Power Rankings: UConn, Gonzaga, UCLA and Illinois poised for big

• Jeff Borzello, ESPN

  • Personnel WriterDec 12, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting insider.
  • Joined ESPN in 2014.
  • Graduate of University of Delaware.A couple of months

ago, hoopheads around the country circled around Saturday on their calendars. Or included an alert to their phone, or some other modern-day tip. It seemed among the very best days of nonconference basketball in some time, with matches between 2 ranked teams all over the schedule.And though the slate has actually lost a few of its appeal due to the fact that of a few early outcomes,

it’s still going to shock the Power Rankings as we inch toward full-fledged conference play. These four groups might see the most significant change next week: UConn and Gonzaga: The best game of the day happens in New York City. Gonzaga still has a game against UCLA after Christmas, however this is one of its last possibilities at a marquee win this season. UConn has actually reacted well after its three-game losing streak in Maui, but a win here would be huge getting in conference play.Illinois: The Illini have actually been on the edge of a statement win throughout the early season, falling short against Alabama and after that losing in overtimeto Northwestern. What much better way to announce your arrival onto the nationwide stage than by beating No. 1 Tennessee– and playing the game on your home court?UCLA: The Bruins are in the midst of a three-week gauntlet. They won at Oregon last weekend, and now face Arizona in Phoenix this weekend, and still have North Carolina and Gonzaga on the schedule for December.If the Bruins beat their previous Pac-12 rival in a pseudo-road game, they’ll be a factor progressing. play 0:33 Lanier explains how Tennessee’scomposure was key

vs. Miami Chaz Lanier speaks on how the No. 1 Volunteers ‘control on offense

and their capability to complete plays secured a 75-62 victory over the Hurricanes. Previous ranking: 1 Though Chaz Lanier has made kudos for his scoring exploits as

among the very best transfers in the nation, Zakai Zeigler is playing at an All-America level and has actually as soon as again been a catalyst for the Volunteers. Since turning over the ball 11 times in a road win at Louisville on Nov. 9, Zeigler is balancing 8.0 helps and just 2.3 turnovers– while also scoring 11.0 points and acquiring 2.2 steals.Next seven days: at Illinois (Dec. 14), vs. Western Carolina (Dec. 17) Previous ranking: 2

Miles Kelly is showing

to be the missing out on piece for Auburn, a wing with size who can shoot from the border. The Georgia Tech transfer was efficient the previous number of seasons for the Yellow Jackets. He has slotted into the Auburn starting lineup and been a substantial property from 3. He has actually made numerous 3s in five of his previous 6 games, made a minimum of four 3s in three games and is shooting 49 %from beyond the arc on more than five attempts per game.Next 7 days: vs. Ohio State in Atlanta (Dec. 14), vs. Georgia State(Dec. 17)play

0:23

Auburn’s Jahki Howard puts a Richmond protector on a poster

Jahki Howard grabs an offensive rebound, then puts a Richmond protector on a poster with a big slam.

Previous ranking: 3 What’s different about this season’s Iowa State team compared to the past couple of years? From a numbers viewpoint, it’s clearly on the offensive end. The Cyclones rank 6th in the country in adjusted offending effectiveness, and they’re scoring 1.24 points per belongings. Though their terrible nonconference schedule has provided a boost to their numbers in the past, that’s not entirely the case this season; two of their 3 best offending efficiencies of the season came versus Dayton and Colorado.Next seven days

: at Iowa (Dec. 12), vs. Omaha (Dec. 15)

Previous ranking: 8 With Lamont Butler out due to the fact that of

an ankle injury and Kerr Kriisa sustaining a foot injury that will sideline him forever, coach Mark Pope doesn’t have numerous point guards on his lineup. But Jaxson Robinson handled much of the playmaking and ballhandling tasks down the stretch against Gonzaga and started at the point against Colgate on Wednesday. There were some ups and downs, but he had aid from the rest of the rotation; five Kentucky players had multiple helps and the team’s turnover rate was its most affordable of the season.Next 7 days: vs. Louisville (Dec. 14 ) Previous ranking: 7 After a couple of quieter weeks in which Kam Jones scored 14 points or less

in 3 of four games and was outplayed by Keshon Gilbert in a loss to Iowa State, the senior

guard’s player of the year candidateship got back on track in a big method against Wisconsin. Jones finished with 32 points, 6 helps and 4 takes, making 3 3-pointers. The shooting is crucial; he was 4-for-16 from 3 in his previous five games.Next seven days: at Dayton( Dec. 14), vs. Butler (Dec. 18)

