Will's Week 3 College Basketball Rankings

    1) Houston 

In a huge week for multiple top teams, the Houston Cougars were one of the lone top teams to not play in a preseason tournament. With only one game on the schedule, they disposed of the under matched Kent State with ease with continued great defense and even scoring from across the board. They were the beneficiaries of former number one North Carolina losing twice, and have finally settled into the number one spot on the rankings, where they’ve arguably belonged all year. 

    2) Texas 

Much like Houston, Texas had a down week with no tournament in sight, and moves up in the rankings as not only North Carolina but also Kansas having losses in front of them. Their lone win of the week came against UT Rio Grande Valley, which to the surprise of no one was a 40 point route. While Houston seems to have the defensive side of the game on lock, Texas is arguably the best offensive team in the nation. 

   3) UVA

A trend clearly forming, UVA only had one game this week against low level competition. Arguably the least impressive performance of top 4 teams who didn’t play in a tournament, UVA got passed MD-Eastern only managing to score 72 points. One of their lower point totals of the year it was still good enough to defeat the MD-Eastern Hawks by 27 and continue their unbeaten start. 

   4) Baylor

The highest ranked team with a loss, Baylor gets a pass from their loss to #3 UVA due to their win over highly ranked UCLA. In sticking with the other teams in the top four they only had one game this week, a blowout against McNeese St. Things get a little busier and challenging this week as they travel to Marquette and host Gonzaga in week 4. 

   5) Arizona

After a fairly boring and obvious top 4, this is where the top 10 gets interesting this week. One of our huge movers this week, did anyone look more impressive than the Arizona Wildcats? A convincing win over San Diego St. and coming out on top against a more than formidable Creighton team, you can make the case that Arizona had the best week 3 in the nation. The best part? In their three games they had three different leading scorers meaning they have multiple options who can hurt you. 

   6) UCLA

A slow week for UCLA as well, the Bruins bounce back in a route after losing to two ranked teams just a week ago. Wins over Pepperdine and Bellarmine saw the Bruins return to the win column, and they did so in impressive fashion. What keeps the Bruins continuing to hang around the top is their experience, depth, and talented youth, coupled with the fact that they have no bad losses. This week will be a good measuring stick for if we’re getting our UCLA gamble right, with games @Stanford and at home against a pesky Oregon Duck bunch. 

   7) Indiana

Through seven games this season, no one on the opposing side of a Hoosier uniform has even sniffed coming within 20 points of them. That being said, no one on the opposing side of a Hoosier uniform is even sniffing a top 100 ranking either. Their best win of the year is against a three loss Xavier team by a mere two points. On the flip side of that, IU has scored over 80 points in each of their six games. They should be the early points favorite against former number one UNC, whom they host in the ACC Big 10 challenge on Wednesday night in their toughest test to date. 

   8) UConn

The biggest mover of the week, UConn wins the Phil Knight Invitational tournament by disposing of a field that consisted of Alabama, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Iowa State, and did so in impressive fashion. Double digit wins over Iowa State and Alabama, both of whom beat UNC, should raise eyebrows on the national level from all pundits. The scariest part about UConn? They’re average margin of defeat in their eight games thus far is 26 points.

   9) Carolina

The college basketball world reacted to Carolina continuing to be ranked number one in what could best be described as fool’s gold, not because of their talent or experience, but because of their on court performance. They had the chance at the PK this week to prove the naysayers wrong and fell short in the second round against Iowa State, a game they were winning by 8 with 3:36 to go, and against in the third place game against Alabama, a game they were winning by 8 with 7:08 to go and again by 6 in the second overtime period. Neither loss is a bad loss however, and the Bama loss is certainly not without referee criticism, but Carolina has got to figure out how to put teams away if they want to remain a top ten team. This is the last time we’re giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

    10) UK

UK stays where they were last week in spite of a lot of seesawing from other teams surrounding them. After a rough week two they played just one game this last week, a bit of an anomaly from a John Calipari led Wildcat team. Usually you’d see them in a preseason tournament but this year’s feast week featured just one game against Northern Florida, a game that as expected was a 40 point drubbing. Things remain low key for UK who plays lower level/unranked competition until December 17th, when they play UCLA at Madison Square Garden. 

