College Basketball Power Rankings
Posted on: November 24, 2008Just a few games into the season, we’ve already seen some major movement in Hoops Addict’s College Basketball Power Rankings. With the holiday tournament schedule upon us, we will learn a lot more about most of these teams this week.
1. North Carolina (2-0, 0-0): The Tar Heels gained a Tyler (Hansbrough), but lost another, as Tyler Zeller may be out for the year with a wrist injury. With Hansbrough in the line-up this team should be just fine, as they head to Maui for the week.
2. Louisville (2-0, 0-0): Louisville did exactly what they were supposed to do in the Billy Minardi Classic this weekend: beat up on overmatched teams. Terrence Williams, Earl Clark and Samardo Samuels have NBA written all over them.
3. Connecticut (4-0, 0-0): The wins haven’t all been pretty (struggles against Hartford and LaSalle), but the Huskies had a nice statement victory Sunday night against Miami (FL). As A.J. Price gets healthier, this team will only get better.
4. Notre Dame (2-0, 0-0): Luke Harangody has picked up right where he left off last year- to the tune of 28.5 points and 15.5 rebounds through his first two games. This team can show us a lot as they’ll likely face Texas and North Carolina this week in Maui.
5. Michigan State (2-0, 0-0): Michigan State was slowed early, but pulled away late in their 70-59 win over IPFW. The Spartans will need a much better effort against Maryland and potentially Gonzaga and Tennessee this week in the Old Spice Classic.
6. Texas (2-0, 0-0): The Longhorns frontcourt (Connor Atchley, Damion James, Dexter Pittman and Gary Johnson) is vastly underrated. With potential match-ups against Notre Dame and North Carolina this week in Maui, they will have the stage to show college basketball fans how good they are.
7. Pittsburgh (2-0, 0-0): Pittsburgh’s opponents haven’t exactly been a “who’s who,” of the college basketball world. But the Panthers have taken care of business, winning their four games by an average of 24 points.
8. Gonzaga (2-0, 0-0): Like so many others on this list, we’ll know a lot more about the Zags after this week in the Old Spice Classic. Traveling across country won’t be easy, and neither will the competition (Oklahoma State with Georgetown and Tennessee or Michigan State).
9. Duke (6-0, 0-0): After struggling against Rhode Island last Sunday, the Blue Devils handled things in Madison Square Garden- defeating Southern Illinois and Michigan. Duke is one of the few teams which gets to enjoy Thanksgiving at home, before taking on Duquesne this Friday.
10. Purdue (4-0, 0-0): The Boilermakers have taken care of four inferior opponents, and now advance to Madison Square Garden for the semi-finals of the Pre-Season NIT. Should they beat Boston College Thursday, Purdue will have the- cough- pleasure of playing Blake Griffin and Oklahoma in the finals.
11. Tennessee (3-0, 0-0): Tennessee is the third team in these rankings headed to Orlando for the Old Spice Classic. It’d be a surprise- but not a huge shock- to see them return to Knoxville undefeated next weekend.
12. Oklahoma (4-0, 0-0): It’s never good when you give up 44 points to an opponent- unless it’s Davidson’s Stephen Curry, who had a career-high against the Sooners. Give Oklahoma credit, as they found a way to win, and now travel to New York where they’ll face UAB, and likely Purdue.
13. Florida (3-0, 0-0): Maybe it’s Nick Calathes’ gambling trouble, or the Gators unimpressive early season competition, but Florida is the best team no one in college basketball is talking about. That should change if they beat Syracuse and Kansas or Washington this week in the CBE Classic.
14. Marquette (3-0, 0-0): Three wins and an average of 100 points per game have the Eagles off to a flying start. They shouldn’t face any true competition until December 6, when they play in-state rival Wisconsin.
15. Arizona State (3-0, 0-0): Although the Sun Devils challenged themselves by playing a true road game at San Diego State, they dropped a few spots for their lack-luster 59-52 win. Don’t blame James Harden, as he’s averaged 25 points and close to 7 rebounds in Arizona State’s three wins.
16. Georgetown (2-0, 0-0): Freshman Greg Monroe has been as good as advertised, averaging 17 points in an offense that isn’t exactly known for putting a ton of points on the board. The Hoyas are another team that will be tested by the tough field at the Old Spice Classic.
17. Miami (FL) (3-1, 0-0): The Canes did lose Sunday, but it’s hard to drop them too far, as they played well in defeat against a good Connecticut team. Jack McClinton showed us just how talented he is, as he dropped 27 on the Huskies.
18. Xavier (4-0, 0-0): Yes the Musketeers needed a half-court buzzer-beater to defeat Virginia Tech, but they rebounded nicely by outplaying Memphis from start to finish in the championship game of Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The faces and names may change at Xavier, but as long as Sean Miller is on the bench, this team will win its fair share of games.
19. Davidson (3-1, 0-0): The Wildcats had no one to match-up with Blake Griffin, as they lost at Oklahoma Tuesday night. As long as Stephen Curry continues to score as he has (34 points per game, including 44 against Oklahoma), the Wildcats shouldn’t lose too many more.
20. Wisconsin (3-0, 0-0): Wisconsin will never wow you with flashy play or draw-dropping athleticism, but it doesn’t stop them from winning a ton of games. They have a huge challenge ahead of them as they play UConn Monday night in the championship game of the Paradise Jam.
New to the Power Rankings: Xavier and Wisconsin
Dropping out: UCLA and Memphis
Photo Credit: Chris Creamer’s Sports Logo’s

November 25th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
i’m hurt that you have uconn at 2.