Previous ranking: 6 Entering the season, Kon Knueppel had actually generated a significant amount of hype. NBA scouts were speaking about him, and he had actually moved into the leading 10 of mock drafts. Then he scored 22 points in the season opener versus Maine.

It has actually been more unequal ever since, especially when it comes to shooting versus hard opponents. In games against Kentucky, Kansas and Auburn, he’s simply 1-for-17 from 3. On the plus side, he has actually discovered other methods to contribute, scoring in double figures in two of those games and dishing out 8 assists against the Jayhawks.Next 7 days: vs. George Mason(Dec. 17 ) Previous ranking: 11 The addition of Chris Youngblood to Alabama’s rotation need to be a substantial boost, particularly after the season-ending injury to Latrell Wrightsell. Youngblood shared AAC Player of the Year honors last season at South Florida, balancing 15.3 points and shooting 41.6

%from 3. He’s 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and will include some physicality and toughness on the boundary, which ought to help a defense that has struggled mightily sometimes this season.Next seven days: vs. Creighton(Dec. 14 ), at North Dakota(Dec. 18 ) Previous ranking: 12 Though we won’t get a real gauge for Florida’s ceiling up until SEC play, the Gators deal with the 2 hardest games of their nonconference schedule in an 80-hour period this weekend

into next week. They begin with Arizona State on Saturday in Atlanta

, before taking a trip to Charlotte to face North Carolina. The Sun Devils and Tar Heels require a declaration efficiency, for different reasons, however Florida must stay unbeaten.Next seven days: vs. Arizona State in Atlanta (Dec. 14), at North Carolina in Charlotte(Dec. 17 ) Previous ranking: 5 How will Gonzaga react after blowing a lead to Kentucky and then taking a trip throughout the nation to face UConn at the Huskies ‘third home, Madison Square Garden?

The 3-point fight will be key. UConn ranks in the top 40 nationally in 3-point effort rate, making almost 37%of its 3s, and has made double-digit 3s five times this season. Gonzaga is at the opposite end, ranking No. 306 in percentage of points from threes

— and the Bulldogs are shooting just 33.7%. But the Zags are 3rd in 3-point defense, while UConn is No. 325. Next 7 days: vs. UConn in New york city (Dec. 14), vs. Nicholls (Dec. 18) Previous ranking: 9 Nate Bittle has actually had an interesting profession arc in Eugene. He came out of high school as a first-class possibility, however struggled to get on the floor as a freshman. After revealing flashes over the next number of years, he suffered a broken wrist, which stunted his junior season. And now as a fourth-year player, the 7-footer is breaking

out. He had 22 points and 10 boards in the loss to UCLA, and is averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds, with three double-doubles. Next seven days: vs. Stephen F. Austin(Dec. 15) Previous ranking: 4 Kansas had its 2 worst offensive performances of the season in recently’s 2 losses to Creighton and Missouri, while likewise allowing at least 1.04 points per ownership in both games. The issues at both ends took place in different methods. Creighton hit 12 3-pointers, while Missouri got to the totally free toss line 31 times. At the other end, Creighton did a fantastic task reducing the effects of Hunter Dickinson, while Missouri forced 22 turnovers.Next 7 days: vs. NC State(Dec. 14 ) Previous ranking: 10 Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to countless premium short articles a year from top authors. – Scoop of how Soto ended up being a Met “- How OG is saving the Knicks with blocks”- Ranking the top 20 QBs in transfer portal” More ESPN+content “Out the door goes the two-time agreement player of the year, in steps another All-America candidate without missing a beat. Trey Kaufman-Renn is clearly a totally different player than Zach Edey, but it’s exceptionally remarkable how great he has actually been from the moment the season started.

