Power Rankings: Gonzaga, Auburn, Kentucky make gains

  • Jeff Borzello,

    • ESPN Staff WriterNov 14, 2024, 08:30 AM ET Close Basketball recruiting insider.
    • Joined ESPN in 2014.
    • Graduate of University of Delaware.The very first week

of in-season College Basketball Power Rankings is constantly something of a crapshoot. Preseason priors are still heavily weighted, literally everything is a little sample size and the absence of a constant competitors level throughout the board makes early comparisons difficult.Furthermore, one statement win can skyrocket a collaborate the order.We saw three of those through the very first 10 days of the 2024-25 season: Gonzaga’s blowout of Baylor on opening night, Auburn beating Houston in Houston and Kentucky coming back to leading Duke at Tuesday night’s Champions Classic.So, how high does each group rise?Auburn and Gonzaga slot right behind

Kansas at the top of the rankings. The short-handed Tigers entering into Houston and looking every bit the part of a championship game contender was extremely impressive. They went toe-to-toe with the Cougars’ durability, Johni Broome won the interior fight for Auburn and Tahaad Pettiford is an emerging star. Gonzaga, on the other hand, was just a force offensively against Baylor. Mark Couple of’s ability to go 8 deep with authentic shotmakers is something to see. Both groups ought to be season-long title threats.Kentucky, meanwhile, rises into the leading 10 as Mark Pope appears to have the Wildcats ahead of schedule. A come-from-behind win on a

neutral flooring versus what ought to be among the most talented teams in the country is something that has staying power.Previous editions: Preseason top 25 Preseason ranking: 1 Kansas nearly blew a 20-point lead in your home to North Carolina and had an awful win over Michigan State, however the Jayhawks will stay atop the rankings entering their next big showdown, versus Cooper Flagg and Duke in Las Vegas on Nov. 26. A number of things to monitor in Lawrence: AJ Storr’s battles and the emergence of Flory Bidunga. Storr played well versus the Tar Heels, but he has actually totaled 11 points in 27 minutes in Kansas’other two games. Bidunga has actually made an impact behind– and sometimes alongside– Hunter Dickinson, balancing 9.0 points and 5.7 boards in 13.3 minutes.Next seven days: vs. Oakland (Nov. 16), vs. UNC Wilmington (Nov. 19) play 0:35 Emphasize: No. 11 Auburn duo shines in 2nd half to down No. 4 Houston Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford integrate for 31 of the Tigers’46 second-half points, assisting snap a six-game losing streak against the Cougars with the 74-69 win. Preseason ranking: 10 Bruce Pearl has actually always been a coach who relies heavily on bench production, and it appears he’ll have at least two or 3 players in reserve capable of huge nights. Tahaad Pettiford was the headliner from Auburn’s win over Houston, ending up with 21 points and five 3-pointers. He also has amounted to 11 helps

in 3 games. More under the radar has actually been Chaney Johnson, who opted for 18 points in Wednesday’s win over Kent State. He has actually now scored in double figures in all three games and is shooting nearly 79%from the field.Next seven days: vs. North Alabama (Nov. 18) Preseason ranking: 6 Khalif Fight was an enigmatic scorer at his previous stops (Butler, Temple, Arkansas), efficient in huge scoring trips however likewise revealing tendencies to go cold for long stretches.

In truth, reaching his ceiling outcome is precisely what Gonzaga needed on a stable, strong team. And Fight’s shooting expertise has never ever been in doubt. He already has actually knocked down 7 threes through 2 games and has actually normally played within the offense. And this is his only 2-pointer up until now this season: THIS LOB No. 6 Gonzaga vs. Arizona State is an excellent one pic.twitter.com/E7pE8gMxGE!.?.!— ESPN(@espn)November 10, 2024 Next 7 days: vs. UMass Lowell(Nov. 15 ), at San Diego State(Nov. 18), vs. Long Beach State (Nov. 20 ) Preseason ranking: 2 We’re still waiting on the possible juggernaut offense to completely click– which is a good indication for the Crimson Tide, who are

