It’s a little later than usual, but the Bauertology Top 25 is here for Week 3! This week, we saw wild upsets (Kentucky losing to previously 0-2 Georgia Tech by 17), gutsy performances (Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs’ return from injury against West Virginia) and insane buzzer beaters (Marquette’s tip-in against Wisconsin). We’re less than a month into the college basketball season and we’re already being inundated with the madness that makes this sport special.
This week’s Top 25 sees a couple changes but no massive shakeups from last week’s list. Aside from Gonzaga and Baylor, a lot of the top teams in the country are showing signs of weakness. That’s awesome for the sport’s parity, but it also makes ranking these teams from No. 1-25 a challenging ordeal.
Nonetheless, let’s dive into the Bauertology Top 25 for Week 3.
1. Gonzaga (0)
The best-looking team in the nation stays on top with a 1-0 week after defeating West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic. There was a moment of uncertainty after Jalen Suggs left that game with an ankle injury while the Mountaineers took the lead at halftime, but the standout freshman returned, and the Bulldogs ended up getting the job done. This starting five of Kispert-Timme-Suggs-Ayayi-Nembhard is the best in the nation. They’ll get a well-deserved break this week, as their next game isn’t until Dec. 19 against Iowa.
2. Baylor (0)
It’s an absolute shame that the world was deprived of Gonzaga vs. Baylor on Saturday because of COVID-19. The Bears appear to be just a half step behind Gonzaga in the talent and execution department, while arguably having better depth. That was certainly the case on Wednesday, as four different guards each put up double digits against Illinois in a 13-point win. If you’re getting that kind of scoring production just out of the backcourt, you’re doing something right. Here’s hoping that Gonzaga and Baylor will eventually cross paths sometime this season.
3. Iowa (+1)
Luka Garza is playing like the best player in the country, and it isn’t particularly close. He followed up his spectacles in the first week with a 35-point, 10-rebound game against Western Illinois on Thursday. Joe Wieskamp, Jack Nunge and Patrick McCaffery were each in double digits as well, so it’s not just a solo effort in Iowa City. Of course, the Hawkeyes haven’t really been tested yet, as all three wins have come against KenPom sub-250 teams. The true tests will come soon enough, as both North Carolina and Gonzaga appear on the schedule in the coming weeks.
4. West Virginia (+1)
Nothing but acclaim for West Virginia in Wednesday’s performance. The Mountaineers took the top team in the country down to the wire. Even in defeat, they played exemplary basketball. The result against Georgetown was a little more concerning, as the Hoyas led for a good portion of the game, but a 9-0 run late by WVU righted the ship and earned the Mountaineers another win. When Miles McBride, Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe are all on the same page, this team has the potential to beat just about any team in the nation.
5. Michigan State (+1)
Last week was certainly an odd one for the Spartans. They kicked things off right with a 75-69 win over Duke, the first regular season victory over the Blue Devils in Tom Izzo’s time at Michigan State. Primed for a big jump in the rankings, right? Well, things got interesting when consecutive home games against Detroit Mercy and Western Michigan got too close for comfort. As we saw against the Duke, the talent to succeed is there. The Spartans just need to play consistently before they can join the likes of Gonzaga and Baylor in college basketball’s elite.
6. Houston (+2)
In case you didn’t know, the Houston Cougars are a seriously good basketball team. A week removed from topping Texas Tech, Houston defeated South Carolina 77-67 with a strong second-half performance, leading by as much as 16. That’s a solid result, but you realize how good it really was when you learn that neither Marcus Sasser nor Caleb Mills were on the court. The lack of Sasser’s 3-point presence hurt (4-19 from deep against South Carolina), but a 10-point win over a power conference opponent is impressive no matter how you slice it.
7. Villanova (+4)
The Wildcats aren’t going anywhere. In case people thought that last Saturday’s messy overtime loss to Virginia Tech was a sign of things to come, Jay Wright’s squad rebounded with a complete performance in a 68-64 win over an excellent Texas team in Austin on Sunday. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is in early contention for the Player of the Year award, averaging 16.2 points and nine rebounds per game through five contests. With Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore and Caleb Daniels each in double figures as well, Villanova certainly appears to be back on track.
8. Creighton (+2)
Last week’s Creighton definitely looked a lot more complete than the one we saw in the first week of the season. Back-to-back wins of 27 and 35 points have the Bluejays at 3-0, but the most encouraging number is the team’s supposed strength, it’s 3-point percentage, which reached 50% against Omaha. Surprisingly, Marcus Zegarowski hasn’t taken over as the scoring leader, instead using his assisting abilities to allow Christian Bishop to lead the team in points per game (15.0). That’ll probably change when the tougher opponents start rolling in.
