-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: Beat Wofford 72-47 on Tuesday, Beat New Mexico State 63-60 on Saturday
Another weekend, another second-half comeback win for the Jayhawks. This time, Kansas overcame a seven-point second-half deficit on the back of Dedric Lawson, who scored the last 14 points of the game for the Jayhawks. After going on a six-game tear, Lagerald Vick has totaled just five points in two games.
2. Duke Blue Devils (9-1)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: Beat Hartford 84-54 on Wednesday, Beat Yale 91-58 on Saturday
RJ Barrett continued his outstanding freshman season, going for 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Yale on Saturday. According to ESPN Stats and Info, he’s only the third player in program history with multiple 30-point games as a freshman. It won’t be his last one, either.
3. Michigan Wolverines (10-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: Beat Northwestern 62-60 on Tuesday, Beat South Carolina 89-78 on Saturday
Michigan finally hit some adversity Tuesday, hanging on for a two-point win at Northwestern. The Wolverines struggled to shoot from the perimeter and got only three points from their bench, while Northwestern shot better than any team had against Michigan all season. They still found a way to win, though, then handled South Carolina and still have five more consecutive games in Ann Arbor.
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-1)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: Beat Washington 81-79 on Wednesday, Lost to Tennessee 76-73 on Sunday
Gonzaga dropped its first game of the season on Sunday, letting Admiral Schofield dominate down the stretch for Tennessee. The Bulldogs had played with fire a couple times in recent weeks, needing a big second-half comeback to beat Creighton and then beating Washington in the final second.
5. Nevada Wolf Pack (9-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: Beat Arizona State 72-66 in Los Angeles on Friday, vs. Grand Canyon in Phoenix (Sunday, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
In perhaps the most difficult game of Nevada’s schedule, the Wolf Pack rallied to beat Arizona State on Friday. With Nevada’s win, it probably will get into Mountain West play without a loss.
6. Virginia Cavaliers (9-0)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: Beat Morgan State 83-45 on Monday, Beat VCU 57-49 on Sunday
Before its win over Morgan State, Tony Bennett’s team had won its previous three games by seven points or fewer, and the Cavaliers gave up more than one point per possession in two of those three. In the other, they scored just 0.91 points per possession. In other words, Virginia hasn’t hit its stride yet — but it is still clearly among the best teams in the country.
7. Tennessee Volunteers (7-1)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: Beat Gonzaga 76-73 on Sunday
The individual showdown between Rui Hachimura and Grant Williams was overshadowed by the Admiral Schofield Show. Tennessee’s senior big man was unstoppable down the stretch, scoring 25 of his 30 points after halftime.
8. Auburn Tigers (8-1)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: Beat UNC Asheville 67-41 on Tuesday, Beat Dayton 82-72 on Saturday
Bryce Brown put on a show for Auburn on Saturday, scoring 34 points and burying six 3-pointers. He and backcourt partner Jared Harper combined for 54 points — the second time this season the two guards have combined for more than 50 points in a game.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-0)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: Beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 65-47 on Wednesday
Before we can get to the potential showdown between an unbeaten Texas Tech team and Duke, the Red Raiders still have two more home games in which they should roll: vs. Northwestern State and Abilene Christian.
10. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-1)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: Beat VMI 89-68 on Wednesday, Beat South Carolina State 81-44 on Sunday
Before the Hokies get to ACC play, they have three more games at home they should win by at least 25 or 30 points — sandwiched around a neutral-site game against Washington in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tech has been one of the best offensive teams in the country and is making nearly 45 percent of its 3-pointers, ranking No. 3 in the country.
11. Florida State Seminoles (8-1)
Previous ranking: 12
This week: Beat Troy 83-67 on Monday, Beat UConn 79-71 on Saturday
Another solid win away from home for the Seminoles, as they knocked off UConn in New Jersey. They’ve now defeated Florida, LSU, Purdue and UConn — and Phil Cofer seems very close to returning from the right foot injury that has kept him out the entire season.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-2)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: Beat UNC Wilmington 97-69 on Wednesday
No one can say the Tar Heels haven’t tested themselves in the nonconference part of the schedule. By the time ACC play rolls around, they will have faced Gonzaga, Michigan, Kentucky, Texas, UCLA, Stanford, Davidson and Harvard — as well as true road games to start the season at Wofford and Elon.
13. Michigan State Spartans (8-2)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: Beat Iowa 90-68 on Monday, Beat Florida 63-59 on Saturday
The Spartans are beginning to win in different ways. They put on a clinic offensively against Iowa on Monday, then turned around on Saturday against Florida and grinded out a four-point win on the road. Xavier Tillman has really blossomed over the past two weeks, averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his past four games.
14. Wisconsin Badgers (8-2)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: Beat Rutgers 69-64 on Monday, Lost to Marquette 74-69 on Saturday (OT)
Ethan Happ went for 34 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against Marquette on Saturday, but the Badgers still lost in the in-state rivalry game. After eight games in 17 days, though, things cool down for Wisconsin. They have only two games in the next three weeks, home dates with Savannah State and Grambling State.
15. Buffalo Bulls (9-0)
Previous Unranked
This week: Beat Le Moyne 89-55 on Wednesday, Beat St. Bonaventure 80-62 on Saturday
Nate Oats’ team makes its first appearance in the rankings, and handled business on the road against St. Bonaventure on Saturday. The Bulls have already won three true road games — including one at West Virginia — and also won two neutral-site games. They’re very likely the best mid-major team in the country right now.
16. Arizona State Sun Devils (7-1)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: Lost 72-66 to Nevada in Los Angeles on Friday
The Sun Devils lost their first nonconference game since 2016 on Friday, blowing a 12-point halftime lead against Nevada. Luguentz Dort and Zylan Cheatham just didn’t get enough help in the second half, and Arizona State really struggled with foul trouble. Road games at Georgia and Vanderbilt are up next.
Dropped out: Kentucky Wildcats (No. 9)