Play.
Texas Tech handed the first loss of the season to the Bears.
Texas Tech upsets top-ranked Baylor 65-62 on Tuesday. (1:45)
7:30 AM
The first month of the men's college basketball season saw the No. 1 spot constantly changing teams, but after that, the Power Rankings showed some stability. The Bears had a good start to the season, carrying their energy from last season's national championship run over into this season. With two home games and some manageable road trips coming up, it appeared Scott Drew's program would continue to hold onto the top spot.
The first AP No. 1 team ever to lose two home games in a week was the Bears.
What happened to the Bears?
Let's start with the people. Freshman Jeremy Sochan missed the two games because of an ankle injury. The forward provided a problem for opponents who could make plays at both ends of the floor because he started only one game. Drew said after the Oklahoma State game that Akinjo was dealing with an injury from a hard fall in the Texas Tech game, and that he didn't play in the final minutes.
The main culprit was on the court. In the two games, the Bears were just 16-for-50 from 3-point range and shot below 50% from inside the arc for the first time since Thanksgiving Day. The Bears didn't get out for easy baskets as often. Both the Red Raiders and the Cowboys have forced at least 21% of their possessions into turnovers this season.
Akinjo's injury and Sochan's absence hurt the supporting cast. Matthew Mayer had 16 points against the Cowboys, but he was 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611
The manageable road games at West Virginia and Oklahoma this week look a bit more daunting for the Bears.
The team of the week is the Oregon Ducks.
Oregon was picked second in the conference by the preseason poll and received a pair of first-place votes. The Ducks were a top 25 team in the preseason, with some key returnees and one of the better transfer classes in the country. The hype was still there after the team's second game of the season. They lost to Saint Mary's and were destroyed by Houston at the Maui Invitation, after a stunning 31 point loss to BYU in Portland. Oregon's season was on life support after losses to Arizona State and Stanford.
The Ducks have a pulse after a three game winning streak, including road wins at UCLA and USC. The week began with a road win at Oregon State, when Eric Williams hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to give the Ducks the lead and they held on for a two-point win. Jacob Young had 16 points.
Play.
The Oregon Ducks beat the UCLA Bruins in overtime.
Young and Richardson caused problems for the Bruins' defense and the Ducks won in overtime, despite giving up a six-point lead in the final minute.
The week ended with a third straight road win, this time against the USC. Oregon led by as many as 18 in the second half after jumping out to a 10-point lead. Richardson scored 28 points and had four assists.
Oregon is the first team since 1975-76 to beat two AP top-five teams on the road in a five-day span. The Ducks have won five in a row, and have three home games coming up. There is room for the Ducks to get into the NCAA tournament if they want to.
Drew Timme is the player of the week.
It takes a special person like Timme to win Player of the Week. A couple of 20-and-10 performances are common for him. When Timme faces two of the five best teams in the West Coast Conference in a three-day span and drops alarmingly efficient back-to-back 30-point efforts, he deserves some recognition.
The junior forward opened with 30 points. He was 13-for-13 from inside the arc, but his only missed shot was a 3. He had five assists. Timme went 14-for-18 from the field, including a made 3, and grabbed eight rebound against Santa Clara on Saturday.
Timme shot 84.4% from the field and averaged 31.0 points, 6.5 rebound and 2.5 assists for the week. He became the first Division I player to average 30 points on 80% shooting over a two-game span since Luka Garza did it last season, and Evan Miyakawa pointed out how efficient he was last week.
Drew Timme has 62 points in his last 32 shots. 1.94 points per shot is a lot. It's extremely rare over a two game span.
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Evan Miyakawa is on January 15, 2022.
The honorable mention goes to Mississippi State's Iverson Molinar, who averaged 26.0 points, 4.5 rebound and 5.5 assists in wins over Georgia and Alabama last week. The past seven days have seen the Dogs win six of them and start to play to their potential.
Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the Bears.
Texas Tech was the clear pick for Team of the Week until the Red Raiders lost to Kansas State on Saturday. The most impressive victory of the week was their win over Baylor. Oklahoma State did the same thing, but Tech did it first, so it gets the nod.
Mark Adams' team held the Bears to their second-worst offensive outing of the season, while also scoring nearly 1.03 points per possession. The Red Raiders did it without Shannon, who missed seven games.
Tech went on a 17-2 run to get back in the game, and then held on for a one-possession win, after the Bears had jumped out to an early double-digit lead. The best game of the season for the Red Raiders was played by Adonis Arms, who finished with 14 points, nine rebound and five assists, while Kevin McCullar, who had missed the previous two games, came off the bench to score 12 points and dish out five assists.