9. Texas (+12)
The talent, the depth, the execution: It’s all coming together for Texas. Even after taking a loss to Villanova, the Longhorns jump 12 spots, as last week also featured three wins en route to a Maui Invitational title. Two of those came against fellow contenders Indiana and North Carolina, with the former by 22 points. The backcourt duo of Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey has been simply fantastic, each player with over 15 points per game and a 3-point average above 40%. If you like good guard play, Sunday’s matchup against Baylor should be an absolute spectacle.
10. Wisconsin (-7)
It’s tough to lose on a buzzer beater like that, but the loss to Marquette shouldn’t waver the Badgers’ confidence much. They’re still one of the deepest and most experienced teams in the nation, and the offense has been taking incredible strides, now sitting at No. 17 overall in KenPom’s efficiency scale. It’s quite unfortunate that Wednesday’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against Louisville on Wednesday was canceled, as that would have been the perfect opportunity to rebound with a win over a good opponent. Wisconsin will settle for a match with Rhode Island instead.
11. Illinois (-2)
What to make of Wednesday’s loss to Baylor… It was certainly encouraging to see this young Illinois team go toe-to-toe with the second-best team in the nation for 30 minutes. But they just didn’t have enough juice to keep the momentum going in the final 10. A big reason for that was Baylor’s shutdown of Kofi Cockburn, who was limited to just seven points and already had four fouls with nine minutes remaining. Keeping the star players out of foul trouble and continuing to allow Ayo Dosunmu to do what he does best should yield more positive results going forward.
12. Kansas (-5)
It’s odd that a 3-0 week with a win over Kentucky results in a five-spot drop for Kansas, but here we are. That Kentucky win is looking less impressive right now with the Wildcats suddenly entering free-fall, but that’s no reason for a rankings drop. Instead, it’s Saturday’s 65-61 nail-biting home win over North Dakota State that’s to blame. Marcus Garrett has been freezing cold lately, tallying just six points against the Bison and eight against Kentucky. He needs to return to form on offense quickly, or Kansas could continue to see these concerning results.
13. Saint Louis (0)
It’s going to be fun watching these guys when they start taking on bigger and badder opponents. That statement win over LSU put them on the map, but a 107-54 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff is also big. Hasahn French is back and is already contributing at a high level, netting 15 points and six assists against UAPB. Javonte Perkins, meanwhile, is still batting an impressive 23 points per game and 61.1% from deep. Saint Louis won’t meet a Quad 1 opponent until they visit Minnesota on Dec. 20, but they’ve been knocking these early-season games out of the park.
14. Richmond (-2)
It feels wrong to penalize Richmond two spots after taking the week off due to COVID concerns within the program. But this ranking is more so reflective of how Texas and Saint Louis have been playing well enough to surpass the Spiders in the rankings. Richmond should be just fine with the 12-point win at Kentucky still fresh in everyone’s minds, and it’s worth noting once again that that performance came on an off-night from their best player, Jacob Gilyard. The Spiders are set to return to action today against Wofford.
15. Louisville (+5)
It’s early, but it may be time to start talking about Carlik Jones as a potential ACC Player of the Year candidate. The senior is averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 assists and seven rebounds through four games, with his 18 against Western Kentucky proving instrumental in the Cardinals’ 75-54 win. Dre Davis and David Johnson were arguably even better on Tuesday, scoring 21 and 17, respectively. This new-look Louisville team is playing very impressive basketball despite its lack of prior experience. Let’s see if it continues to wow with ACC play starting on Wednesday.
16. Duke (-2)
Losing to Michigan State after being up by 10 within the first five minutes is a tough pill to swallow. That results goes to show that Duke still needs time for its young roster to jell. However, the positive signs are certainly present, especially after a 76-54 thrashing of Bellarmine on Friday. Sophomore Matthew Hurt is playing phenomenal basketball, notching nights of 21 and 24 points last week, while freshmen DJ Steward and Jalen Johnson have also been playing at a high level. More challenges are coming for the Blue Devils, as Illinois visits on Tuesday.
