Men's Power Rankings: Purdue and Zach Edey dominate, North Carolina drops out

Rankings implicit the archetypal 2 months of a men's assemblage hoops play are ever-changing. They're inherently based connected a tiny illustration size, schedules are unbalanced and 1 oregon 2 bully weeks tin wholly alteration the cognition of a team. As we get deeper into the campaign, it's easier to constituent to a assemblage of enactment and springiness a wide mentation for 1 squad implicit another. But for now, there's a batch of subjectivity.

Which brings america to the statement for No. 1 this week. We had already moved Houston past North Carolina, truthful the Tar Heels' losses astatine the Phil Knight Invitational weren't overmuch of a origin successful the discussion. But the incredibly awesome play from the likes of Arizona, Purdue and UConn (and Virginia past week) means they merit a spot successful the treatment -- contempt being back-end top-25 teams, astatine best, entering the 2022-23 season.

Houston's champion wins are implicit Oregon and Kent State, and the Cougars didn't look awesome connected Saturday against the Golden Flashes. Texas had 1 of the champion performances of the play against Gonzaga a mates of weeks agone -- though the Zags suffered a blowout nonaccomplishment to Purdue this past week. Virginia has victories implicit Baylor and Illinois from 2 weeks ago. Arizona knocked disconnected Cincinnati, San Diego State and Creighton en way to the Maui Invitational title.

But erstwhile it comes to a operation of oculus trial and header wins, it's truly hard to apical Purdue close now. The Boilermakers blew retired some Gonzaga and Duke, and they besides person victories implicit West Virginia and Marquette. You mightiness say, "But that's lone 1 week!" Well, the play is lone 3 weeks old. It's capable to person me, for now.

Onto this week's awards and rankings.

Team of the Week: Purdue Boilermakers

I can't springiness that full spiel astir making Purdue the No. 1 squad successful the state and past not springiness the Boilermakers the Team of the Week award, travel on. Matt Painter's squad was fantastic retired successful Portland, Oregon, beating West Virginia by 12, Gonzaga by 18 and Duke by 19. The Boilermakers enactment connected an violative clinic, particularly successful the wins implicit the Zags and Blue Devils. And it each revolves astir Zach Edey, the astir ascendant beingness successful assemblage hoops close now. The 7-foot-4 halfway averaged 22.7 points and 10.3 rebounds successful the 3 games this past week, going toe-to-toe with Drew Timme connected Friday past fouling retired Duke's full frontcourt connected Sunday. And Painter has recovered the cleanable operation of players to situation Edey with: 4 guys who tin pass, marque 3s and springiness him country to operate.

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Oumar Ballo catapults Arizona to a triumph implicit Creighton with a ascendant 30-point, 13-rebound performance.

Player of the Week: Oumar Ballo, Arizona Wildcats

The improvement of Ballo, a 7-footer from Mali, is going to beryllium 1 of the champion stories of 2022-23. He redshirted arsenic a freshman astatine Gonzaga past played sparingly the adjacent play earlier entering the transportation portal and pursuing adjunct manager Tommy Lloyd from Spokane, Washington, to Arizona. Last season, Ballo became a cardinal seat subordinate for the Wildcats -- and helium is present 1 of the champion large men successful the country. Ballo had 21 points and 10 boards against Cincinnati and 12 and 9 against San Diego State earlier dominating against Creighton with 30 and 13. Overall, helium averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 rebounds and changeable 79.4% from the level for the week, with the second 2 games coming against past season's Mountain West and Big East antiaircraft players of the year.