He started every game for the Boilermakers a year ago, however was a supplementary option. This season

, Kaufman-Renn has actually scored a minimum of

14 points in every game, has 4 20-point games and had his finest outings against Alabama,
Ole Miss, Maryland and NC State.Next 7 days: vs. Texas A&M in Indianapolis (Dec. 14)< img alt="
“src =”https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/145.png?w=65&h=120&transparent=true “width=”70″/ > Previous ranking: 14 The big secret for Ole Miss going into the season was whether the Rebels ‘defense might improve. Last season, Ole Miss didn’t have anything resembling a normal Chris Beard defense. The Rebels ranked 12th in the SEC– and No. 141 nationally– in adjusted protective performance, permitting almost 1.15 points per belongings. For comparison, Beard never ever ranked lower than 18th in KenPom’s adjusted protective performance in his previous five seasons. It’s getting better, in spite of struggling against Purdue, especially when it comes to requiring turnovers and blocking shots– which the Rebels rank in the top 15 nationally in both categories.Next 7 days: vs. Southern Miss in Biloxi, Mississippi(Dec. 14), vs. Southern(Dec. 17) Previous ranking: 16 Entering this season, Miles Byrd had played 35 games over 2 years at San Diego State, starting no and scoring in double figures two times. And now the 6-foot-7 Byrd is among the most significant breakout players in the nation. He’s scored in all however two games this season, consisting of 16 points versus Creighton and 18 points against Houston. Byrd also chose 19 points and four 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over Cal Baptist. It would not be a surprise to see the left-hander play himself onto NBA draft boards offered his size, shotmaking and two-way ability.Next 7 days: None Previous ranking: 17 It’s understandable why efficiency-based metrics enjoy Houston. The Cougars went into the season with terrific priors and their three losses this season have actually been by a combined 13 points, with two can be found in overtime. But how good is Kelvin Sampson’s group? Their finest wins up until now are over a Markus

Burton-less Notre Dame group and a Butler group that just lost in the house to North Dakota State. And we likely won’t find out about Houston for another six weeks, as the Cougars have a friendly– well, “friendly,”in Huge 12 terms– begin to conference play. They don’t play a Top 25 team up until checking out Kansas on Jan. 25. Next seven days: vs. Toledo(Dec. 18) Previous ranking: 19 Clemson gets another test this weekend against Memphis, but it also gives us a chance to

see the Tigers’elite defense versus a talented offending unit. Clemson

has held 9 of its 10 opponents to fewer than one point per ownership this season, with Boise State the only team to surpass that mark (and the only team to beat Clemson so far). The Tigers limit fast-break points and second-chance points, requiring teams to make plays in the half court. Memphis has the guards to do just that, that makes Saturday intriguing.Next 7 days: vs. Memphis( Dec. 14), at South Carolina (Dec. 17 ) Previous ranking: 21 While Texas A&M’s offensive rebounding has been critical to its success this season– the

Aggies rank initially in the nation for the 2nd

season in a row in offensive rebounding percentage– their most telling stat might be

free throw rate. According to EvanMiya.com, A&M is 5-0 with a margin of triumph of 18.6 points when its complimentary toss rate is 34.8%or higher. When it’s less than 34.8 %, they’re 3-2 and the typical margin of triumph drops to 1.8 points.Next 7 days: at Purdue in Indianapolis( Dec. 14) Previous ranking: 18 Regardless of the method last season ended, there

was some hope that previous Georgia Tech transfer Jalon Moore could bring his strong finish to the campaign over to this season. He scored in double-figures in 10 of his last 12 games, averaging 15.5 points and 8.8 boards in his last four games. And Moore has actually been even

better this season, scoring at least 20 points six times after striking that mark simply twice in the very first 3 years of his college profession. He’s balancing 18.2 points and 6.3 boards.Next 7 days: vs. Oklahoma State in Oklahoma City (Dec. 14 ), vs. Michigan in Charlotte(Dec. 18) Previous ranking: Unranked The Huskies let the”dynasty is over”talk last about

