Indiana's run atop Power Rankings didn't last long
— -- Putting Indiana in the top spot last week didn't exactly work out well -- not after Tom Crean's team went down the road to IPFW and lost, 24 hours after being elevated to No. 1 in the Power Rankings.
Power Rankings are compiled primarily by what has happened on the court, and Indiana, as of last week, had the most impressive victory of any top-25 team, a win over Kansas in Hawaii. Now the Hoosiers have the most unimpressive loss, which is why they have fallen out of the top 10.
It's a tough call among three teams for the top spot. Kentucky is blowing teams out, albeit against lesser competition (the Wildcats' tough portion of the nonconference slate begins in December). Villanova has the most impressive victory of the three, at Purdue. North Carolina won the Maui Invitational with wins over Chaminade, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.
The two surprises -- and a pair of newcomers -- are South Carolina and Butler. Frank Martin's Gamecocks knocked off Michigan and Syracuse, while Chris Holtmann and the Bulldogs took down Arizona in Las Vegas.
The competition hasn't been great, but UK has been routing teams. In fact, the Wildcats have won their first six games by at least 21 points. It's just the third time in school history that has happened. The past two wins -- over Cleveland State and UT Martin -- have come without Isaiah Briscoe (back injury).
Jay Wright's team has won its past three without Phil Booth, who is dealing with a left knee injury. Wright said Booth won't play Tuesday against Penn, the start of Big Five play, but is hopeful he will return against St. Joe's on Dec. 3.
The Tar Heels pounded Chaminade, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin to win the Maui Invitational, which bodes well for UNC fans. The past two times Roy Williams has claimed the event, the Tar Heels have won the national title -- in 2005 and 2009.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
Record: 5-1
Last week's ranking: 4
Bill Self sent a message to his starting big men, Carlton Bragg and Landen Lucas, following wins over UAB and Georgia. He went with a four-guard lineup in a rout of UNC Asheville, inserting big man Udoka Azubuike for Lucas and guard Lagerald Vick for Bragg. The duo combined for 32 points and 12 boards.
5. Duke Blue Devils
Record: 6-1
Last week's ranking: 5
We're seven games into Duke's season, and we've yet to see the frosh trio of Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden. But it was irrelevant in routs of William & Mary and Appalachian State.
The Musketeers had never played Northern Iowa before and wound up playing them twice in one week. The first was a win in the title game of the Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando, and the latest was a resounding 64-42 victory at the Cintas Center. Chris Mack is starting to get much-needed depth with the return of versatile forward Kaiser Gates.
Sophomore guard Josh Perkins shined for the Zags in their run to the championship of the Advocare Invitational. Perkins had 18 in the win over Florida and was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc in the victory over Iowa State.
Scott Drew just finished beating Louisville's Rick Pitino, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and VCU's Will Wade to win the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Add a victory over Oregon, and the Bears have as impressive a r?sum? thus far as any team in the country.
Pitino's team blew a 22-point lead against Baylor in the championship game at the Battle 4 Atlantis and wound up losing to the Bears. The Cardinals' starting perimeter trio of Donovan Mitchell, Quentin Snider and Deng Adel is 20-of-90 (32 percent) from 3 thus far.
10. Creighton Bluejays
Record: 6-0
Last week's ranking: 10
Greg McDermott's team is the only one that has shot at least 50 percent in every game this season. Talented redshirt freshman Justin Patton leads the way, having made 31 of 40 shots from the field for a 78 percent clip.
Freshman Lonzo Ball is the best passer in the country, but it's still Bryce Alford who takes the big shot, as shown when he delivered the dagger in a win over Texas A&M to claim the Wooden Legacy on Sunday night.
Tom Crean's team got dropped by a Summit League team. Indiana had OG Anunoby for only 13 minutes due to illness, but that's no excuse for losing to the Mastadons, even in Fort Wayne.
The Jock Landale show continues. The junior Australian was 18-of-21 from the field in a pair of wins over UAB and San Jose State.
14. Purdue Boilermakers
Record: 5-1
Last week's ranking: 14
The Boilermakers made 37 of 75 (49 percent) 3s the past three games -- wins over Utah State, Auburn and NJIT. Sophomore big man Caleb Swanigan has four straight double-doubles, tied for the most in a row since Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson back in 1993-94.
15. Virginia Cavaliers
Record: 6-0
Last week's ranking: 15
The Cavaliers' defense has been ridiculous thus far, allowing an average of 41.3 points through the first six games. Senior guard London Perrantes was the MVP of the Emerald Coast Classic after wins over Iowa and Providence.
The Gamecocks posted back-to-back wins over top-25 teams for the first time since 2008-09 by beating Michigan and Syracuse. South Carolina held Michigan to 46 points and Syracuse to 50.
The Gators were just 2-of-19 from 3 in the loss to Gonzaga. They are shooting a putrid 29 percent from beyond the arc this season.
This is the third straight year the Bulldogs have knocked off a top-10 team. It was North Carolina in 2014 in the Bahamas, Purdue last season in the Crossroads Classic and, this time, Arizona to win the Las Vegas Invitational.
The two losses have come at Creighton and in Maui against a top-five North Carolina team. In the two setbacks, the duo of Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes is 7-of-34 from beyond the arc.
Hassan Martin is heating up, with a career-high 31 against Belmont, but E.C. Matthews has cooled off lately after a sizzling start. Matthews, who missed nearly all of the past season with a torn ACL, has averaged just 7.5 points per game the past two contests after making 72 percent of his shots through the first three games.
The Trojans were picked seventh in the Pac-12 preseason poll -- and depth could be an issue. For now, Andy Enfield's team is healthy and talented.
The Cyclones came back from an 18-point deficit against Gonzaga and had a chance to win the game, but were unable to get a shot off on the final possession. Deonte Burton is a tough mismatch. He finished with a career-high 29 points in the loss.
It's the third-best start in the Mike Brey era for the Irish, and guys such as? Matt Farrell and Matt Ryan have made sure the Irish, who lost Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste off last year's team, haven't missed a beat.
Both Malik Pope and Max Hoetzel made their season debuts in the win over Cal after missing the first three games, including the loss at Gonzaga. The pair combined for 25 points and a dozen boards.
Sure, the Cowboys got blasted by UNC, but the Tar Heels are a top-five team. Jawun Evans is arguably the best guard in the country, and Oklahoma State has knocked off UConn and Georgetown.
Dropped out: Syracuse Orange, Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, Michigan Wolverines, West Virginia Mountaineers, Seton Hall Pirates