3. Some of that is due to small-sample variance, some is the myriad of injuries, some is the influx of numerous newbies– and some could be a byproduct of beginning Jarin Stevenson and Clifford Omoruyi(and Grant Nelson)together.Next 7 days: at Purdue( Nov. 15), vs. Illinois(Nov. 20 ) Preseason ranking: 3 Editor’s Picks 2 Related UConn gets one more warmup game before a harsh stretch that features the Maui Invitational, Baylor, Texas, Gonzaga and Xavier in a 23-day period. We’ll discuss Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley plenty this season– Solo Ball, too, with the method his season is going. However Tarris Reed Jr. has actually been a consistent factor in each of the Huskies’3 games so

far, coming off the bench to typical 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, including 4.0 offending boards per game.Next seven days: vs. Texas A&M Commerce(Nov. 19) Preseason ranking: 5 There’s not much to glean from Iowa State beating Mississippi Valley State and Kansas City by an integrated 65 points, except that T.J. Otzelberger used transfers Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson together in both games’beginning lineups– meaning Milan Momcilovic came off the bench in Video game 1 and Curtis Jones came off the bench in Video game 2. It’s not an unknown function for Jones, who started only once last season, however it will be fascinating to see how Otzelberger manages the rotation moving forward.Next 7 days: vs. IU Indy (Nov. 18)

Preseason ranking: 4 Top stories of the week from Get unique access to countless premium short articles a year from top authors. – What to make from the CFP races” – Finest trade fits for Garrett Crochet”- NBA trade Qs for Lakers, Bucks, more” More ESPN+material”Houston had just 2 games last season when it permitted more points per possession than what Auburn scored versus the Cougars last weekend. The Tigers dominated around the rim in a way couple of teams are capable of doing to a Kelvin Sampson team. They likewise shot better than 71%inside the arc, making 20 2-pointers. Only one

team hit more than 20 twos versus Houston in a game last season. A big plus from the opening 3 games has actually been Milos Uzan’s quest to replace Jamal Shead; he has 19 assists and just five turnovers.Next 7 days: No games set up Preseason ranking: 23 At halftime throughout the Champions Classic, it was fair to question whether Kentucky might regularly get points in a half-court setting against a strong opponent. Duke was keeping the Wildcats out of transition, and after an early barrage of threes, the group’s attack had dried up. Then Mark Pope made some clever tweaks offensively, utilizing Amari Williams and Brandon Fort as playmakers in the middle of the floor, and Andrew Carr created match issues. The Wildcats responded to a great deal of concerns with their second-half showing.Next seven days: vs. Lipscomb(Tuesday) play 0:15 Tobe Awaka gets the basket plus the nasty Tobe Awaka gets the basket plus the nasty Preseason ranking: 9 Arizona’s schedule kicks up a notch after two easy wins to open the campaign, with a journey to Wisconsin on Friday followed by a home game versus Duke and the Fight 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas that could consist of a title game tilt against Gonzaga or Indiana. Two early notes for the Wildcats

: Tennessee transfer Tobe Awakawent

for 18 and

15 against Old Rule, while Estonia native

Henri Veesaar is finally showing a few of the pledge

that made him such an appealing recruit numerous years back, balancing 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds through two games.Next seven days: at Wisconsin (Nov. 15) Preseason ranking: 13 Tennessee’s victory over Louisville was as dominant a power-conference roadway triumph as we’ll see all season. The Volunteers were up 10 points before Louisville had the ability to get on the board, and the Cardinals didn’t get within single digits up until midway through the duration– and after that only briefly.