Win of the Week: Iowa State Cyclones 70, North Carolina Tar Heels 65

This triumph mislaid immoderate of its luster erstwhile North Carolina besides fell to Alabama, successful quadruple overtime, aboriginal successful the week. But if you instrumentality down the No. 1 squad successful the country, chances are you're going to get a notation successful this category. A second-half Tar Heels tally against the Cyclones looked similar it was going to enactment the crippled retired of scope -- but Iowa State went connected a 17-3 tally of its ain and prevented UNC from making a changeable from the tract implicit the last 3:55, prevention for an irrelevant Puff Johnson layup successful the last seconds. This is besides a accidental to notation Caleb Grill, who simply couldn't miss. The Iowa State defender finished with 31 points and 7 3-pointers. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it was the astir points by immoderate subordinate successful a triumph implicit a No. 1 squad since Syracuse's Tyus Battle had 32 successful a triumph against Duke successful 2019.

Coach of the Week: Dan Hurley, UConn Huskies

If not for Purdue's tally done Portland, UConn apt would person earned Team of the Week honors. But we'll springiness Hurley the motion for guiding the Huskies done a tremendous week and a wildly awesome commencement to the season. They won the Phil Knight Legacy with double-digit victories implicit Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State, beating their opponents successful a assortment of ways -- and successful ways antithetic to past Hurley outfits. Adama Sanogo is simply a ascendant unit down low, but Hurley deed the recruiting way and transportation portal the past mates of cycles and surrounded him with shooters. UConn is attempting and making a importantly higher fig of 3s and sharing the shot amended than it has successful past seasons nether Hurley. The Huskies are a morganatic Big East rubric contender. And it's worthy noting that the past 2 UConn teams to commencement this good went connected to triumph the nationalist championship.

Three teams with questions

Villanova Wildcats: There are surely excuses to beryllium made: archetypal play post-Jay Wright, nary Justin Moore, nary Cameron Whitmore. But the Wildcats went 0-3 successful Portland this past week, and they are present conscionable 2-5 connected the season. That represents the program's worst commencement since 1991-92, during Rollie Massimino's last twelvemonth astatine the helm.

Wyoming Cowboys: After past season's NCAA tourney appearance, determination were precocious hopes for Jeff Linder's team. The Cowboys person been without Graham Ike truthful acold this season, but a nonaccomplishment to Boston College (which had conscionable mislaid to Maine and Tarleton) dropped them to 3-3. Another at-large bid seems immoderate region away.

Dayton Flyers: The Flyers, who were successful plentifulness of preseason apical 25s, are present conscionable 3-4 aft 3 consecutive losses and an eighth-place decorativeness astatine the Battle 4 Atlantis. None of the losses was peculiarly atrocious connected paper, but there's present conscionable a precise constrictive way for Dayton to get into the NCAA tourney hunt without a singular turnaround successful league play.

Power Rankings

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Braden Smith's no-look dime sets up slam for Zach Edey

1. Purdue Boilermakers (6-0)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: astatine Florida State (Wednesday), vs. Minnesota (Sunday)

The large question facing Purdue entering the play was constituent defender play. Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Thompson were some gone, and the lone axenic constituent defender connected the roster was four-star enlistee Braden Smith. Could Matt Painter conscionable manus the keys to Smith and fto him tally the show? Looks similar it. Smith has started each six games frankincense acold and does a small spot of everything: Twenty points against Marquette; 14 against Gonzaga; 7 steals against Milwaukee; shooting 44.4% from 3; 5 oregon much rebounds successful each of his past 3 games. Ethan Morton has distributed highly good too, but Smith has been a immense cardinal to Purdue's blistery start.

2. Houston Cougars (6-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: vs. Norfolk State (Tuesday), vs. Saint Mary's (Saturday)

Houston had its archetypal existent scare connected Saturday against Kent State, going down by 10 aboriginal and trailing with nether a infinitesimal near aft a Malique Jacobs 3-pointer enactment the Golden Flashes up by a point. But the Cougars finished connected a 6-0 tally to stay unbeaten. Houston doesn't caput grind-it-out games, but this was a unsmooth performance. The 49 points connected 70 possessions was its worst violative outing since Kelvin Sampson's archetypal play successful 2014-15. The Cougars went 2-for-17 from 3. Fortunately, the defence showed up and held Kent State prima Sincere Carry to 2-for-22 shooting.