11) KU

12) Tennessee

13) Alabama

14) Gonzaga

15) Purdue

16) Creighton

17) Duke

18) Illinois

19) Auburn

20) Arkansas

21) Michigan State

22) Maryland

23) Iowa State

24) Ohio State

25) St. Louis

Will's Week 2 College Basketball Rankings

 

    Feast week is upon us, where the first champions of the college basketball season will be crowned. No participation trophies here folks as early season “win or go home” is very much alive. And it certainly wouldn’t be first chapter of inevitable madness if there weren’t movers and shakers early on. For the second week in a row the Cavaliers of Virginia (post an unspeakable tragedy) shoot up in the rankings. Meanwhile 10 of the previous week’s top 25 found the loss column on their records. Let’s see how it plays out in Will’s week 2 rankings. 

1) North Carolina (4-0)

Previous: 1 

I know, I know. The Heels only beat Gardner Webb by 6 and you leave them number 1? Sure, that’s a slim margin even with Gardner Webb’s junk-time 3 pointers including 1 at the buzzer, but this week saw the Heels play two games that were never in doubt. What won’t be mentioned however is that the second game was against arguably the best mid-major anyone has played all year in James Madison, a 4-0 squad that was averaging a blistering 106 points a game. The Heels lockdown D held them to just 64 points while Armando Bacot (career high 23 rebounds, 19 points) looked like last year’s tournament version of himself, as did the Tar Heels as a whole for 35 minutes of the game. This week also saw the emergence of Pete Nance, the Northwestern transfer pegged to replace Brady Manek, who scored double digits in both games. The Heels travel to the Phil Knight Invitational this week, where the talent pool is infinitely greater than what they’ve seen thus far. 

2) Houston (5-0)

Previous: 4

Usually the words “Freshman Of The Year” are reserved for a Duke, Kansas, or UK recruit, but this year Jarace Walker has something to say about that distinction. Through 5 games the rookie has been one of the Cougars’ biggest stars and the nation’s most prolific first year player. Coupled with the productivity of senior Marcus Sasser and junior Tramon Mark, the Cougars pulled away late in their biggest year to date test Sunday night on the road at Oregon. Walker has a Karl Malone-esque game that isn’t frequently seen anymore at any level of basketball, a 6’8 240 bruiser that will be a headache for everyone not wearing Houston red this season. 

3) Kansas (4-0)

Previous: 5

With no sign of Bill Self on the sideline the Jayhawks continued to shine on the biggest of stages in Indy against Duke on Tuesday night. A seesaw game saw Duke leading late before Kansas’ depth and experience proved to much for a Duke team that is severely lacking in the “college minutes played” department. But that’s not a knock on Kansas. Duke can outclass pretty much everyone from a talent standpoint which means Kansas had to dig deep late to find a way, and on the shoulders of freshman Gradey Dick (who scored 7 straight in the run that gave the Jayhawks the lead for good) and junior Jalen Wilson’s 25 points they did just that. 

4) Texas (3-0)

Previous: 8

The first big mover of week 2 is the Texas Longhorns after a home dismantling of the top 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs. Remember the week 1 commentary on Texas needing to learn how to score the ball if they’re going to remain highly ranked? Yeah, well…they must have heard the call because they hung 93 on one of Vegas’ top 5 bets to cut down the nets. Hunter continued his offensive onslaught of the early season with 26, while the nation’s best defense held the Zags to 74 points. Texas has a light load this week with Northern Arizona and Rio Grande Valley before facing off against Creighton and Illinois in week 4. 

5) UVA (4-0)

Previous: 9

There’s no better way to lift the spirits of a collective community than winning, and UVA delivered with wins over two highly ranked opponents in week 2. Following a tragic on campus shooting that took the lives of three football players, Tony Bennett’s club took the college basketball world by storm by defeating top 10 Baylor and top 20 Illinois this week. In continuing the week 1 theme of them showing they can score the basketball, the Hoos managed to score 86 on the defensive stalwart Baylor Bears, on the back of transfer senior Armaan Franklin’s 26 points. Virginia is balanced, well coached, and menacing defensively as per usual. They have a light week ahead, facing only MD Eastern at home. 

6) Baylor (4-1) 

Previous: 7

Baylor manages to rise in the rankings despite a loss to UVA, because they bounced back in impressive fashion to hand UCLA their second loss of the week. Flagler continued to impress even in the loss against UVA with 20 followed by 22 against UCLA, but Bridges had a rough week netting only 2 points through 2 games. The good news for Baylor this week is depth, as they got 25 bench points against UCLA to secure the win. Baylor is the beneficiary of 4 other top 10 teams losing this week, 2 of whom lost twice. 