a week before creating as strong of a two-game bounce-back as they might have, beating Baylor without Alex Karaban and then going on the road to knock off Texas by 11. Karaban’s return was substantial, as he published

the very first double-double of his profession versus Texas, ending up with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Dan Hurley likewise received truly excellent mileage from Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed in both games.Next 7 days: vs. Gonzaga in New York(Dec. 14 ), vs. Xavier (Dec. 18) play 0:17 Samson Johnson tosses down one-handed jam for Huskies Samson Johnson gets up to toss the hammer down for UConn vs. Texas. Previous ranking: 22 Josh Hubbard burst onto the scene last season as one of the most interesting freshmen in the country, moving into the beginning lineup midseason and setting up

big numbers. This season, Hubbard is as electrical as he was last season– however his numbers are up throughout the board and he’s much more efficient than a year back. He’s balancing 19.0 points, shooting better than 43 % from 3 and has actually totaled 31 helps to simply three (!)turnovers.Next seven days: vs. McNeese in Tupelo, Mississippi( Dec. 14 ), vs. Central Michigan in Jackson, Mississippi(Dec. 17) Previous ranking: Unranked Could the long-awaited Xavier Booker breakout be upon us? The previous

top-10 hire stopped working to take a constant role for most of his freshman campaign, and started the first 3 games of this season before returning to the bench following a scoreless getaway against Kansas. However he has actually now scored in double figures in three straight games: 12 points and 7 rebounds versus North Carolina in Maui, 11 points

against Minnesota and then 11 points and 6 rebounds versus Nebraska.Next 7 days: vs. Oakland in Detroit(Dec. 17 ) Previous ranking: Unranked As pointed out previously, UCLA is in the middle of a five-game stretch that will provide us a sign of where the Bruins may stand in the Big 10 chain of command. But Mick Cronin’s team has actually currently turned its season around following an unexpected loss to New Mexico in the second game of the season. That game saw the team turn it over

21 times and shoot 5-for-23 from 3– the worst marks of the campaign in both categories. Since then, according to BartTorvik.com, the Bruins are shooting better than 37%from 3 and have a top-30 turnover rate in the country.Next 7 days: at Arizona in Phoenix( Dec. 14), vs. Grassy field View A&M (Dec. 17) Previous ranking: 24 As we composed in Wednesday’s freshman rankings, guard Kasparas Jakucionis has actually taken his game to a completely different level over the last couple of weeks. Over his previous 4 games– a stretch that consists of matches versus Arkansas, Northwestern and Wisconsin– Jakucionis is balancing 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists, while shooting nearly 56%from 3-point variety. Saturday brings a very challenging test in Tennessee’s

Zakai Zeigler.Next 7 days: vs. Tennessee (Dec. 14)

Previous ranking: 23 Jeremy Roach has actually missed out on the past two games after suffering a concussion in Baylor’s loss to UConn, which has forced a pair of freshmen to take on more responsibility. VJ Edgecombe has been more assertive on the offending end against Abilene Christian and Norfolk State, amounting to 30 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals and shooting 60 % from the field. Classmate Robert Wright III moved into the starting lineup in Roach’s place and just had 16 points and 13 assists against Norfolk.Next seven days: vs. Oklahoma in Charlotte(Dec. 18)

play 1:53 Baylor remains

unbeaten at home with win over Norfolk State Baylor stays undefeated at home with win over Norfolk State Previous ranking: 15 Yes, we’re aware Memphis simply lost by 13 in your home to Arkansas State. But this is still a group with neutral-court wins over UConn and Michigan State, along with a home triumph over Missouri. And now the Tigers have a substantial four-game stretch before conference play begins and

their opportunities to

add considerable wins basically vanish. They go to Clemson this weekend, Virginia next week, then return home for games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss.Next seven days: at Clemson( Dec. 14), at Virginia (Dec. 18)Dropped out: Wisconsin Badgers (No. 13), Michigan Wolverines(No. 20), Creighton Bluejays(No. 25 )