3. Arizona Wildcats (6-0)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: astatine Utah (Thursday), vs. California (Sunday)

Arizona's discourtesy past play was genuinely elite, capable to wounded teams astatine each 5 spots, from the perimeter oregon the paint, successful the half-court oregon successful transition. With 3 players leaving for the NBA past spring, it was hard to envision the Wildcats replicating that benignant of effectiveness this season. Yet, done six games, Tommy Lloyd's squad is precise overmuch already there. Oumar Ballo's improvement has been eye-opening, Azuolas Tubelis looks similar he'll beryllium successful the Pac-12 subordinate of the twelvemonth treatment and Texas transportation Courtney Ramey has brought immoderate toughness and shot-making to the backcourt. That's connected apical of Pelle Larsson taking a measurement guardant and Kerr Kriisa inactive moving the amusement with the aforesaid swagger and shot-making from a play ago.

4. Texas Longhorns (5-0)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: vs. Creighton (Thursday)

It's bully to spot Dylan Disu dilatory moving his mode backmost to being a accordant contributor for the Longhorns. Disu averaged 15.0 points and 9.2 rebounds astatine Vanderbilt 2 seasons ago, but helium missed the archetypal period of past play owed to a genu wounded -- past ne'er truly got into a bushed implicit the 2nd fractional of the campaign. The 6-foot-9 large antheral stepped into Texas' starting lineup from crippled 1 this season, and helium is showing signs of his accumulation from a mates of years ago. Disu has missed conscionable 4 shots wrong the arc. He had 12 points against Gonzaga past went for 10 boards and 5 blocks implicit the play against UT Rio Grande Valley.

5. Virginia Cavaliers (5-0)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: astatine Michigan (Tuesday), vs. Florida State (Saturday)

One of the noteworthy developments for Virginia done the archetypal period of the play has been the maturation of Kadin Shedrick connected the interior. The 6-foot-11 guardant wasn't asked to beryllium overmuch of an violative contributor successful 2021-22, hitting treble figures 10 times each season. He inactive isn't the focal constituent (or a 2nd oregon 3rd option), but helium has fixed the Cavaliers different morganatic menace inside. Shedrick is averaging 11.2 points done 5 games, shooting astir 74% from the field, and helium had 17 points successful the triumph implicit Baylor earlier this month. He besides is getting to the escaped propulsion enactment astatine a precise precocious rate.

6. UConn Huskies (8-0)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (Thursday)

We're highlighting Donovan Clingan this week for the Huskies. The 7-foot-2 halfway from Bristol, Connecticut, wasn't expected to beryllium a accordant contributor for UConn close disconnected the bat, but helium has impacted the crippled astatine some ends of the level from time one. He has scored successful treble figures successful 4 of 8 games, is crashing the violative solid and blocking shots astatine incredibly precocious rates and is giving Dan Hurley a morganatic seat enactment down Adama Sanogo. Clingan came disconnected the seat against Iowa State successful Sunday's Phil Knight Invitational title crippled and had 15 points and 10 rebounds successful conscionable 18 minutes.

7. Creighton Bluejays (6-1)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: astatine Texas (Thursday), astatine Nebraska (Sunday)

There were questions astir whether the Bluejays were arsenic bully arsenic the rankings perceived, fixed they went conscionable 23-12 past season. But Creighton proved its top-10 credentials successful Maui past week, contempt the two-point nonaccomplishment to Arizona successful the rubric game. It's wide Greg McDermott has a squad that tin marque a heavy NCAA tourney run. Ryan Nembhard is arsenic bully a constituent defender arsenic determination is successful the sport, averaging 20.3 points and 4.3 assists and shooting 63.6% from 3 successful 3 Maui games. Baylor Scheierman is simply a big-time tough-shot maker, and Ryan Kalkbrenner is simply a terrific two-way large man.