7) Duke (3-1)

Previous: 6

Duke is big. Duke is strong. Duke is athletic. Duke can score. Duke has swagger. But can Duke close big games? That will remain to be seen. Dariq Whitehead wasn’t exactly the showstopper we expected in his college debut, but whether or not him and Lively will be forces down the road as the season progresses is not in the “unknown” category, it is a given. Coupled with Mark Mitchell, Tyrese Proctor, and Kyle Filipowski, Duke’s freshman certainly check all the boxes. But the key to their success lies on the shoulders of junior Jeremy Roach, who without Whitehead in the lineup scored 16 points in the close loss against Kansas. The question regarding them will remain experience, which is the likely cause of their early season loss to the less talented Jayhawks. Luckily for Duke, they may not play another ranked team until they meet UNC in February. 

8) UCLA (3-2)

Previous: 2

It’s a tough week to be a Bruin. The first of 2 top 10 teams who went winless in week 2, Illinois and Baylor both proved to be too much for the Bruins. Neither loss was a blowout which means the good news for UCLA is Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. will keep them in games. The question is when freshman Amari Bailey can’t get it going and the bench struggles, what do they look like? Finding themselves in the loss column is what they look like, as Amari Bailey averaged 1 point a game this week and the bench combined for 30 points, 23 of them from David Singleton. A lot of pundits will roll their eyes at such a high ranking for a UCLA team Jump Around was higher on than most to begin with, but on talent and experience alone, plus the quality of the losses, UCLA remains in the top 10. 

9) Gonzaga (3-1)

Previous: 10

I’m not gonna lie, it was danger zone for Gonzaga to fall hard, fast, and far if they didn’t bounce back against Kentucky on Sunday night. It’s one thing to lose an early season game if you’re Gonzaga, in fact they do most years. Chet Holmgrem came up on the short end against Paolo Banchero last year, and they still ended up with a 1 seed. But to go to Texas and lose by 19…that’s something different altogether. Whether the Zags were just that abysmal or Texas is just that good remains to be seen, but what we do know is that they turned around and outclassed Kentucky in every facet of the game late Sunday evening. If that type of performance holds Mark Few should coast through conference play again. 

10) UK (3-2) 

Previous: 3

A viral video took the college basketball twitter-sphere by storm last Summer of John Calipari at a UK event putting Mark Few on the big screen in Rupp Arena and agreeing to a home in home with Gonzaga. I bet John Calipari wishes he could take that Zoom call back. After a deflating 2 OT loss to Michigan State earlier in the week, Gonzaga rolled UK in Spokane in a game that featured two of the front runners for NPOY battling it out. While Oscar Tshiebwe got his, the other 9 Wildcats who logged playing time accounted for just 52 points in the lopsided effort. The game plan for beating UK now looks a little clearer: stop Tshiebwe or stop the rest. The bright side for UK is neither are a particularly easy task, regardless of what UK’s week looked like. 

The Rest: 

11) Indiana (4-0)

Previous: 11

12) Arizona (3-0)

Previous: 12

13) Arkansas (3-0)

Previous: 13

14) Illinois (3-1)

Previous: 16

15) UConn (5-0)

Previous: 22

16) Tennessee (2-1)

Previous: 14

17) Auburn (4-0)

Previous: 15

18) Alabama (4-0) 

Previous: 17

19) Michigan State (3-1)

Previous: Unranked

20) Texas Tech (3-0)

Previous: 18

21) San Diego St. (3-0)

Previous: 23

22) Creighton (4-0)

Previous: 25

23) Purdue (3-0)

Previous: Unranked

24) St. Louis (4-1)

Previous: 21

25) Ohio St. (3-0)

Previous: Unranked

Fell Out: 

19 Michigan

20 Villanova

24 Dayton

Will's Week 1 College Basketball Rankings

Week one is in the books and while the top 25 came away relatively unscathed, we learned a great deal about what it looks like to be a highly touted college basketball team in the month of November. The week wasn’t without its scares and underperforming juggernauts, impressive debuts from youthful talent, and near buzzer beaters. As per usual at the start of the college basketball marathon horn sounding, boiling enthusiasm abounds. Here’s Will’s updated Top 25: 