Matt McMahon is the coach of the week.
The last time Murray State and/or Belmont didn't win the regular-season championship in the Ohio Valley Conference was in 2009, so these two programs' head-to-head battles are more important than other mid-major rivalries.
It's also why Murray State's win at Belmont on Saturday is so crucial, and it puts McMahon and his Racers as the league favorite moving forward. Justice Hill had eight 3s and 36 points on Saturday, while proven stud Tevin Brown had an efficient 18 points on 10 shots. The Racers have a legitimate size with six-foot-ten KJ Williams. He had three double-doubles in a row, but was 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 The team had its worst 3-point shooting game of the season and was held to just 0.91 points per possession.
McMahon prepared the Murray State team well in non conference play, scheduling three road games and playing in an MTE in Florida, which is why the team performed well on the road. In December, the Racers won at Memphis and then lost to auburn in 25 minutes.
Three teams have questions.
After starting the season with four straight wins, the Louisville Cardinals have lost three in a row, including a 16-point home defeat to NC State on Wednesday. The loss to Pitt was Louisville's worst KenPom loss in 20 years.
The second-lowest-rated team in the 20 years of KenPom's existence to beat Louisville is Pittsburgh, ranked 177th in KenPom's efficiency rankings. East Carolina beat the Cards on January 16, 2002.
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This was Louisville's worst loss in 20 years.
January 15, 2022.
Chris Mack told reporters after the game that he doesn't see a lot changing.
Oklahoma is an NCAA tournament-caliber team. The Sooners have a brutal four-game stretch that includes home games against Kansas and Baylor, and road trips to West Virginia and auburn. Their losing streak could go on to six games. It's not out of the question.
It was just over a month ago that the Alabama Crimson Tide were a top 10 team and a clear SEC favorite. Their defense has fallen off a cliff after they lost three games in a row. A unit that ranked third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency last season is 10th in SEC play this season, while allowing 83.7 points over the past three games.
The power rankings.
In the win against Alabama, freshman recruit Jabari Smith scored a career-high 25 points. The decision to rank the Tigers at the top was made after the win.
1. The auburn tigers are 16-1
The previous ranking was 5.
Georgia and Kentucky are this week's opponents.
There is a debate for the first time in a month. I think it's between the two teams, with Arizona's lack of key wins keeping it behind the two teams.
So why did you go to auburn?
I think the Tigers' overall resume is a bit better. They have eight wins away from home. They have eight wins in the first and second rounds, which is three more than the other team. It's very close: The Zags are the top ranked team in NET, KenPom, BPI and Sagarin, and own wins over Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and BYU. One of the best conference games of the season will take place on Saturday when the Kentucky and the Tigers play. Kentucky has been one of the best teams in the country over the past month and will be looking to knock off auburn.
2. The Bulldogs are 14-2
The previous ranking
2
This week: against San Francisco.
I'm pretty sure that at some point this season, I'll put the Zags back at the top, so they shouldn't be upset with me not putting them there this week. At the start of the season, the Bulldogs had a swagger and were in good shape. They've scored at least 112 points in each of their past three games while also scoring at least 1.27 points per possession over the past week and a half. The last time the Zags scored less than 1.20 points per possession was against Texas Tech. In the past three games, the team has shot at least 60% from 2-point range, made at least 10 3s and shot at least 40% from 3.
The perfect example of the offensive prowess of the school? In the first half of the game against Gonzaga, the team made 10 3s and scored 49 points, but still went into halftime down 12.
3. The Arizona Wildcats are 14-1
The previous ranking
3
At California on Sunday and at Stanford on Thursday.
After playing just one game in three weeks due to opponents dealing with COVID-19 issues and protocols, Arizona finally got in a two-game week. In those two wins, the Cats were able to show off their many options.
The production off the bench from backup guards, such as Pelle and Justin, would be useful against Utah on Saturday, with starting point guard Kerrisa out. On Thursday, he had 14 points off the bench, and then eight assists on Saturday. In the Colorado game, he had 12 points and two 3s, and then played a season-high 26 minutes against his former team.
Azuolas Tubelis had his best performance of the season when Bennedict Mathurin took a back seat. Tubelis had a big day on Saturday, with 32 points, eight rebound, and five assists.
Play.
A.J. Griffin hit a first-half buzzer-beater for Duke.
4. The Duke Blue Devil's are 14-2
The previous ranking was 6.