17. San Diego State (-2)
Another rankings drop that is more so a symptom of Texas and Louisville playing well than San Diego State playing poorly, the Aztecs sit at 4-0 after a close win over Pepperdine on Sunday. Matt Mitchell has calmed down a little bit since his season-opening explosion, but the senior forward is still averaging double digits, and now fellow senior Jordan Schakel is too with his 17 points on Sunday. The West Coast grind continues for SDSU this week with non-conference foe Arizona State hosting the Aztecs on Thursday,
18. Rutgers (-1)
No new data for the Scarlet Knights, as they didn’t play at all last week. Instead, let’s focus on the road ahead: Tuesday against Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, at Maryland next Monday to open conference play, then home against Illinois, at Ohio State and home against Purdue to finish out the calendar year. That’s a pretty tough slate. Needless to say, Rutgers’ tune-up games are a thing of the past. The pressure now falls on Steve Pikiell’s squad to perform well against its meat-grinder schedule and live up to the preseason hype.
19. Florida State (NEW)
Florida State returns to the rankings after missing last week, simply because the Seminoles hadn’t played a game. They have now, and they did so in emphatic fashion, obliterating in-state opponent North Florida by 28 points. Scoring-wise, Scottie Barnes’ first college game was a little underwhelming (eight points in 24 minutes), but the 6-foot-9-inch freshman also tallied six assists and six rebounds, both of which led the team. He and the Seminoles will be challenged greatly this week, as they host Indiana on Wednesday and Florida on Saturday.
20. Virginia Tech (-4)
College basketball never ceases to be confounding. For a weekend, Virginia Tech looked like superheroes, upsetting Villanova and laying waste to South Florida on back-to-back nights. Skip ahead less than a week, and the Hokies find themselves down four to VMI with nine minutes to play. They ultimately pulled out the victory, but the Hokies can’t shoot 4-27 from 3-point range again and expect to win. At least Keve Aluma is turning into a breakout star, averaging 17.8 points per game and shooting 46.2% from deep.
21. Arizona State (-2)
It’s never easy to win on the road against a power conference opponent, and Arizona State did just that on Thursday, defeating California 70-62. Remy Martin was excellent with 22 points and five assists, but the more significant result of that game was the loss of Marcus Bagley, who left mid-game with a calf strain. The good news is that the injury appears relatively mild. The bad news is that Arizona State has a tough test this Thursday against San Diego State. Whether or not Bagley plays could ultimately decide the result.
22. Texas Tech (0)
Outside of that loss to Houston, Texas Tech has played like a top-tier team. Last week, the Red Raiders notched wins of 34 and 41, albeit against Quad 4 opponents. Mac McClung has remained the go-to player for Tech, posting double digits in each game this season, with Kyler Edwards and Terrance Shannon Jr. providing both scoring and presence on the boards. Still, the Houston loss leaves the question of how this new-look Red Raiders squad can perform against tougher opponents. We’ll get an idea once Big 12 play starts up on Dec. 17.
23. Clemson (0)
Clemson is very quietly having an excellent start to the season. Wednesday’s win over South Carolina State marks their third straight double-digit victory. The offense has been great in every way except 3-point shooting (30.3% as a team). But the defense has been truly exemplary. The Tigers have forced 65 turnovers in three games: a mark that has them ranked No. 9 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency. The real challenges are still ahead with Maryland, Alabama and Virginia Tech up next on the schedule, but the early season has been nothing but encouraging for Clemson.
24. North Carolina (0)
So far, North Carolina basketball in 2020 has been just what we expected: excellent in the frontcourt, questionable outside. The Tar Heels have averaged an incredible 17.8 offensive rebounds per game, alongside consistent 64.6% shooting from close range. On the perimeter, it’s been a completely different story. North Carolina was just 1-9 from downtown in the loss to Texas and sits at 27.1% on the season. Freshman RJ Davis appears to be the only player who can shoot a 3-pointer to save his life. Developing the backcourt will clearly be a point of emphasis going forward.
25. Xavier (NEW)
As the only 6-0 team in the country, it would feel wrong to leave Xavier unranked, though there are question marks that need addressed: namely, consistency. The Musketeers have seen highs such as knocking off crosstown rival Cincinnati, as well as defeating Oakland and Tennessee Tech by a combined 83 points. At the same time, Xavier saw a three-game stretch against Bradley, Toledo and Eastern Kentucky in which each victory was settled by three points or fewer. Is Xavier good? Is Xavier bad? The tough road ahead should give us our answer.
Next 5: Missouri, Virginia, Florida, Ohio State, Colorado
Also considered: UConn, Arkansas, Maryland, Marquette, Michigan, Indiana, Oklahoma State