1) North Carolina (2-0)

Previous: 1 

Some might call the Heels’ first two outings of the year lackluster while facing two high level mid-major programs. But while not playing their best they managed to log two double digit victories that were never truly in doubt. It goes without saying they need to figure out how to get grad transfer Pete Nance involved in the offense and on the glass as they aim to replace Brady Manek. But we must be reminded that Manek wasn’t a starter on last year’s national runner-Up squad in November. Encouraging numbers from preseason Wooden Award candidate Armando Bacot (22 PPG, 7.5 RPG) and preseason All ACC first team guard Caleb Love (21.5 PPG, 4.5 APG) will go a long way for the Heels to continue being who we thought they might be. 

2)   UCLA (2-0)

Previous: 2

Ranked higher here than in other outlets, UCLA is seen as a high value because of their returning stars in Tyger Campbell and Jamie Jaquez Jr. However, it’s been Junior guard Jaylen Clark leading the way with 16.5 PPG, 68.4% from the field, and 4.5 APG. UCLA has one of the more under the radar freshman prospects in Amari Bailey, who Prep Hoops ranked as the #1 Freshman in the 2022 class ahead of Duke’s Derrick Lively. With even scoring across the board (5 players averaging 10+ PPG) the Bruins showed their balance with their first two early season matchups en route to an average 25 point margin of victory week 1. 

3) Kentucky (2-0)

Previous: 3

With no sign of preseason Wooden Award favorite Oscar Tshiebwe as he aims to return from an offseason injury, the Wildcats made light work in week 1 of Duquesne and Howard. No stranger to brand new-look rosters in years past, it’s not often a transfer for the Wildcats appears to be the brightest rising star. That is until now with Illinois St. transfer Antonio Reeves leading the way with 20.0 PPG off the bench. If they can sustain that type of productivity from their depth all season, coupled with the return of Tshiebwe and a star studded starting lineup, UK will be a near lock for a one seed. 

4) Houston (2-0)

Previous: 4

The Cougars pick up exactly where they left off last season with two words: defensive efficiency. Through two games their opponents are averaging a pedestrian 45.5 PPG. Jarace Walker is a stud Freshman (15.5 PPG), and joining him in the starting lineup are 3 juniors and a senior in what is one of the most experienced lineups in the country. Scoring was a late season question mark for Houston a season ago as they fell short in their quest for a Final Four, falling to Villanova in the Elite Eight. Now with Walker, the Cougars may have found the missing piece for more offense leading to another campaign that’s likely to end in a deep run. 

5) Kansas (2-0)

Previous: 5

The defending National Champions, despite losing Mitchell Lightfoot, Remy Martin, and David McCormick, are loaded again. Juniors Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr. are still a load for the experienced Jayhawks, something that is a welcome addition to freshman Gradey Dick’s already impressive start to the year. After dismantling two of the lower ranked opponents in week 1, Kansas will have the chance to show us who they are on Tuesday night in a battle of the Blue Bloods as they face off with Duke in Indy. 

6) Duke (2-0) 

Previous: 11

We still haven’t seen what Duke will look like when they get yet another top 5 recruit back from injury in Dariq Whitehead, but what we have seen in John Scheyer’s rookie campaign has been good…really good. If there’s a potential knock on this Duke team it’s experience: from the Coach, to the starters, to the bench, but they have talent in spades at potentially all three. Junior Jeremy Roach picked up where he left off a season ago as one of the best guards in the ACC, and a host of freshman have matched his productivity. Like Kansas, Duke’s two opponents thus far are in the basement of KenPom rankings (Jacksonville #199, SC Upstate #309), but as previously mentioned they get the chance to prove themselves on Tuesday night in primetime.

7) Baylor (2-0)

Previous: 7

Not to call them Jekyl and Hyde, especially not this early, but the Baylor Bears have looked like two different teams through two games. Game one, a 117-53 curb stomping of Mississippi Valley St, the Bears showed extreme athleticism, a propensity for top notch defense, and a “he’s heating up” type highlight reel from star Adam Flagler. In a game that featured eye opening high flying offense they had six different scorers in double figures. The following game against Norfolk St. however was a workmanlike 17 point win, a lead that grew steadily throughout the game after trailing early. Only three players reached double figures; Bridges, George, and Flagler, whom as expected are their main stable of horses following the departures of Dain Dainja and Matthew Mayer, both of whom transferred to Illinois. 