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Alabama survives astatine the buzzer to instrumentality down No. 1 UNC successful 4OT

8. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: vs. South Dakota State (Saturday)

Some of the Crimson Tide's clip successful Portland wasn't overly aesthetically pleasing, including the last 10 minutes against UConn and immoderate of the last possessions against North Carolina. But Nate Oats' nine has returned to Tuscaloosa with wins implicit Michigan State and North Carolina, positive a nonaccomplishment to what appears to beryllium an outstanding Huskies team. Alabama's roster besides continues to look deeper and deeper, particularly aft Jahvon Quinerly's instrumentality from an ACL wounded during the archetypal circular of the 2022 NCAA tournament. Jaden Bradley deed treble figures successful back-to-back games. And against UNC, Noah Gurley had 13 disconnected the bench, Mark Sears buried 7 3s and Charles Bediako came retired of obscurity to station 14 points and 16 boards.

9. Kansas Jayhawks (6-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. Texas Southern (Monday), vs. Seton Hall (Thursday)

Kansas had played with occurrence a fewer times this season, with 4 wins by six points oregon fewer, earlier its 17-game winning streak (dating backmost to past season) yet ended against Tennessee successful the Battle 4 Atlantis rubric game. It was the Jayhawks' worst violative show successful much than 8 years. When a team's 2 violative stars -- successful this case, Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick -- sprout a combined 5-for-23, it's going to beryllium hard to bushed a bully team. While the Jayhawks apt won't sprout similar that again, it's worthy noting they've present been held beneath 1.00 constituent per possession successful 3 of 7 games.

10. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-1)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: vs. Troy Trojans (Monday), vs. San Jose State Spartans (Saturday)

Arkansas made it wide it's not going to beryllium a squad anybody wants to play travel February and March. The Razorbacks are loaded with pro endowment and are inactive without Nick Smith Jr., arguably the champion NBA imaginable successful assemblage basketball. But the biggest headliner from Arkansas' 2-1 travel to Maui was freshman defender Anthony Black. The 6-foot-7 Texas autochthonal made plays astatine some ends of the level and went toe-to-toe with Creighton's Ryan Nembhard, finishing with 26 points, six rebounds and six assists. He controls the tempo, has terrific imaginativeness and besides changeable 40% from 3 during the 3 games successful Hawai'i.

11. Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-2)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: vs. Baylor successful South Dakota (Friday)

The lone two-loss squad successful the rankings, Gonzaga has played an perfectly brutal nonconference docket truthful acold -- and inactive has large games against Baylor and Alabama, among others, remaining. A mates of noteworthy items from Sunday's triumph implicit Xavier. First, the Zags didn't miss a changeable from the tract implicit the last 6:30, and went 9-for-12 from the escaped propulsion enactment implicit that stretch. They tin adjacent retired wins. Second, see Mark Few's rotation. Only six players played much than 9 minutes, with Ben Gregg seeing an extended relation disconnected the seat for the 2nd crippled successful a enactment aft playing sparingly for much than 2 seasons successful Spokane.

12. Indiana Hoosiers (6-0)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. North Carolina (Wednesday), astatine Rutgers (Saturday)

It's astir to get existent for Indiana. The Hoosiers, who person played conscionable 1 squad ranked wrong the apical 250 successful KenPom.com's rankings truthful acold successful 2022-23, volition look North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas -- on with a roadworthy crippled astatine Rutgers and a location crippled versus Nebraska -- implicit the adjacent 3 weeks. Their triumph astatine Xavier should lone turn successful stature implicit the people of the season, but Mike Woodson's squad tin marque superior statements during the coming stretch. How volition Indiana stack up from the perimeter? It's shooting an awesome 38.3% from 3, but the Hoosiers person made much than 7 3s conscionable doubly successful six games and fertile successful the bottommost 40 successful 3-point effort rate.

13. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Syracuse (Tuesday), astatine Maryland (Friday)

Jayden Epps' emergence done the archetypal period of the play has been a invited astonishment for Brad Underwood. The freshman from Virginia is simply a onetime Providence perpetrate who was ranked conscionable wrong the apical 100 successful the 2022 class. But Epps has been the team's archetypal defender disconnected the bench, averaging treble figures successful the archetypal six games. He is shooting 61% from wrong the arc, 38% from 3-point scope and has been intolerable to support retired of the lane. Epps is shifty disconnected the bounce and provides thing antithetic offensively than the remainder of the Illinois perimeter players.

14. Baylor Bears (5-1)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: astatine Marquette (Tuesday), vs. Gonzaga successful South Dakota (Friday)

Baylor's perimeter extent continues to grow. Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer are the stalwarts, with freshman prima and aboriginal NBA lottery prime Keyonte George besides disconnected to a stellar start. They aren't the lone guards Scott Drew tin crook to, though. Dale Bonner has been a accordant portion disconnected the bench, scoring successful treble figures doubly and besides dishing retired 12 assists successful this past week's triumph implicit McNeese State. Keep an oculus connected Langston Love. The erstwhile top-50 enlistee redshirted past play with a torn ACL, but helium has shown flashes of accomplishment truthful far, including 13 points against Mississippi Valley State and 11 against McNeese State.

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The Volunteers gain their 5th consecutive triumph implicit an AP apical 10 hostile by defeating the Jayhawks 64-50 and winning the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

15. Tennessee Volunteers (5-1)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: vs. McNeese State (Wednesday), vs. Alcorn State (Sunday)

Tennessee beauteous definitively answered the question of whether it was person to the squad that battered Gonzaga successful a preseason accumulation crippled oregon the 1 that mislaid by 12 successful Nashville to a wildly inconsistent Colorado team. It's the former. The Volunteers won the Battle 4 Atlantis past week, capped by a ascendant 64-50 triumph implicit Kansas. The rubric crippled was an elite antiaircraft performance, holding the Jayhawks to their fewest points since Nov. 18, 2014 -- and conscionable 0.75 points per possession, besides Kansas' lowest since that 2014 crippled against Kentucky. Rick Barnes has had a top-five defence successful each of the past 2 seasons and seems poised for different successful 2022-23.

16. Iowa State Cyclones (5-1)
Previous ranking: Unranked
This week: vs. North Dakota (Wednesday), vs. St. John's (Sunday)

Last season's Cyclones were 1 of the astonishment teams nationally, starting 12-0 and making it to the Sweet 16 arsenic an 11-seed earlier falling to Miami. Although they mislaid respective cardinal pieces from that group, evidently the defence that T.J. Otzelberger preaches successful Ames didn't change. Iowa State bushed Villanova successful overtime earlier taking down top-ranked North Carolina successful the PKI semifinals and yet losing to UConn successful the rubric game. The Cyclones person a seasoned portion filled with plentifulness of transfers. Was their week successful Portland a blistery fewer games oregon a motion of things to come?

Dropped out: North Carolina Tar Heels (No. 2), Michigan State Spartans (No. 8), Duke Blue Devils (No. 12), Auburn Tigers (No. 15)

In the waiting room

Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans mislaid to Alabama connected Thanksgiving, past struggled successful wins implicit Oregon and Portland. The large interest is Malik Hall's injury. He is expected to miss a mates of weeks, which is brutal timing aft it seemed similar helium was hitting his stride against Kentucky and Villanova.

Auburn Tigers: It's going to beryllium hard to archer however bully the Tigers really are for a fewer weeks (they play Memphis successful Atlanta connected Dec. 10 and question westbound to USC and Washington earlier Christmas), but they did bent connected to bushed some Northwestern and Saint Louis this past week.

Duke Blue Devils: While Jon Scheyer waits for Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead to find their games aft preseason injuries, and for Tyrese Proctor to find immoderate consistency, astatine slightest he's getting accordant accumulation from Kyle Filipowski. The 7-footer has deed treble figures successful each azygous crippled this play and is shooting 36.4% from 3.