This week: at Florida State and Syracuse.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski made some changes to his lineup last week after a stretch of poor performances that ended with a home loss to Miami. Freshman A.J. Griffin was in for Jeremy Roach. It resulted in two wins and a performance from the man. The highly-hyped recruit had an injury in the preseason, but has been in double figures in six of his past eight games, including Wednesday's 22-point, four-rebound performance against Wake Forest. He can shoot from the perimeter and make plays at both ends of the floor. Roach provided some stability at the point guard spot off the bench. He had five assists, two steals and zero turnovers in two games.
5. The Bears are 15-2
The previous ranking
1
At West Virginia, and at Oklahoma this week.
Despite the two losses, the Bears are still very much in the mix for a top-five ranking and a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. They're ranked in the top five of the NET and KenPom and are 6-0 away from home. They have three wins over Michigan State. They shouldn't have been expected to fall down the rankings. They showed their vulnerabilities in their two losses of the past week. Drew needs Akinjo and Sochan to be healthy for this week. The reason for the success of the past two and a half seasons is that the team has players who can make plays on their own, and Sochan is an X factor.
6. The Kansas Jayhawks have a 14-2 record.
The previous ranking
7
This week: at Oklahoma, Kansas State.
If the Jayhawks are going to have a chance to reach New Orleans in early April, they need to get the ball to Wilson and McCormack. Wilson, one of last season's stars, was suspended for the first three games of this season and only played in one double-figure scoring game once he returned to the lineup. The sophomore guard went for 23 points, eight rebound, five assists, and three 3-pointers against West Virginia. After scoring one point, 10 minutes in Tuesday's win against Iowa State, McCormack rebounded with 19 points, 15 rebound and three assists against West Virginia.
Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun have been great this season, but Wilson and McCormack are giving Kansas a higher ceiling.
7. The Boilermakers have a 14-2 record.
The previous ranking
8
At Illinois, at Indiana, and at Northwestern this week.
If the Boilermakers are still in the hunt for a Big Ten title, Monday's trip to Illinois is a must-win. The Boilermakers have two league losses, while the Fighting Illini are 6-0 in conference play. It could be difficult to overcome dropping to three in the loss column. The supporting cast that was so productive early in the season will need to get more. Over his past three games, the 40% 3-point shooter, named Sasha, is 5-for-20 from behind the arc and is shooting 26.7% from 3 in Big Ten play. In the past three games, Thompson has been held without a point in two of them, and is 1-for-12 from 3, but he has never been much of a scorer. Furst scored 10 points against Nebraska.
8. The Wildcats are 13-4
The previous ranking
There were 12.
This weekend: at Georgetown and against Marquette.
The team is on a six-game winning streak and coming off its most complete performance of the season. On Sunday, the Cats made 12 3s and shot better than 64 percent from behind the line, while also holding the Raiders to 0.72 points per possession. Over the last month, the defense of Butler has completely collapsed, but it's going to be important for the final two months of the season for the Cats to find their outside shooting stroke.
Three of the last 20 years have seen the worst defensive games of the last 30 days.
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John Gasaway wrote on January 16, 2022.
The first time the Cats made double-figure 3s was in December. It's also worth noting that big man Eric Dixon had 14 points and four assists against the Bears, after going for 15 points and 10 rebound against the Musketeers.
9. The Kentucky Wildcats are 14-3)
The previous ranking was 15.
This week: at Texas A&M, and at auburn.
The offensive effort by Kentucky against Tennessee on Saturday was as good as we've seen all season. The Volunteers had entered Tuesday with the second-ranked defense in the country. The most points Tennessee had allowed all season was a number of 81, which Kentucky hit with more than 12 minutes left in the game. The Cats shot 71.1% from 2, 61.1% from 3 and 95.2% from the free throw line. Kentucky scored quickly and consistently before Tennessee could organize. Kentucky has had a better adjusted efficiency rating since they beat North Carolina than any other team.
10. The Wisconsin Badgers have a 14-2 record.
In the waiting room.
At Michigan State on Friday.
Two weeks ago, the Badgers knocked off four teams, including Maryland, and were on the verge of moving into the Power Rankings. It was sealed by a 10-point win over Ohio State. The Badgers' performance-based metrics are not as impressive as some of the other teams in this range, but they have few peers at this point in the season. They're ranked second in the Strength of Record, which looks at the overall body of work. They have the most wins in college basketball with nine and are tied for the most in the country with five. Wisconsin has knocked off Houston, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio State, Saint Mary's, Indiana, Marquette and Texas A&M, with four of those wins coming away from home.
Play.
The shot clock is beating with a 3-pointer.
11. The Houston Cougars are 15-2
The previous ranking
14.
South Florida and East Carolina are this week's opponents.