Chaz Lanier was terrific, and the offense looks as if it will go through him in huge moments this season. He had 19 points in that game, 18 versus Gardner-Webb and 13 against Montana. And he’s shooting nearly 59%from 3

so far.Next seven days: vs. Austin Peay(Nov. 17) play 0:51 Jon Scheyer states Duke’s cramping is’concerning’Duke coach Jon Scheyer goes over the difficulties completing the game with numerous players cramping. Preseason ranking: 8 The Champions Classic game flipped against Duke’s favor when Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach started to deal with cramping issues and

guard Sion James left the court with a shoulder injury.Maluach was impactful at both ends of the flooring, protecting the rim while likewise providing a lob-and-dunk hazard offensively. Offered the way Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor struggled to make shots in the 2nd half, having the veteran James in there likewise would have worked. James’injury prognosis will be key.Next 7 days: vs. Wofford(Nov. 16) Preseason ranking: 11 For a player averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.5 helps through 2 games, RJ Davis has actually left a lot of meat on the bone. He is shooting just 29.4 %from the field and 22.2 %from 3-point range. Considering he has actually contended least 42% from the field and 36 %from 3 in each of his past 3 projects, we’re incredibly positive this is simply a blip. Still, the increased protective attention on

the preseason Wooden Award favorite is a genuine thing.Next 7 days: vs. American University(Nov. 15) Preseason ranking: 15 Among my favorite nuggets this season comes courtesy of ESPN Research study: Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 49 points in Creighton’s opener was the fourth most in a season opener for a ranked team in AP poll history. The only players with more are Hall of Famers Bob Pettit, Lew Alcindor and Artis Gilmore. So, in a way, Kalkbrenner is putting up historic numbers to begin the campaign. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks– shooting an absolutely ridiculous 35-for-38 from the field, 3-for-3 from 3. Next 7 days: vs. Kansas City(Nov. 16) play 0:13 Braden Smith knocks down the 3-point shot Braden Smith knocks down the 3-point shot Preseason ranking: 16 We understood Braden Smith’s use would go through the roof with Zach Edey gone, but the junior point guard could put up some really huge numbers this season. Smith opened with 12 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds against Texas A&M- Corpus Christi and followed up with 22 points, 6 helps, 9 rebounds and 5 takes versus Yale. Purdue has as hard a two-game stretch this coming week as anybody in college basketball, so Smith’s production will be put

to the test against Mark Sears and Kam Jones.Next seven days: vs. Alabama(

Nov. 15 ), at Marquette (Nov. 19)

Preseason ranking: 17

Speaking of Kam Jones, he is in some way exceeding the numbers he was putting up in games without Tyler Kolek last season. Small-sample and schedule-strength caveats apply, but 22.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.3 steals on 69.2%basket and 52.9% 3-point shooting is definitely wild. One development to keep an eye on is Chase Ross notching 4 helps in each of his very first 3 games. This is a player who had 48 helps across the very first 68 games of his career.Next 7 days: at Maryland(Nov. 15), vs. Purdue (Nov. 18) Preseason ranking: 7 We wo

n’t be able to really evaluate Baylor’s ceiling until Langston Love returns from injury, however the Bears have righted the ship quite drastically considering that the opening loss to Gonzaga– with the play of star freshman and forecasted top-five NBA choice VJ Edgecombe the headliner. After struggling mightily against the Zags (aside from the dunk over Joe Few), Edgecombe has amounted to 24 points, 18 rebounds and 12 helps in the Bears’2 games because, looking more comfy as a playmaker even if his shot is not yet falling.THIS POSTER, OH MY HE ALMOST LEAPT OVER HIM

pic.twitter.com/bfdAazCw8g!.?.!— SportsCenter(@SportsCenter)November 5, 2024 Next 7 days: vs. Tarleton State(Nov. 17) Preseason ranking: 19 The loss of Dan Skillings Jr. for weeks following a knee treatment will force a major tweak for Wes Miller. Skillings was the team’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season, regardless of not breaking the beginning lineup until the second half. Connor Hickman moved into the lineup in his place for the 2nd game of this season, with Miller likely hoping he would bring a different look and more perimeter shooting. Former Iowa and Kentucky transfer CJ Fredrick Jr. likewise could see increased minutes.Next seven days: vs. Nicholls(Nov. 15

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