8) Texas (2-0)

Previous: 8

In keeping with the impressive defense against small schools trend, Texas found themselves looking no different in week 1 holding their two opponents to an average of 44 PPG. The bad news? The didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard themselves, only averaging 77 PPG. No one on the roster has broken 20 points in a game for the season with Tyrese Hunter netting 18 against UTEP. After that however, no one has scored more than 14 points in a game and only 5 times have players on the roster scored double digits. Despite the defense being potentially tops in the country alongside Houston (what's in the water in Texas?), the Longhorns will have to figure out a way to score the basketball if they’re going to hold court in the top 10 for long. 

9) Virginia (2-0)

Previous: 15

UVA made the biggest rise/fall in the week 1 rankings because…well, Tony Bennett. Known mostly for his stall offense and low scoring games, the former national championship head coach has managed to quietly put together a roster capable of doing something we aren’t accustomed to from teams in Charlottesville; score. Despite a "going through the motions" 12 point win in their first game of the week, UVA blew the lid off of John Paul Jones Arena with 89 points in game 2; the most points they've scored since the first game of the 2020-2021 season, over 75 games ago. Their young nucleus of starters who are finally in the spotlight will only get better as the year progresses. 

10) Gonzaga (2-0) 

Previous: 9

The Zags played the toughest test of all the top 10 teams this week against Tom Izzo's MSU team; a team that is on the outside looking in of the rankings, and it didn't disappoint. MSU led/hung around all game and had the ball on the final possession with a chance to give Gonzaga a rare early season loss. Gonzaga got a game saving stop to move to 2-0 on the week, but they aren’t without their question marks. Drew Timme is still Drew Timme, but yet again we have to wonder if their supporting cast and cupcake conference schedule are enough to keep them near the top of the rankings or take them the distance that has eluded them.

The Rest: 

11) Indiana (2-0)

Previous: 12

12) Arizona (2-0)

Previous: 14

13) Arkansas (2-0)

Previous: 10

14) Tennessee (1-1)

Previous: 6

15) Auburn (2-0)

Previous: 16

16) Illinois (2-0)

Previous: 17

17) Alabama (2-0) 

Previous: 18

18) Texas Tech (2-0) 

Previous: 19

19) Michigan (2-0)

Previous: 20

20) Villanova (1-1)

Previous: 13

21) St. Louis (2-0)

Previous: 22

22) Uconn (2-0)

Previous: 24

23) San Diego St. (2-0)

Previous: 25

24) Dayton (2-0)

Previous: Unranked

25) Creighton (2-0)

Previous: Unranked

Fell Out: 

#21 Miami

#23 TCU

Jump Around 2.0

Press Release

    A few years ago, this was a site that Carolina fans frequented. Our articles made the circulation, were retweeted by Adam Lucas himself, and we had a small but loyal podcast fanbase that tuned in whenever we could find the time to recap the current state of Carolina basketball, football, or whatever else we felt like dissecting in what could only be considered as the least opinionated sports site on the internet. 

    Life being what it is, we found ourselves in a departure from doing what we loved and bringing you the content you desire. Kids, relationships, buying homes, changing careers, that pesky growing up thing adults tend to have to deal with. The stuff that completes you. 

    But recently on the precipice of a "championship or bust" season and an "exceeding expectations" football season, plus arguably the greatest overall sports time period in the history of our great University...we found ourselves wondering; "Can life really be complete without Jump Around?" 

    The answer, obviously, is no. And with that we are here to announce the return of Jump Around. We know, we know. College basketball starts today and this news? We can hardly contain our excitement either. 

    So what can you expect? Well, this season Will aims to cover every game with a new article after each outing for our Heels. In addition, we're going to do the thing that all the other businesses and sports sites in the world have to do, which is join social media. Twitter and IG links will follow in the coming days. Also, in the following months we'll post some of the old articles (in the event you want to revisit) as Special Archival Content.  

    We're going to return to the podcast world with your favorite Tar Heel hoops cast reboot: The Jump Up Pod. And this time we've got some fun in store for you that we've never had before...guests on the pod (including maybe some former Carolina players...although we aren't making any promises.) 

    Tonight, Heels basketball is back. And lucky for the Carolina watching world, so are we. Welcome to Jump Around 2.0.