The last thing Houston could afford was another injury like the ones suffered by Tramon Mark and Marcus Sasser. In the first half, Shead went down with an ankle injury and didn't return. That could be crushing for a team that is already low on perimeter depth. The Cougars were able to figure out what went wrong and win the game. Freshman Ramon Walker played 31 minutes off the bench, while former Texas Tech transfer Kyler Edwards played all 40 minutes and finished with 29 points and seven 3-pointers. Hopefully Shead's injury doesn't keep him out too long.
12. The UCLA Bruins are 11-2
The previous ranking
4
At Utah on Thursday, and at Colorado on Saturday.
The Bruins lost to Oregon on Thursday because they still haven't regained their early-season form. The Bruins came back in the final minute to force an extra period but didn't have the legs to get the win. The recent struggles have been linked to the ankle injury of Jaquez. Jaquez has averaged 8.7 points and 3.0 rebound in three games since UCLA came off its 26 day pause. Mick Cronin will need Jaquez to be at 100% for the stretch run because he is one of the toughest opponents in the conference. In his place, UCLA has used Jaylen Clark. In the Oregon loss, Clark started and scored 11 points, while Watson had one of his best games of the season, going for 10 points and eight rebound.
13. The LSU Tigers are 15-2
The previous ranking
11
This week: at Alabama and Tennessee.
The one thing that stands out in regards to potential trouble spots is LSU's inability to create consistent offense in the half court. They have the top defense in the country and rank in the top 10 in steal percentage and block percentage. They're good at creating fast-break opportunities. The Razorbacks turned the ball over in the first half and then started scoring in the second half, but it looked like more of the same against them. They won the game on a 17-2 run. The Razorbacks committed 19 turnovers, but they were able to keep LSU in the half court. Pinson's injury has made the issue worse.
14. The Michigan State Spartans have a 14-3) record.
The previous ranking
9
This week: at Wisconsin.
It was difficult to fully jump on the Sparty bandwagon when Michigan State was ranked inside the top 10. The Spartans haven't beaten an NCAA tournament team since Thanksgiving. Max Christie was emerging, Tyson Walker was providing competent point guard play, and Tom Izzo had plenty of frontcourt options. There was some optimism in the area.
It feels less widespread after the weekend. Michigan State put up just 62 points on 67 possessions in a home game against a team playing without Pete Nance. The Spartans turned it over 17 times and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 The next four games are on the road, starting with Wisconsin and Illinois. How will the Spartans respond?
15. Texas Tech Red Raiders are 13-4
The previous ranking
In the waiting room.
This week: against Iowa State and West Virginia.
A one-week stretch that started with a win over Kansas and included a road win at previously undefeated Baylor and a win over Oklahoma State ended with an 11 point loss at Kansas State. The Red Raiders have a top-20 NET with three wins, which will get them into the Power Rankings. They're one of only two teams in the top 16 below.500 away from home, and that could be a problem for their resume. I don't think it's a long-term problem since they beat Baylor. Tech's lack of efficiency inside the three-point line was the main reason for their offensive issues against Kansas State. The supporting cast didn't step up like it did in previous games, but that's okay.
16. Iowa State has a 14-3) record.
The previous ranking
13
This week: at Texas Tech, and at TCU.
Iowa State was the biggest surprise of the first half of the season. The opening six games of conference play are just as difficult as any other six games of the season. The narrative was clear: How TJ Otzelberger's team navigates the first three weeks of conference play will determine how legitimate a threat they are in the Big 12. Iowa State did it well through five of the six games. After a heartbreaking one-point road loss at Kansas, the Iowa State Cyclones bounced back with a solid home win over Texas. The six-game stretch ends with a road trip to Texas Tech on Tuesday, before things get a bit easier for a couple games. A 3-3 split would be quite remarkable.
USC, Ohio State, and other teams were dropped out.
In the waiting room.
The only thing keeping Illinois from moving higher up the rankings is a lack of signature wins. The Fighting Illini's best win so far is over Iowa. As soon as Monday night, when the Boilermakers visit, that can change. Illinois will be the clear-cut favorite for the Big Ten title if they win at Maryland on Friday.
After a loss at Wisconsin on Thursday, Ohio State dropped out of the rankings, but rebounded with a five-point win over Penn State on Sunday. This week, the Buckeyes will play IUPUI and Nebraska, which will give Zed Key a chance to continue his hot streak.
The only two losses for the Musketeers since Thanksgiving came at the hands of the other team. The second-best team in the Big East is the Musketeers. They're 7-1 against the first and second quadrants, with top-20 rankings in the NET, KenPom, and the Strength of Record.
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