On Monday, December 8th, the AP released their Top-25. Each week, we will take the Top 10 and look at their past week and what they have in front of them the coming week. We will also take a look at who has dropped out and who has moved in. Let’s take a look at this weeks Top 10.
# 1 Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats received all 64 votes this week. They are currently 9-0. This past week, they played Texas (won 63-51) and Eastern Kentucky (won 82-49). In this upcoming week, they have two games Columbia (Wednesday) and North Carolina (Saturday).
They are a well balanced team. Their four top scorers are only separated by one point. The early team leader is 7’0″ forward Willie Cauley-Stein. He is averaging 10.3 points per game and 6.6 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. He has also stepped up his game on the defensive side of the court.
# 2 Duke
The Duke Blue Devils are 8-0. This past week, they played Wisconsin (won 80-70). They are off this week and do not resume play until next week. The Blue Devils are also a very balanced and diverse team and they are a tough team to pinpoint who their leader is. Thus, over the course of the next few weeks, we will spotlight numerous players.
Jahlil Okafor, a 6′ 11″ freshman center, is leading them in scoring (17.1 points a game), second on the team in rebounds (7.6), and shooting an impressive 64% from the field.
# 3 Arizona
The Arizona Wildcats are 9-0 and they seem to be picking up steam as a basketball team. Last week, they played Gardner-Webb (won 91-65) and Gonzanga (won 66-63). This week (Tuesday), they played Utah Valley (won 87-56) and later this week, they host Michigan on Saturday.
Early in the season, Arizona is led by 6’5″ freshman guard Stanley Johnson. He leads the team in points (13.8) and rebounds (6.4).
# 4 Louisville
Louisville is 8-0 and they are another team that is playing very well early in the season. Last week, they played Ohio State (won 64-55) and Florida International (won 82-57). Earlier this week, they played Indiana in the Jimmy V Classic and won easily 94-74. Their next game is Sunday against N.C. Wilmington.
This week, we chose Terry Rozier to highlight from Louisville. He had a breakout night in the win over Indiana. He scored a career high 26 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He contributed the career night to extra practices in the morning and feeling more confident in his shot selection and the ability to make them.
# 5 Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers are 8-1 in the early portion of their season. Their loss came in one of the two games they played this past week. They lost to Duke (70-80) and then they beat in-state rival Marquette (49-39). Looking ahead, the Badgers have two games this week. They play Milwaukee on Wednesday and Nicholls on Saturday.
Frank Kaminsky was their top guy coming into the year and he has remained the top guy and the go-to-guy when they need a bucket. He is leading the team in scoring (16.4) and rebounds (8.9). Look for him to continue to be a big presence especially when they enter conference play.
# 6 Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers are 9-0 and are playing some great ball. They are especially playing great defense, which showed up when they held Rutgers to 26 points. This past week, they played Maryland (Won 76-65) and VCU (Won 74-57). They are off this week and then have three games before they enter into ACC play.
Our Virginia focus player for this week will be guard Justin Anderson. For the year, Anderson is averaging 15.8 points a game and 4.9 rebounds. However, he is only averaging 1.7 assists a game; thus he may need to look for more passing opportunities as they step into ACC play.
# 7 Villanova
Villanova Wildcats, the third Wildcats team in the top seven, are 9-0 this year and are cruising. They are playing solid basketball. Last week, they picked up two wins. The first win was against La Salle (84-70) and the second win was against St. Joseph (73-59). They only play one game this week and it has already occurred. They played Illinois and won 73-59.
With the season being new, we will give the team spotlight to their leading scorer, Dylan Ennis. He is averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting 51% from the field, including 47% from the 3-point arch.
# 8 Texas
The Texas Longhorns are 7-1 and they are playing good basketball overall, but they are not dominating. Last week, they played three games. On Sunday, they played Connecticut and won 55-54. Then on Tuesday, they played TX Arlington and won 63-53. Their sole loss of the season came last Friday when they faced Kentucky, losing 63-51. This week, they play Texas St. on Saturday.
The Longhorns have a few impact players that we will highlight throughout the year, if they can maintain their top-ten ranking. Today, we will highlight Jonathan Holmes. Holmes is averaging 12.9 points a game and 8.1 rebounds, which leads the team. Crashing the boards and getting rebounds are a critical component if the Longhorns want success.
# 9 Gonzaga
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 7-1 in the early onset of the season. The Bulldogs had two games this past week, winning one and lost one. Their win came against SE Louisiana (76-57) and their loss came against #3 Arizona. The Wildcats beat the Bulldogs 66-63 in a very good game. This week, the Bulldogs play Washington St.
Kyle Wiltjer is leading the team in the early part of the season. Wiltjer is a 6’10” Senior playing forward. He is putting up solid numbers with 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. For the Bulldogs to go deep into the tournament in March, he will need to crash the boards more.
# 10 Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks are 6-1. They have played one of the harder schedules thus far. We will see if the harder competition has prepared them for conference play in a few weeks. This past week, they played Michigan State (Won 61-56) and Florida (Won 71-65). This week, they play Georgetown on Wednesday and Utah on Saturday.
Perry Ellis is proving to be an excellent ball player for the Jayhawks. He is leading the team both in scoring and rebounds. He is averaging 14.6 points a game and grabbing 6.7 rebounds. Ellis will not be able to take the team far by himself though. He will need others to step up, including Frank Mason III and Cliff Alexander.
Check in again each week to see which teams and players are making an impact in the Top -10.